复仇者 (2003)

Avenger is a political thriller novel by English writer Frederick Forsyth, published in September 2003. It was adapted for television as the 2006 film Avenger starring Sam Elliott.

Plot summary

The first act of the novel introduces Calvin Dexter, the main character of the story. Dexter is described as a lawyer in his early fifties with a passion for running triathlons to keep in shape. The book digs into his past and reveals that he is a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, and that his last tour of duty was as a tunnel rat, an extremely elite and secret task force that descended deep into the catacombs of Vietcong tunnels to hunt down the enemy in their own lairs. Dexter later married and had a daughter who at the age of 16 was lured away and forced into prostitution by Latino gangsters and eventually murdered. Dexter hunts down his daughter's killers in Panama and executes them, then returns home only to discover that his beloved wife couldn't deal with the death of their only child and has committed suicide during his absence. He moves away and becomes only a small-town lawyer in his public face. But when the reason and price are right, he transforms himself into the "Avenger" and delivers justice not by killing criminals but by 'rendering' them to the United States, so that they will stand trial for their crimes against Americans. Intertwined into the backstory of Calvin Dexter is the narrative of a young American volunteer from a very privileged family who was killed while delivering aid in Bosnia during the Bosnian War.

As the second act kicks off, the boy's grandfather, Canadian billionaire Stephen Edmond, hires a tracker to discover the identity of his sole grandson's killer and eventually learns him to be Zoran Žilić, a sadistic warlord and hitman for Slobodan Milošević's government. The CIA had followed the movements of Žilić during the war, but let him slip off the radar after the fall of Milošević. Edmond then learns of the services provided by the Avenger and hires him to pursue Žilić and bring him to trial. It is then revealed that a secret section in the CIA, headed by Paul Devereaux III, a dedicated patriot, has been working with Žilić in recent months with plans to use him as bait to eliminate another terrorist threat — Osama bin Laden himself. From the CIA’s point of view, Žilić, despite his horrific crimes, had been marginalised as a result of the end of hostilities in Bosnia and could be used to neutralise a much larger threat to the American way of life.

The third act details the actions of the "Avenger" as he tracks Žilić to his palatial and fully self-sufficient prison farm compound in South America. Meanwhile, the CIA operatives work furiously to prevent the Avenger from nabbing Žilić, but the Avenger is tipped off by an unknown ally that the CIA is onto him and he is able to outsmart them at every turn, successfully managing to transport Žilić to Key West and into police custody. It is revealed in the aftermath that the person that tipped Dexter off was an FBI agent acting on the orders of Devereaux's deputy, who turns out to be Dexter's old Tunnel Rat partner and mentor. Just as the story ends, the date is stated to be September 10, 2001.

Characters

Some characters are historically significant, while others are fictional.

Calvin Dexter/ the Avenger/ 'the Mole': The protagonist

Stephen Edmond: A Canadian billionaire and veteran of the Battle of Britain who attempts to find his grandson, Ricky Colenso, and render justice after he learns that the boy was killed

Ricky Colenso: Minor character and an American who is killed by Zilic when rendering disaster relief help in Bosnia

Peter Lucas: A senator and Stephen Edmond's good friend, served as an OSS commando during the Battle of the Bulge

Wild Bill Donovan: Briefly mentioned in the chapter that recounts Peter Lucas' background

Group Captain Douglas Bader: In the chapter that recounts Stephen Edmond's background, he is briefly mentioned

Paul Devereaux: A hardcore patriot and also called 'the Jesuit', he is an Arabist from the Central Intelligence Agency who has been given permission to orchestrate Project Peregrine despite the fact that Zilic, who has committed horrendous atrocities, is involved. He attempts to kill Osama bin Laden with Zilic's help.

Kevin McBride: Devereaux's second-in-command for the Peregrine project. Also known as 'the Badger', it is revealed that he was Dexter's commander and long-time partner in the Tunnel Rat unit.

Zoran Žilić: Antagonist. A warlord under Slobodan Milosevic

Kulac: Minor antagonist. A hulking thug who Žilić brings as his bodyguard when he flees after the fall of Milosevic

Slobodan Milosevic: His history is briefly recounted in the chapter that explains Žilić's background

'Arkan': A gangster who employs Žilić for a while.

Dragan Stojic: A detective who 'the Tracker' and Dexter both talk to about Žilić

Milan Rajak: A civilian who unwittingly becomes a witness to Ricky Colenso's demise. He is approached by the Tracker, Philip Gracey, in 1995 who tries to question him but he refuses to answer. Six years later, he is terminally ill and chooses to testify about the atrocities that Zilic performed.

Philip Gracey: Also known as the 'Tracker', an ex-Special Forces man who Stephen Edmonds employs to find Ricky Colenso.

Osama bin Laden: Indirectly mentioned and another antagonist who Devereaux is trying to kill with the help of Žilić

Amanda Jane Dexter: Calvin Dexter's daughter

Hugh Lamport: A minor character who finds Amanda's body

Unnamed coffee drinker: Along with Hugh Lamport, he is instrumental to finding Amanda's body

Emilio Gonzalez: Minor antagonist who recruits Amanda for prostitution and presumably helps to kill her. Fatally shot by Dexter.

Benyamin Madero: Minor antagonist who contributes to Amanda's demise, he and his two hulking bodyguards are fatally shot by Dexter.