Lengthy footnotes， wooden dialogue and plodding action hamper Erdman s (The Billion Dollar Sure Thing) latest financial thriller， set during WW II. In Switzerland， where some influential figures enjoy a less-than-neutral relationship with the Third Reich， the newly developing intelligence agencies of both the Allies and the Axis move freely. There novice U.S. spymaster Allen Dulles has established it back channel line to the White House， making him one of the most powerful Americans in the country. The lackluster plot follows a team of American operatives identified as the Swiss Account. The only drama involves the thwarted assassination of a high-ranking SS officer and a foray into Germany by a Dulles team (Swiss siblings Peter and Felicitas Burckhardt and American Nancy Reichman) for information that will allow the Allies to eliminate the Nazis last hope of completing an atomic bomb. Erdman includes the painstaking details of his research at the expense of character and plot development and， thus， reader interest. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information， Inc. From AudioFile This is a masterful performance by Edward Woodward. With consummate skill， he modulates his voice to present a varied range of characters: a young American woman， a seasoned diplomat， as well as Nazi and Swiss characters. The individuals are not only vocally differentiated and always recognizable， but the nature of their personalities is revealed through Woodward s tonal color. Without hesitation he pronounces a difficult vocabulary of proper names and foreign phrases. The smoothness and polish of his delivery produce an exciting story based on World War II covert operations. M.G.S. (c)AudioFile， Portland， Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.