Saturday, July 15, 2006

"Mayday!" by Clive Cussler

This is one of the earliest (1973) Dirk Pitt adventures, and was also published as The Mediterranean Caper, which I think I prefer. This is an early version of Dirk - not unrecognisable, but certainly a woman-slappin', smokin', cussin' version, who's still referred to as Major.

It's a brief enough read compared to the later volumes, but the ingredients are all here - Al, Rudi, the Admiral - check. Threat to the world (tonnes of smuggled heroin about to flood the States) - check. Beautiful female foil - check. Classic car - check. Evil foreign baddie - check.

It doesn't feel overly dated, but oddly it's the way everyone smokes continuously throughout that sets it firmly in its time. It feels very Bond-ish, with the villain in his clifftop lair, deadly labyrinth and airborne dogfights - later books will establish Pitt more firmly in his own milieu, but it's an entertaining enough read - certainly enjoyed it more than
Vixen 03 .

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home