Mr Forbes, which is a pseudonym for Raymond Harold
Sawkins, wrote more than 40 novels (most fit quite comfortably in the adventure
suspense genre) and many, especially his earlier novels, are really very good. I recently read the second novel Mr Sawkins published
as by Colin Forbes, and really had a good time with it. The title: The Heights of Zervos.
Macomber is a Scotsman who is working for British
Intelligence in Rumania in 1941. The
novel opens in the early hours of a cold April morning. Macomber is atop an oil tanker rail car, a
German patrol is searching the rail yard, and the bomb he planted beneath the
oil wagon has less than 10 minutes to detonation. If Macomber moves he will be gun downed by
the Germans and if he stays put he will be blown into pieces by his own bomb.
The
Heights of Zervos opens with a bang, and while there is
never much doubt of the story’s outcome, it maintains the suspense throughout,
and, amazingly, the roll out of the story is surprising. Macomber moves from the rail yard to a ferry between
Turkey and Greece, and finally to Mount Zervos, and he does it all while
dodging Germans and their bullets, impersonating an Abwehr officer, and racing
a storm up Mount Zervos.
The power of the story is in its straight ahead
mentality. It moves forward with a
strong pace, and the plot twists enough to keep it interesting. Mr Forbes’ skill is in crafting a tale, which
is expertly plotted with a setting developed enough to make the reader believe
the action:
“It
was the third night of April and Rumania was still gripped by winter, still
showed no inkling of spring on the way, still lay numbed under the icy wind
which flowed from the east, from the Russain steppes and Siberia beyond.”
The elements are as much an antagonist as are the
German soldiers—the snow and ice as Macomber approaches the summit of Mount
Zervos represent more risk to him than the Germans. There are a handful of scenes that actually
caused me discomfort. In one a British
soldier is bound, feet and hands, in a dark cabin on the ferry between Turkey
and Zervos, which caused an unsettling
claustrophobia.
The
Heights of Zervos is something better than average in the
genre. It certainly has weaknesses—Macomber
is a little too super and everything seems to work out a little too
well—but the action and pace, setting and description, more than cover its
flaws. If you enjoy the genre you won’t mind
this one at all.
I agree. Forbes wasn't quite as good as the ones you mention as being in the top rank, but the books I've read are fun. I think I've read only a couple, however.
ReplyDelete