Assignment: Maltese Maiden — Edward S. Aarons

Twice before Sam had crossed the infamous Madame Hung. Each time he had endured agony, escaping at the final moment. Last time he had finished her off - he thought. But apparently she was like the cat with nine lives - and now she had kidnapped his boss, General McFee.

And without McFee the heart, the core, the brain of K section was gone.

The man who held all the top-secret, confidential, intelligence items locked in his cool, calculating, and impersonal mind was gone.

It was a crisis, a full-scale world crisis. It was also bait... to get Sam Durell.