The Chinese Paymaster — Nick Carter

In A Small Chinese village, an old scientist is executed without a trial. The next day, Peking papers carry stories of his "sudden, regrettable suicide," and the CIA knows it has lost one of its most valuable agents.

At The Edge of a Laotian Jungle, an American army officer and his guerrilla band are bombed by Chinese planes. The Chinese later apologize for their "accidental air space violation," but an important guerrilla operation has been sabotaged.

In A Posh New York Bar, Thailand's U.N. delegate slumps to the floor. The official verdict - heart failure. Actually, someone has sprayed deadly cyanide gas into the diplomat's face only hours before he was to vote against China.

Linking these murders is an enemy agent known as the "Red Chinese paymaster." The agent's face: unknown. Method of operation: strictly from inside U.S. Intelligence. Whereabouts: aboard a trans-American jet, on the first lap of a charter flight around the world.

It's up to Nick Carter to find him - or her - among the plane's passengers. Except someone has betrayed N3. And the Chinese move in for the kill long before he has a chance to board the plane.