The operator of a small airline has been hired to fly twelve cases of champagne to a hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus. On arrival he finds the hotel in receivership and not only is there no payment but he is roped into helping out as chef and manager to try and keep the business afloat. He is aided by his partner who is fresh out of a two-year stretch in an Israeli jail. When an important guest requests champagne, well, the twelve cases still on the 'plane are the obvious source, until one box is opened and found to contain arms. Complicating matters even further, the champagne drinker is an archaeologist who claims to have discovered an artifact of fabulous historical importance. This is an exciting thriller if not very serious and I enjoyed that there was plenty of authentic aviation details including a dicey flight to Israel that has the reader hanging on by their fingernails. Lyall gave a very accurate portrayal of the area just after the Cyprus Emergency in the fifties when terrorist attacks were still common. Published in 1975 this an excellent example of thriller novels of the time. This was only my second Lyall book but I'll be looking for more. ( )

Roy Care se ha hecho cargo de un vuelo de contrabando de champagne a Chipre, para entrar en contacto con su socio, preso en una cárcel israelí. Las situaciones se complican cuando aparecen un arqueólogo, que puede saber dónde está la espada de Ricardo Corazón de León; su hija, una hermosa medievalista de Nueva York; un "agente" israelí y varios capitalistas de Beirut, uno de ellos extrañamente interesado en el contrabando de champagne. Pero el hallazgo de la espada es la solución para muchos de los protagonistas de esta apasionante novela policial.