Six Days of the Condor

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Six Days of the Condor is a thriller novel by James Grady first published in 1974 by W.W. Norton.

The story is a suspense drama set in contemporary Washington, D.C., and is considered an exposition of the moral ambiguity of the actions of the United States government following the Vietnam War and Watergate. It was followed by a second novel by Grady titled Shadow of the Condor, released in 1978.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Ronald Malcolm is a CIA employee who works in a clandestine office in Washington, D.C. responsible for analyzing the plots of mystery and spy novels. One day, when he should be in the office, Malcolm slips out a basement entrance for lunch. In his absence a group of armed men gains entrance to the office and kills everyone there. Malcolm returns, realizes he is in grave danger, and telephones a phone number at CIA headquarters he has been given for emergencies.

When he phones in (and remembers to give his code name "Condor"), he is told to meet an agent named Weatherby who will "bring him in" for protection. Alas, Weatherby is part of a rogue group within the CIA, the same group responsible for the original assassinations. Weatherby tries to kill Turner, who escapes with his life. Malcolm uses his wits to elude both the rogue CIA group and the proper CIA authorities, each of which would very much like to find him first.

Seeking shelter, Malcolm kidnaps a paralegal named Wendy Ross whom (he overhears) intends to spend her coming vacation days holed up in her apartment -- hence he knows that nobody will notice her absence. He quickly wins her trust, and she assists him in his quest to stay alive and to find out more about the forces after him.

It turns out that the rogue group was using the section where Malcolm works to import illegal drugs from Laos. A supervisor stumbles on a discrepancy in the records resulting from the clandestine importation, necessitating the elimination of the section.