Meet Sonny: a recent graduate of medical school, a man of tremendous sexual prowess, a good sport, fine raconteur, stalwart friend — and cold-blooded, expert killer. His assignment: to murder one of the most closely guarded of all world leaders. His employer: another head of state, driven by a thirst for vengeance. Pursuing Sonny are Scimitar’s two other unforgettable characters. One is a meek young clerk at the British embassy in New York who must investigate the random murders of British citizens in the city — random, that is, except for the small green scimitars tattooed on their chests. The other is an American woman who falls under Sonny’s sexual thrall — until she discovers what he really is. Once the identity of his target is revealed, we know that Sonny cannot ultimately succeed, yet the suspense remains nerve-tingling. For he is an assassin of incomparable cunning, and the plan he devises is so ingenious that we cannot imagine how it could fail. To whet your appetite, it involves an innocuous pesticide, a cross-country train trip with astonishing erotic repercussions, the seating plan in the Baroque Room of New York’s Plaza Hotel, and an out-of-order lavatory midway up the steps of the Statue of Liberty. Written with masterful skill, Scimitar bristles with shocks, surprises, and arcane knowledge of the killer’s craft. You will read it quickly, for its pace is compelling. But you will remember it always.