Assumed Identity by David Morrell











A good read, not Morrell's best work.

Originally published in 1993.

No one writes better than Morrell when it comes to the "fugitive" novel - one man hunted by many in a cross-country chase.

David Morrell
In Assumed Identity, a military intelligence deep cover operative has been accidentally exposed and an operation goes sour. Soon, the operative is being blackmailed and chased by an attractive reporter and the unwanted attention causes the operative's handlers to "terminate" a number of people and the operative comes to believe that his own life is in danger as well. Throw in a damsel in distress (actually two) and a James Bond-esque villain and the chase is on!

Unfortunately, a great story is slightly marred by the protagonist's constant internal psychobabble about who he really is (he confuses himself with the various personas he's become over the years). An even bigger problem is the ultra-rich villain. He's a parody of the James Bond super villain. The climax of the book is hokey and almost laughable. Too bad that a 400+ page book is marred by 10 pages at the end. A worthwhile read but be prepared.

 I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

 This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Assumed Identity.

 Reviewed March 10, 2005.

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