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The end of the Cold War need not prevent skilled espionage writers from delving into the same settings and themes as before the Berlin Wall went down. Seymour (Holding the Zero) does so skillfully by having a 1988 murder in East Berlin come back to haunt the participants a decade later. In London, British Army corporal Tracy Barnes attacks Dieter Krause, the former Stasi agent who killed her spy lover, Hans Becker. After being jailed and released, she escapes to Germany to find evidence against Krause. Following her is Josh Mantle, former intelligence officer and derelict, now a lowly solicitor's clerk. Together, they unravel a sticky web of complicity and betrayal reminiscent of John le Carré at his best as Seymour demonstrates how the sins of the past are not only inescapable but how they stain the innocent as well. Robert Whitfield excels at providing a wide range of accents and voices, especially the world-weariness of the no-nonsense investigator pursuing Tracy and Josh. Highly recommended. Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.