With six previous novels. James Carroll has

established his reputation as a best-selling

author who combines vivid st6rytelfing witb a

passionate moral concern. His books always

confront both the political complexities of con-

temporary American life and the intensely

personal struggles of men and women to find

themselves and one another.

Firebird. James Carroll s seventh novel_ is

about the most fateful act of espionage of the

twentieth century. Set in the era of Hiss.

Fuchs. McCarthy and the Rosenbergs, all of

whom feature in this story, Firebird is a

breathtaking political thriller. But like the best

works of tbat genre--Carroll is often com-

pared to Graham Greene--it is also a disturb-

ing examination of our political and moral

disenchantment. Like the classic Russian

folktale from which the title comes, Firebird is

a moving and passionate love story. But it is

also a novel of suspense, the outcome of which

is as shocking as it is unpredictable.

The time is 1949. When American officials

learn that the Russians have detonated an

atomic weapon, they realize that the most

tightly held secret in their nation s history has

been penetrated. How? By whom? Is the

traitor still in place? Is the future of atomic

research jeopardized? The FBI. in its most

urgent mission ever. is charged with finding

out.