Seven Days to a Killing

During the Cold War, Great Britain very much played second fiddle to the USA as a geopolitical power, but in the world of spy-fiction they reigned supreme. From the pulpy adventures of Ian Fleming's Bond to the tense action of Elleston Trevor's Quiller to the cerebral dramas of LeCarre and Deighton, the Brits set the standards for the genre. In addition to such well-remembered authors, there were many more who wrote quality spy-fi that are largely forgotten today—men like James Mitchell, Gavin Lyall, Ted Allbeury, Oliver Jacks (Kenneth Royce), Robert Charles, Desmond Cory, Christopher Nicole (Andrew York), Alan Williams, and the writer I'll be reviewing today: Clive Egleton.

Like most of the authors just mentioned, Egleton served in World War II, and this experience gave his writing a realistic edge that few peacetime writers can match.  No doubt it was this shared wartime background, along with the high English literary standard and cultural affinity for spycraft, that produced a golden age of British espionage fiction in the post-war era. Egleton actually served in the army for thirty years, until retiring to become a full-time writer in  the mid-1970s. His debut novel, published in 1973 and titled Seven Days to a Killing, was made into a movie called The Black Windmill starring Michael Caine the following year. The movie trailer looked interesting enough that I decided to track down the novel and give it a read.

As the story opens, a man named Andrew McKee, dressed in a paratrooper uniform, confronts two boys who are playing at an abandoned military airfield. Using a ruse, the boys are quickly knocked out, bound, gagged, put in crates and taken away in a Land Rover with military precision. A little later, as two of his hired heavies are driving away with their payments, McKee calmly presses a button on a radio transmitter, detonating a bomb in their vehicle and blowing them to smithereens. It's a chilling and well-done opening sequence that lets us know what kind of ruthlessly efficient villains we'll be dealing with.

One of the boys is soon released, but the other, named David, who is the son of an MI6 officer named John Tarrant, is held in captivity at a farmhouse. The kidnapper, who goes by the name "Drabble", calls Tarrant with a simple demand: deliver 500,000 pounds worth of uncut diamonds in two days time, or his son will come to harm. Tarrant must deliver them himself to an address in Paris according to Drabble's instructions. To show that he means business, he plays a recording of Tarrant's screaming son being tortured.

Drabble's demands bring in an intelligence officer named Cedric Harper, whose title is "Director of Subversive Warfare". Harper is highly suspicious by nature, and he wants to know why a man with Tarrant's modest resources would be the target of such a high-priced kidnapping plot. Tarrant seems to be an upstanding officer with a clean record, but is he somehow involved in the plot? Is it just a criminal extortion scheme, or is the KGB or other enemy agency involved? Harper agrees to provide the diamonds for delivery, but in return he puts Tarrant under close surveillance and a background investigation in hopes of finding out the answers.

What follows is part crime/espionage procedural, part race against time, and part the psychological struggles of Tarrant, his estranged wife, Harper and the kidnappers. The narrative got a little confusing at times, as so many characters were introduced that it became difficult to keep track of them, and the procedural parts of the story dragged a bit. But the final stretch of the book made up for all that, as the diamonds are en route for delivery, the kidnappers prepare to make their exchange and getaway, Harper prepares a team for a raid, and Tarrant desperately races to find his son, not trusting Harper to have his best interests at heart. The suspenseful and violent climax was absolutely riveting, one of the best I can remember in an espionage thriller.

The writing style and plotting of Seven Days brought to mind the classic work of Frederick Forsyth, particularly The Day of the Jackal. It has that sophisticated, sinister edge and realistic detail about espionage procedures that he and other British spy-fi greats excel at. The detailed backstories of the kidnappers, their operations and motivations, were quite plausible and very well done. This is apparently the first of a four book series featuring the cynical counter-intelligence man Cedric Harper. Based on the quality of this book, I will definitely be checking out further installments of the series and other novels by Clive Egleton. Highly recommended.

Get a copy of Seven Days to a Killing here.

License Renewed

I first became interested in "shadow-fiction" as a teenager, when I read a few of the original James Bond novels from the 1950s and 1960s. These were very different from the movies: more hard-edged, less cartoonish, featuring more real espionage and adult themes and fewer outrageous chase scenes and goofy gadgets. Ian Fleming's Bond may have been a ladies man who lived in high style, but he was also a very tough, shrewd operative who could hold his own with the Quillers, Callans and Helms of the fictional spy world. I was hooked. I went on to devour all twelve of the original novels, and developed a love for the spy-fi genre that has never gone away.

After Fleming's death in 1964, the Fleming estate commissioned the first Bond "continuation novel", Colonel Sun, authored by Kingsley Amis and published in 1968. Then the literary Bond laid dormant until the series was revived in 1981, when veteran spy novelist John Gardner published the first of his 14 continuation novels, License Renewed. I'd never read any of these books; they get rather mixed reviews, and I knew they could never match the magic of the original Fleming novels. But I'd always been curious to see how the literary Bond might evolve in the 1980s and beyond, so I finally acquired a lot of them and decided to find out.

As License Renewed begins, Bond's romantic weekend is interrupted by an urgent call from his boss M summoning him to the office. Something big is afoot, and Bond's special talents are required. We quickly learn that times have changed at the Service: the double-O section has been abolished and Bond is now an investigator for something called "Special Services". Though Bond's "license to kill" has been revoked, M makes it clear that he still considers Bond his go-to man for wet-work and will look the other way if someone needs to be offed in the line of duty. Also, gadget-master Q has been replaced by a nerdy but attractive woman nicknamed "Q'ute"; Bond has traded his Bentley for a Saab, his Walther PPK 7.65mm for a Browning 9mm, cut back his smoking and drinking habits, taken up jogging and martial arts, and generally seems to be a more well-behaved, health-conscious, politically correct man of the eighties. While this would seem to negate much of Bond's appeal, Gardner also gives Bond more up-to-date knowledge of spycraft, better command of modern technology and stronger physical health. On the whole, I think it's a positive evolution of the character.

M informs bond that Anton Murik, a disgraced but brilliant Scottish nuclear physicist and wealthy lord of a castle, has been seen meeting with an arch-terrorist named Franco—a master of mayhem and disguise surely modelled on the most notorious terrorist of that era, Carlos the Jackal. With reason to believe the two are up to something big and bad, M orders Bond to infiltrate Murik's operations and find out what he can. Using a clever ruse at a racetrack and a well-prepared cover identity as a mercenary, Bond soon gains Murik's confidence, offers his services and gets invited to the lord's castle. There he discovers that Murik wants him to kill Franco for undisclosed reasons, and Bond plays along. He also gets acquainted with Murik's vivacious young ward, Lavender Peacock, his collection of antique weapons and his brutal gang of Highland henchman—most notably the giant Caber. 

Many typical Bond shenanigans follow, as he pokes around the castle, learning things he's not supposed to know, seduces Miss Peacock to his cause, earns the lethal wrath of Caber, makes use of Q'ute's clever gadgets, and attempts a daring escape. In classic Bond villain fashion, Murik eventually informs Bond of his foolproof scheme, which involves terrorist attacks on multiple nuclear plants and extortion that puts SPECTRE to shame. But it's all for a good cause. He also keeps Bond alive far longer than necessary, and as you can probably guess, this doesn't work in his favor. 

There are some exciting action scenes—especially when Bond goes into Jason Bourne-mode to evade pursuers through a crowded European town, and has a climactic fight with Caber aboard a plane. The plot was well thought-out, timely and a even prophetic; at one point Murik essentially predicts the Chernobyl disaster that was five years in the future, and his use of multiple suicide terrorist squads to inflict mass destruction foreshadowed 9-11 two decades early. On the negative side, Murik wasn't the most compelling villain, there wasn't much chemistry between Bond and Peacock, and Gardner's writing lacked Fleming's sinister flair.

All in all though, I thought this was a worthy and entertaining successor to Fleming's Bond novels. Gardner sticks to the Fleming formula, making just enough changes and updates to keep it interesting. While it doesn't match the genius and class of Fleming's novels, with less "sex, sadism and snobbery" (the three keys to Bond stories, according to some critics), License was a fun first adventure for the new Bond. I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series from here.

Get a copy of License Renewed here.

Colorado Kill-Zone

Don Pendleton's Executioner series is without a doubt the most popular and influential men's adventure series of all-time, with hundreds of titles and spin-off books published and hundreds of millions of copies sold since it launched in 1969. Pendleton created a cultural phenomenon when he dreamed up the "dark knight" named Mack Bolan—a one-man army, holy warrior and vigilante fighting endless battles against the forces of organized crime and terror that took the lives of his family.

I've read several Executioners from the early "New War" period in the 1980s, after Bolan had shifted his focus from fighting the mafia to fighting international terrorists and the KGB with the backing of a "black" US government agency, but I'd never actually read any of the original 38 installments authored by Don Pendleton until I picked up a battered copy of Colorado Kill-Zone (Executioner #25, 1976) from a small-town store recently to see what all the fuss was about. I guess I'd assumed that stories about Bolan hunting mafia goons across the USA would be boring and repetitive compared to him hopping around the globe fighting terrorists and enemy agents, so I never tried the early books. Based on the quality of Kill-Zone, I think it's safe to say that this was a bad assumption.

As the book begins, Mack is rolling down a remote road in the Rockies in his "war-wagon", gearing up to do battle with an enemy he can't see but knows in his gut is very close. The battle is soon joined, and to Bolan's shock and dismay, this enemy is using military equipment, tactics and discipline, much unlike the mafia thugs he's used to dealing with. Mack manages to surprise them with the war-wagon's awesome firepower, destroying some and driving the rest away; he wins this round but knows a larger battle is soon to come. Investigating the wreckage and doing some scouting around, he soon discovers that there is a secret base nearby that houses hundreds of what appear to be US military personnel, all focused on trapping Bolan in a Colorado "kill-zone". Further detective work, with assistance from his old friend from the Justice Department, Hal Brognola, and high-ranking mafia informant Leo Turrin, uncovers the identity of the enemy paramilitary's leader and the existence of a conspiracy to take out someone very, very big.

More exciting action soon follows, as Bolan pulls off one of his trademark deceptions to evade the net the enemy forces have drawn around him and makes his way through a snow storm to a deserted ski lodge where the enemy leader supposedly wishes to meet him. There he meets the nordic beauty Giselda, whose brother has been taken hostage by the paramilitary, and together they make a narrow escape by snowmobile and skis but are unable to get off the mountain.

At this point Bolan, realizing that he's trapped on the mountain, surrounded by the paramilitary force, gets philosophical while deciding on the best course of action. He again opts for the strategem of deception from inside the enemy net, impersonating troopers and officers, discovering their radio codes, gathering intel about their larger plot, and sabotaging their operations from within. The enemy objective is revealed to be something worthy of a James Bond novel, the paramilitary commander makes Bolan an impressive offer, and the story moves a little too quickly and smoothly to a satisfying conclusion.

I don't know how typical Kill-Zone is of the Pendleton Executioners, but it was a much bigger plot than I expected, more like something from the New War and Stony Man era where Bolan routinely defeated super-villains and saved America. I certainly enjoyed the book; I liked how Bolan relied on deception and detective work as much as sheer firepower, which made it more realistic. The conclusion felt a bit rushed and inconclusive though, almost like it was the first act of a larger story arc.

There is something brilliantly unhinged about Pendleton's Bolan, the way he fearlessly and obsessively pursues his one-man war, creates his own stateside reality every bit as lethal as his days in 'Nam, obeys his warrior's "gut" like it's a mystical superpower, and justifies his endless spree of murder and terrorism in the name of personal vengeance and protecting society. I love Bolan's high energy and focus on his mission; it reminds me of another favorite fictional character, the super tough armed robber Parker, who is just as obsessive about his own personal war to enrich himself and take revenge upon anyone who crosses him.

Another attractive thing about the early Executioners is the beautiful cover art of Gil Cohen. Here the cover scene is one of the most exciting moments of Kill-Zone, as Mack is skiing away from a squad of snowmobile Bolan-hunters, weapons strapped to his parka, one pursuer being obliterated while another grenade is about to be hurled at the others, the beautiful Giselda by his side. You don't see covers like that any more, in these days of dull, generic, lifeless, photographic cover art that looks like it has been generated by an algorithm.

There is just something addictive and wildly entertaining about these books. Partly I think it's the 1970s setting, when there was a kind of freedom, adventure, creativity and cynicism in paperback fiction that you don't really see today. But more so I think it's the compelling character of Mack Bolan and the genius of Pendleton's world-building and story-telling. The upshot for me is that I will probably have to collect and read the entire run of 38 Pendleton books (and probably many more), just as I have done with other favorite series such as Parker and Quiller. Stay tuned for more reviews of this all-time classic men's adventure series.

Get a copy of Colorado Kill-Zone here.

The Shadow in the Sea

Like the the previous book I reviewed, The Shadow in the Sea is an obscure Cold War spy thriller from the early 1970s about a Soviet super-weapon and a daring mission to infiltrate Soviet territory to investigate and sabotage it. Written by the forgotten Welsh author Owen John and published in 1972, this is the fifth novel in John's series about Scottish super-spy Haggai Godin. No suave James Bond knock-off or grim Quiller-like killer, Godin is a giant oddball of a man who eats to excess, loves brandy, laughs often and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of everything related to his profession. The son of a Russian émigré, he speaks Russian like a native and is a master of disguise and social manipulation.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book is the cover. The beautiful illustration, of a man dangling from a rope just below the edge of a cliff, a grappling hook barely holding him, rifle strapped across his back, with a huge, menacing submarine lurking in the sea far below, is the kind of classic men's adventure cover art that Fawcett Gold Medal paperbacks were famous for. If you like this kind of artwork, browse all the Gold Medal covers by clicking the book numbers on the left side of this page.

As Shadow opens, a lighthouse operator reports seeing a huge black submarine briefly surface off the coast of Wales. Based on the unusual description and the fact that British Intelligence thought they had accounted for the whereabouts of the entire Soviet fleet, this leads to concern that the Soviets have a new sub prowling around U.K. waters of an unknown design. To solve the mystery, the agency's top operative, the ultra-confident and -competent Haggai Godin, volunteers to undertake an infiltration mission into northwest Russia to investigate a submarine base and find out what's going on. Accompanying Godin as usual will be super-spook Colonel Mason of the CIA.

The dynamic duo infiltrates Soviet waters by fishing trawler from Norway, Mason hiding the boat in fjords to avoid Soviet patrols while Godin goes ashore alone to reconnoiter the base. Godin's first challenge is to climb the four hundred foot cliff (!) up from the sea pictured on the cover, which he does by firing a grappling hook attached to very long rope over the cliff edge, then climbing without any special gear—just sheer strength and willpower. It's an exciting scene, but one which let me know early on that this wouldn't be a highly realistic espionage adventure.

Godin dons the winter uniform of a Soviet soldier and proceeds east toward Murmansk by bus, using his genius for disguise and socializing to gain information and blend in with the locals. So bold and confident is Godin that he prefers to draw attention to himself, using his mastery of "yo-nin" overt infiltration to walk right into the base, rather than "in-nin" covert creeping around in the shadows. Without providing any spoilers, let's just say that the way Godin infiltrates the base and gets information about the top secret sub is rather far-fetched, but entertaining. He does manage to discover the nature of the sub and the insidious mission it is embarked on.

The most tense and exciting part of the novel was Godin's escape from the naval base and exfiltration from Soviet territory. Walking many miles cross-country in the bitter cold of a Siberian winter, evading security forces, attacking them only when necessary, using deception to get assistance from local villagers—I like how Godin applies the "make war by way of deception" motto of real spooks and ninjas, rather than taking on large armed forces single-handedly and defeating them without taking a scratch in the manner of Mack Bolan and other over-the-top shadow warriors. While Godin's methods weren't always totally believable, and he was a bit too confident and competent for real life, they didn't quite turn the book into a cartoon for adults like some men's adventure/espionage series.

Meanwhile back in the UK/USA, spooks are working overtime to decode intercepted signals to and from the sub, and a desperate strategem is devised to attempt to avert the dastardly intentions of the vessel. I won't say any more, except that, like The Tashkent Crisis, the climax was a bit of a letdown compared to the infiltration and exfiltration scenes, and the super-weapon seemed a bit science-fictional and far-fetched for 1972.

All in all, this was an entertaining but not stellar read. I may try more Haggai Godin novels if I run across them, but I probably won't go out of my way to acquire them. Recommended for fans of old-school spy/adventure fiction.

Get a copy of The Shadow in the Sea here.

The Tashkent Crisis

The Tashkent Crisis, published in 1971 and written by William Craig, is an obscure Cold War thriller that brings to mind classic Alistair MacLean adventures of the 1960s and Tom Clancy "techno-thrillers" of the 1980s. Based on a few positive online reviews and a cover blurb by Donald Hamilton, I picked up the hardback for six bucks and gave it a quick read.

As the novel opens, an American scholar on his way to the Moscow airport is approached by a Russian journalist, given a package and implored to deliver it to an old friend in the State Department. The American doesn't know it, but the package contains technical documents describing a devastating new Soviet weapon system, the existence of which Washington only dimly suspects. Apparently the Soviets have successfully tested an energy weapon that will enable them to incinerate any city on the planet at will. To make matters worse, a hardline general has covertly seized power in Moscow and is preparing to force America's surrender by demonstrating the awesome power of the new death ray. He soon issues an ultimatum to the President: surrender to Soviet forces in 72 hours, or Washington D. C. will be annihilated.

Desperate for an alternative to surrender or mutual nuclear destruction, the President authorizes a seemingly suicidal sabotage mission into the heart of Soviet Asia to destroy the secret weapon before it destroys them. A four-person team is quickly assembled, consisting of a bad-ass Russian-speaking Green Beret of Czech heritage, a KGB defector who had plastic surgery and is now working for the CIA, an ex-Soviet tank commander with experience running cells behind the iron curtain, and a five foot tall Jewish female assassin who grew up near Tashkent.

The sabotage mission was the heart of the story, and the most exciting part by far. The quick assembling of the team; the stealth, low-altitude insertion by helicopter from Pakistan over the Hindu Kush mountains into Uzbekistan; the tense jeep ride across the steppe, dressed as Soviet soldiers, to the vicinity of the secret base; the hideout at the ruined mosque; the intrigue as a traitor in their midst is revealed; the scouting of the secret base; the desperate attempt to complete the sabotage mission despite heavy security—while it's highly implausible that such a mission would be attempted on such short notice with such a team, it made for a gripping tale.

Meanwhile in D.C., the president masterminds a grand deception that involves setting off natural gas explosions throughout D.C. to provide cover for his emergency evacuation of the city, while Soviet provocateurs manage to convince anti-war protestors that the president is on the verge of launching an all-out nuclear attack on Russia. The ultra-hawk Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is pushing for a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Tashkent base, there is still no word from the sabotage team, and the President, under intense pressure from all sides, holds the fate of America and the world in his hands.

It was fascinating to read how many of the American political divisions described in this book are still going strong after more than 50 years, as well as the international tensions. While this is definitely a snapshot of America in the early 1970s, with an unpopular war winding down, war-hawks rattling sabers and anxious to prove that the military can still win, paranoia about mutually-assured mass destruction, governments deceiving their populations and protestors being manipulated by shadowy powers, in many ways it is still very relevant to our time.

This was a good read, but I think it would've been even better as a more streamlined men's adventure novel focused on the sabotage mission, with less of the political intrigues, drama with the protestors, government cover-ups, etc. Also, the Soviet death ray and the weapon the saboteurs brought to destroy it both seemed rather unrealistic and science-fictional, and took me out of the story a bit.

Apparently Craig only wrote one more novel, which is surprising because this was an entertaining debut effort that, despite some far-fetched elements, had all the ingredients of a successful espionage thriller. Recommended for fans of the genre.

Get a copy of The Tashkent Crisis here.