Harrington, Kent (Michael) 1945-

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HARRINGTON, Kent (Michael) 1945-

PERSONAL: Born January 24, 1945, in Rochester, NY; son of Joseph Michael and Sally (Berkley) Harrington; married Antoinette Camille Roser (a hospital administrator), March 27, 1967. Education: Duke University, B.A., 1966; Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, M.A. (with distinction), 1968. Hobbies and other interests: Sailing, skiing, tennis.

ADDRESSES: Home—6909 Winners Circle, Fairfax Station, VA 22039. Office—Harrington Group, Suite 508, 1011 Arlington Blvd., Apt. 314, Arlington, VA 22209-2243. Agent—Sue Katz, Sue Katz and Associates, 928 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Citibank, New York, NY, loan officer, 1968-69; Embassy of Japan, Washington, DC, research counsel, 1972-73; Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, intelligence officer, 1974-97, also held positions as director of public affairs, chief of station, analyst, and division chief; Arnold International, Washington, DC, president, beginning 1997; Harrington Group, Washington, DC, chairman, 1997—. Lecturer and guest speaker. Military service: U.S. Air Force, 1969-72; became first lieutenant.

MEMBER: Asia Society, Japanese-American Society, Authors Guild, Authors League of America.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Gift of a Falcon, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

A Brother to Dragons, Donald I. Fine (New York, NY), 1993.

Dark Ride, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Dia de los Muertos, Dennis McMillan (Tucson, AZ), 1997.

The American Boys, Dennis McMillan (Tucson, AZ), 2000.

The Tattooed Muse, Dennis McMillan (Tucson, AZ), 2001.

Also contributor to periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS: Kent Harrington is a former CIA intelligence officer who has turned to writing noir and suspense novels that feature down-and-out protagonists who are often responsible for their own misfortunes. In Dark Ride, for example, Jimmy Rogers was a star athlete in school and heir to his father's fortune. Most people in his hometown thought that he would become a great success, but when his father writes him out of his will, Jimmy has to take a lowly job selling insurance. Things turn from bad to worse when his lover, a married woman who is addicted to sex and drugs, promises Jimmy a share of the wealth if he will murder her husband, Phil. Committing the crime does not improve his situation, however, because Phil's brother, an ex-convict named Nigel, finds out about the arrangement. From this point on, events in the novel spin out of control as Jimmy commits crime after heinous crime in a desperate attempt to untangle the web he has woven. "Readers who like their humor black and their action noir should enjoy" Dark Ride, wrote one Publishers Weekly writer.

Harrington's Dia de los Muertos is set in Tijuana during the Day of the Dead celebrations. The protagonist, DEA agent Vince Calhoun, is suffering from gambling debts, dengue fever, a nasty ex-girlfriend, a gay agent who has fallen in love with him, and an investigation against his suspected involvement in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States. In a desperate attempt to release himself from his problems, Calhoun sets out on one last big smuggling caper. A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that Calhoun seemed to be "a parody of the noir hero" and that "most readers won't care" as they watch him destroy himself.

Harrington was on familiar ground in 2000 with his well-received spy thriller, The American Boys, before venturing into a mainstream mystery with The Tattooed Muse in 2001. The former title features CIA spy Alex Law, who, after twenty years of service to the agency, is on the outs as alcoholism takes its toll. But when he stumbles into a huge conspiracy involving drug cartels, high-ranking security agents, a plot against the American president, and even danger for his wife and son, Law gets a chance to redeem himself. "This literate thriller is edge-of-the-seat reading from start to finish," wrote one Publishers Weekly reviewer. In The Tattooed Muse the author once again studies a man who has had his circumstances suddenly reversed from good to bad. Writer Martin Anderson's fortunes seem to be on the rise when one of his books is accepted by a publisher and movie rights have been sold as well. However, someone seems to be trying to drive Martin insane, and when he starts to have memory lapses he starts to believe that he may have killed a movie producer. Although Booklist critic Thomas Gaughan liked Harrington's earlier noir pieces better, he noted that The Tattooed Muse is "worth the ride."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 1995, Thomas Gaughan, review of Dark Ride, p. 688; November 15, 2001, Thomas Gaughan, review of The Tattooed Muse, p. 557.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1995, review of Dark Ride, p. 1719.

Publishers Weekly, December 4, 1995, review of Dark Ride, p. 53; November 10, 1997, review of Dia de los Muertos, p. 56; April 17, 2000, review of The American Boys, p. 49.*