Date first published	1974
ISBN Number	0 586 04202 4
Page Count	432 p/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

1939 David Spaulding is asked to give up his peaceful existence to train as an undercover operative in the impending war. Following his training he is posted to war time Europe and becomes the 'man in Lisbon'. For 3 years Spaulding operates his spy network, until out of the blue he is called back to Washington.

Germany, facing the prospect of defeat has a new weapon that could alter the course of the war, unfortunately they are running low on industrial diamonds that will enable Peenemünde to function. There is a solution.

America. Two aircraft companies have made promises which they cannot meet. They need gyroscopes that operate at high altitude, but have had no success. They hear that a system is operational, and has been developed at place called Peenemünde.

Spaulding is brought blind into the unholy alliance. His orders, to exchange the blueprints for the diamonds. However Spaulding is told that the arbiter, Eric Rhinemann is to receive payment into a Swiss bank account.

Spaulding becomes suspicious after a number of attempts on his life are made. Determined to find out the reason, he starts looking into the exchange, and eventually discovers the truth. With the knowledge of treason he decides to destroy the set up before he himself is killed, but can one lone man take on the Nazis based in Buenos Aires?

Review

Ludlum nearly at his best. A reasonable length story, which moves along at a good pace.

When the book was first published, the world was a very different one. It was a time when the war was over, it had faded, but those that fought in the conflict were still reasonably young. Also the rumours of Nazi plots, and wealth still abounded. The period also offered a vast resource of potential material for authors.

To my mind the story is a much more interesting one than the one that we have today of - global terrorism. This may be because the terrorists are faceless individuals who kill and maim without thought, and are in many ways the modern day Nazis - they believe in what is right for them and no other ideology can be accepted. I also feel the problem with the terrorist issue is that there is too much political spin, so much so, that the general public has no real idea of what the truth is.

The story is a typical early Ludlum, one man pitted against a multitude of enemies, including his own employers. There is also a hint of corporate corruption, with commerce being above politics, and nationalities.

The story starts off slowly, perhaps too slowly, but gathers pace once Spaulding reaches Argentina. It is also slightly unusual in that the book has sex in it, something which he normally avoids. However the sex is very mild, and very much in the James Bond mode of implied activity!

Characters are reasonably good, Spaulding is likeable. Rhinemann is a different kettle of fish, disliked by his Jewish compatriots, he is a man waiting for his true mission in life to start. It is gratifying that Ludlum ensures his mission is terminally cut short.

If the book does have any shortcomings, it is perhaps in the number of beatings that Spaulding takes in the course of just under a week, but that is a minor point. After all James Bond never creases his dinner jacket in a fight.

The book can be easily summed up as an author learning his craft and just starting to get into his stride. He has picked his subject matter well, and done a good job with a straight forward plot. It does show that you don't need to have a book with 5 different strands running through them. A good base story is just as good. Perhaps some of the current crop of authors, could look at the idea of just one story thread.

P.S Perhaps one of the reasons I'm enjoying the early Ludlum's, is because we are not relying on terrorism as the theme, which has become very jaded, as everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

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