Charley Partanna and Irene Walker are among the most likable characters in Condon's oeuvre. Although they must ultimately face up to the reality that one of them is going to have to kill the other, each is sketched with a degree of affection and a tolerance for human foibles most unusual in a Condon novel. This also carries over into the portrayals of minor characters, several of whom are viewed with a sympathetic rather than an analytic eye. This is accomplished despite the fact that Charley, Irene, and their comrades are, objectively speaking, coldblooded killers who are ruthlessly violent with anyone who stands in their way. This saccharine view of hard-edged people is something new for Condon — The Manchurian Candidate is typical in its sarcastic treatment of even the most innocuous people — and it may well herald a more mature conception of character that...