The first installment in the legendary Matt Helm thrillers
Matt Helm, one-time special agent for the American government during the Second World War, has left behind his violent past to raise a family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When a former colleague turns rogue and kidnaps his daughter, Helm is forced to return to his former life as a deadly and relentless assassin.
Originally released in the era of the James Bond novels, the Matt Helm novels were considered grittier and more realistic than Bond, garnering them critical praise and an ardent audience.
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"During WWII, he was part of a group of spies doing the wet work that ordinary soldiers couldn't do. 15 years after the war, a girl from that time in his past shows up. He had been trying to live like an average citizen but she walked in and turned everything upside down, too bad for him, and too bad for everyone in his way. Forget the silly farce movies, this Matt Helm is a very serious character. Code name "Eric", smart but not infallible, he does it because he's good at it and because the job needs to be done.
I read the paperbacks as fast as they were published, back in the 1960's. Donald Hamilton's style was gripping and once a book was started, it was hard to put down. I find that feeling has carried over to the audiobooks and I have made my way through the available titles and find myself feeling the same way I did waiting so many years ago for another one to come out.
The reader, Stefan Rudnicki, has the voice you expect from Matt Helm and his performance is excellent.
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KC (5 out of 5 stars)