Realistic Espionage

The Circus Master's Mission

By Joel Brinkley

Random House

$18.95

MANY Americans wonder just how it is that our government gets into some of the messes that it inevitably, regularly does. How did we get so entrenched in Vietnam? How is it possible that President Reagan knew so little about his own administration? How can any administration have as many scandals as Reagan's did?

Of course, everyone speculates about how these incidents occur at the time they are discovered. Years of analysis and research later, we develop some understanding of their causation, as we have, for example, with the Vietnam War. But just as we seem to get a grasp of how our government messes up, hungry journalists uncover more and more scandals.

Joel Brinkley's debut spy novel, The Circus Master's Mission, combines all of these things--one person's speculation, hindsight and journalistic footwork--to come up with a fascinating look at just how out of hand our government could get.

As The New York Times reporter covering the Iran-Contra scandal, Brinkley has a sound understanding of the motives that drive politicians to involve themselves and their nation in Nicaraguan politics. With this kind of background, it is no wonder that the strongest part of Brinkley's novel which details the events leading to an American invasion of Nicaragua--is the psychological characterizations of his players.

From weak-kneed Terrence Ascher, seeking his father's approval, to Rafael Mendoza, who is tired of America's condescending attitude towards his people, to Marine Eric Gustafson, smuggly certain that only U.S. intervention can save the incompetent Contras, Brinkley's characters are intended to reveal the psychological factors behind a government scandal.

The strongest character--not surprisingly--is Christopher Eaton, the small-paper journalist who adopts the Contras as his news cause and uncovers the scandal.

The characters are compelling and the plot around which Brinkley weaves them is engaging if terrifying; it is all-too-believable.

The realism of the story is helped greatly by the chapter notes in the back of the book. It is clear from these notes that Brinkley put a lot of reporting energy into his first novel--each of the events in his book are based on slightly altered historical information or on actual government proposals and contingency plans.

ADMITTEDLY, there is a difference between writing a spy novel as a spy novelist and writing a spy novel as a journalist. Brinkley's style is at times too dry, and while the political and psychological aspects of his characters are brilliantly conceived, they lack a personal perspective.

And Brinkley's journalistic devotion to detail comes out in the military scenes, which comprise some of the weaker parts of the novel. The exact effects of SA-7's, Deadeyes, Redeyes, etc., etc., are unnecessary additions to an otherwise compelling plot.

But the political elements Brinkley brings to the novel more than make up for it; it is precisely this concept that most spy novels lack. Particularly fascinating is the view of inevitable corruption permeating whatever government controls Managua, an outlook that would warm even a hardened cynic's heart but leave ardent supporters of America's fight to democratize the world feeling slightly ill.

Brinkley's chilling story will leave readers hoping that the Central American governments intent on disbanding the Contras are successful in their plans. American intervention has not done much good so far, and this book shows that it could have done--and might do--worse.