In a renovated Gothic church on Long Island lives Jonathan Hemlock, an art professor and world-renowned mountain climber who finances his black-market art collection by working as a freelance assassin.
Now, Hemlock is being tricked into a hazardous assignment that involves an attempt to scale one of the most treacherous mountain peaks in the Swiss Alps: the Eiger. His target is one of his three fellow climbers. The problem is that the people who hired him at CII can't tell him which one.
In a breathtakingly suspenseful story that is part thriller and part satire, Trevanian traces Hemlock's spine-tingling adventures, introducing a cast of intriguing characters—villains, traitors, beautiful women—into the highly charged atmosphere of danger. The accumulating threads of suspicion, accusation, and evidence gradually knit themselves into a bizarre and death-defying climax.
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"This really is a clever and fun book. I don't know if I'd have seen the twist coming so clearly as I did had I not read it first decades ago and remembered enough to know what was coming, but the fact that I even remember such a detail speaks to the staying power of the book. Assassin Jonathan Hemlock is hired/coerced into carrying out a dangerous "sanction" or assassination only he can manage, since the target is a mountain climber, as Hemlock was in earlier pre-assassin days. This book includes all you'd expect in a spy/thriller kind of book--amoral protagonist, shadowy agencies, violence, lots of sex--but all twisted slightly sideways, not enough to turn the book into a parody of the form but just enough to make it something of a satire. You can take it straight, of course, as a solid thriller, but the spark of the book really lies in its cold humour and the way it tweaks the very conventions its exploiting. Great fun." — Dominick (4 out of 5 stars)
"This really is a clever and fun book. I don't know if I'd have seen the twist coming so clearly as I did had I not read it first decades ago and remembered enough to know what was coming, but the fact that I even remember such a detail speaks to the staying power of the book. Assassin Jonathan Hemlock is hired/coerced into carrying out a dangerous "sanction" or assassination only he can manage, since the target is a mountain climber, as Hemlock was in earlier pre-assassin days. This book includes all you'd expect in a spy/thriller kind of book--amoral protagonist, shadowy agencies, violence, lots of sex--but all twisted slightly sideways, not enough to turn the book into a parody of the form but just enough to make it something of a satire. You can take it straight, of course, as a solid thriller, but the spark of the book really lies in its cold humour and the way it tweaks the very conventions its exploiting. Great fun."
“Superior suspense on almost every page…the hero is a masterpiece of conflicting qualities—something for everyone.”
“Joe Barrett’s gruff voice creates tension and a noir atmosphere. He also nails the sly sense of humor that permeates the novel, from the opening incident, which claims a spy’s life in Montreal, to the irony that follows Hemlock through his adventure in the Alps. Trevanian’s cynical take on the secret agent myth is worth checking out, even decades later, and Barrett’s interpretation makes the amoral Hemlock a character to remember.”
" This was a good spy novel with interesting and well-developed characters and an intriguing plot, enhanced with interesting and detailed descriptions of mountain climbing, but spoiled by excessive profanity, sex, and violence. I was very disappointed - this is just not my style. "
" The main character in these novels is just a badass. Really. Bourne has nothing on him. "
" Lots of fun. The Clint Eastwood movie plays very close to the book. "
" The movie was better entertainment. I have always found Trevanian somewhat pompous, and fairly unrealistic, (e.g. Shibumi, apart from flashbacks). this book is a fun, though not necessarily good, read. "
" Read many years ago. I still think "Shibumi" is the better read. "
" Interesting plot. This book definitely held my interest This was a good spy novel with interesting and well-developed characters,I had not realized that the movie followed the book so closely. "
" In my memory I have never said this but skip the book and see the movie. This reads like a romance novel with spies. The only reason I didn't give it 1 star is that the plot at the end was engaging. Don't waste your time. "
" Better than the movie! I know that's hard to believe if you've seen the 70s Clint Eastwood flick(and you should) but just read this. "
" A very good book that engages the reader with a swift flowing narrative. "
" Hilarious. Good for fans of James Bond. "
" This was an enjoyable read. A hit man thriller combined with mountain climbing. I grew up climbing with my father and the climbing descriptions fit the climbing of the era the book was written. There was a movie made of the book which follows quite closely but as usual pales in comparison. "
" Excellent story. I had not realized that the movie followed the book so closely. The movie follows the book to the letter. "
" A great spy/mountain climbing read. "
" A fairly enjoyable thriller spoof that ended up being pretty exciting. "
" Fast paced, interesting and fun to read. I loved the twists and turns and surprises. A nice change of pace for me. "
" Remember the scene in Jurassic Park where the guy says "clever girl" before the raptor pounces? The author is the raptor. You are the guy. It's a hell of an enjoyable time. Immaculately written. "
" I remember being quite impressed with this book in the early eighties. "
" Well, this was very enjoyable story, but the plot wasn't very special. I think the Clint Eastwood movie was better, but I really like this book! "
" A suspenseful, page-turner of a novel from a very interesting author. Forget the movie. "
" Better than the movie with Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, et al. "
" I liked it enough to get the DVD. Espionage, action, high (literally) adventure. "
" A climax on the climb; exciting to read. "
" no one is more sarcastic and ironic than this guy...and the "I´m better than you you borgeoise pig" style doenst hurt either! eally entretaining! "
" It was entertaining, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was good. I read something else by Trevanian before, and found that one kind of misogynistic too. "
Trevanian (Rodney Whitaker, 1931–2005) was the bestselling author of Shibumi, The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, The Main, The Summer of Katya, and Incident at Twenty-Mile. He was also an educator in communication and dramatic arts and wrote nonfiction books under his own name. His books have been translated into more than fourteen languages.
Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.
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