Jul 06, 2012 12:06 PM
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Desmond Bagley is an author who was supposed to have a style similar to James Hadley Chase - this was how I was introduced to Desmond Bagley. For an avid and die hard fan of James Hadley Chase, like me, getting more reading material on some simple, yet gripping material was always a welcome thought. I did delve into one of his works and found it to be a well researched and gripping story set in the back drop of England and Mexico (The vivero letter, published in 1968).
I liked my first tryst with Bagley's works - however not many of his books were in circulation and getting hold of a copy was tough. Close to a decade later I found a discarded copy of his book titled Running Blind - a torn version of a novel, surely the book would have seen better days ... I just flipped the pages casually and was struck by what I read, Man this guy surely knows how to grip his readers - the first few lines really grip and you just settle down to read it. Instead of ranting and raving about the book let me succinctly summarize the details so that new and old readers alike, can get a feel of what to expect.
The plot : This is a first person account of spy, Alan Stewart, who is entrusted with a simple task of handing over a sealed package to a designated person in Iceland. Alan is selected for this job since he is an Ex MI6 spy and is familiar with Iceland, its topography, the culture and the language. Moreover, Alan has an Icelandic girlfriend and spends a lot of time in Iceland. Coerced by his superiors, he agrees to deliver the package and arrives in Iceland - this is when things take a turn for the worse.
Alan is forced to flee for his life - he does not know whom to trust or where to move, the story whirrs by and soon you see the captive turn captor, the hunted turns hunter as Alan discovers to his horror that he is being used as a mere pawn in a deadly game and that there is dirty work going on. Alan finds himself at the crossroads - he needs to act quickly and decide on a few matters that involve life and death. What he chooses, how he handles the turn of events and the sinister discoveries that he makes forms the rest of the story.
Pros : Set against the beautiful landscape of Iceland, the story is fast and gripping. The research work is done well and the scenes are picturized beautifully. The language is prim and correct and slang is used sparingly. The first person account of this story is in itself a commendable attempt considering how difficult it is to narrate a tale of espionage as this (first person account). the end of each and every chapter lends a new twist to the tale.
Cons : not many. at times the story seems to meander into predictable lines - but wait, there is a word of caution here - not all the twists and turns that you guessed and deciphered turn out correct, the author has a canny style of writing.
Overall take : Worth a read. If you are a fan of James Hadley Chase and the kind of thrillers that he writes (or rather used to write), then this is for you. If you are new to Desmond Bagley's works this is a good book to start with and explore his other works. All in all a good, fast paced, neatly packaged crime thriller from Bagley.
Keep reading,
tinkerty tonk.
