For the first six Jimgrim stories, the action is set in Palestine. The seventh book takes place in Syria. For this, the eighth in the series, Cairo and the Pyramids are center stage. Much changes in the series with this story. First, Jimgrim himself moves slightly off center stage to be replaced by Ramsden, for this is Ramsden's story and it shows. It is much more violent and driven by intuition. Heretofore, the Jimgrim novels have been notable for Jimgrim's lack of violence. Yes, there were battles and showdowns and people getting killed. But the plots turned on Jimgrim's patience and his ability to sniff the air and get people to acknowledge the value of enlightened self interest--the idea that all would prosper, if the interests of each individual was protected along with the common good.

Clearly, that is not the case with A Secret Society. It's almost as if Mundy's editors at Adventure magazine told him to shake things up and get some blood on the page. And so he does. There is even a gun battle within the interior of the Great Pyramid itself. Meanwhile, a worldwide society of criminals must be faced down and derailed from their plot to enter the United States and embrace the American financial system within their web. Before there was James Bond, there was Jimgrim and Ramsden.

There is not nearly as much thought in this story as in the earlier novels. Maybe no thought whatsoever. But perhaps Mundy's readership in Adventure were getting antsy, and he needed to toss them a bone. ( )