The Hydra Head
Novel of international intrigue by Carlos Fuentes, published in 1978 as La cabeza de la hidra.  Set in Mexico, the book features the Mexican secret service. The story concerns the attempt by the Mexican government to retain control of a recently discovered Mexican oil field. Secret agents from Arab lands, Israel, and the United States attempt to wrest control of the source for their own purposes. In a plot thick with dirty tricks, violence, sex, amazing coincidences, and betrayals, the novel's movie-loving hero, Felix Maldonado, confronts the villains.   --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature