This book started off all right, but I found the explanation of the person behind the plot convoluted and hard to follow. ( )

Surprisingly fun. It starts out as if it were going to be a mystery novel, then drifts into being a Chandleresque detective novel, with the main character being sapped and waking tied up in a deserted house,. It then evolves into a Bondish super villain extravaganza. Great action -well realized hand to hand combat fights. I listened to this as an audiobook, but I'm pretty sure I have a copy with the original cover from the 60s. Have to check if there's another MacClean novel in the pile...I'm keen to take a look at another. ( )

Didn't know what I expected (the book was a recommendation) I was pleasantly surprised at how well it was written. Everything is described so vividly, you can see everything in your mind's eye. A page-turner with that starts off with a break-in at a government lab where they design killer viruses, this books takes you on a crazy ride with red herrings all along the way. ( )

Not as much fun as 'The Guns of Navarone', which I read a couple of months ago, but still an entertaining read. This is really more of a detective story than an adventure, with the hero trying to track down a stolen super virus. It's a little pedestrian at times, with much of the action confined to rural England, but the thrilling climax makes up for it. Even that doesn't quite live up to the promise of the title though. ( )

Orig. published under pseudonym Ian Stuart ( )