Jack Higgins' Paul Chavasse: A Cold War Spy

This is the first two parts of a three part series about Harry Patterson’s Paul Chavasse novels, published in the 1960s by Abelard-Schuman and John Long.  The first two parts are an introduction to the character, and the third part is an analysis of the six titles to feature Paul Chavasse.  This essay was originally posted July 2, 2012.

Paul Chavasse:  An Introduction to the Cold War Spy Story

I.       Introduction

The 1960s were a decade of espionage—both in cold war machinations of super power maneuvering and popular fiction.  The popular front of the adventure spy story started when it was made public President John F. Kennedy enjoyed Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels.  According to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum website, Allen Dulles, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, stated:

“‘Jacqueline Kennedy gave her husband his first James Bond book (probably From Russia, with Love).’  Dulles then began to buy other books, and sent them to John F. Kennedy.”

Ian Fleming’s work became a sensation, hitting the major bestseller lists and, in the decades since, becoming a pop culture icon; spawning a myriad of films and, after Fleming’s death, attracting authors great and small to continue the Bond series.  While the James Bond series is the most well known of the adventure spy genre, it is far from the best.  The most striking of its contemporaries was Donald Hamilton’s Matt Helm novels—a series first appearing in 1960 with Death of a Citizen, and totaling 27 titles in its three decade run.  

In industry, and publishing is no different, when a commercial strike is made—in this case the rise of Fleming from midlist writer to bestselling phenomenon—a host of copycat products are rushed to market.  One of the many spy novels published in the wake of Fleming’s success was a slim volume published by Abelard-Schuman, a British publisher, in 1962 titled The Testament of Caspar Schultz (Testament).  The name on the copy was Martin Fallon, which was a pseudonym for a young Harry Patterson. 

The name Martin Fallon and Harry Patterson have a long and successful history.  Martin Fallon was used for the protagonist of two separate novels—the first was an early title, Cry of the Hunter, which was published in 1962 under Patterson’s own name, and the second was A Prayer for the Dying published in 1973 as by Jack Higgins.  Mr. Patterson has a tendency to repeat himself, and he did something very similar to the two incarnations of Martin Fallon: He killed both.  The novels are both very good, but A Prayer for the Dying is one of Patterson’s best.

II.    Chavasse

Testament featured a stark and hard protagonist named Paul Chavasse.  Chavasse was a former academic who caught the eye of Mallory, the boss of a British espionage agency answerable to the Prime Minister called “The Bureau,” when he helped a friend escape from Communist Czechoslovakia.  Mallory, known as “The Chief,” offered Chavasse a job while he was in hospital recovering from his wounds.  The Bureau is headquartered in an old house in St. John’s Wood—on a polished brass plate next to its main door is inscribed “Brown & Company – Importer’s & Exporter’s”.

Paul Chavasse is a recognizable character to readers of Harry Patterson; educated, exotic—he was derived from a Breton father and British mother—cynical in a romantic sort of way, and tired of the game he can’t, or really doesn’t want, to leave.  Chavasse’s personal life is not really explored in the novels; however, a paragraph from Testament summarizes his early life, in order to explain his French name—

“My father was a lawyer in Paris, but my mother was English.  He was an officer in the reserve—killed at Arras when the Panzers broke through in 1940.  I was only eleven at the time.  My mother and I came out through Dunkirk.”

The novels are serious adventure stories, but there is some humor.  Enough that it seems Patterson likely had a great time writing the Paul Chavasse novels.  An early scene in Testament finds The Chief explaining why Chavasse can’t have some much needed time off.  When Chavasse asks about two specific agents—Wilson and LaCosta—Mallory responds that Wilson is presumed dead in Ankara, and LaCosta—

“…cracked up after the affair in Cuba.  I’ve put him into the home for six months….I’m afraid we shan’t be able to use LaCosta again.”

Another example is a line from the 2001 edition of The Keys of Hell, where two characters are speaking of Chavasse’s excessive skill as a linguist, “He speaks more languages than you’ve had hot dinners.”

The Bureau is set up similarly to that of Fleming’s MI6.  The Chief is over the top and larger than life, and very, very British, and his private secretary, Jean Frazer, is all curves and someone Chavasse quite enjoys looking at—

“She was wearing a plain white blouse and tweed skirt of deceptively simple cut that moulded her round hips.  His eyes followed her approvingly as she walked across the room to her desk and sat down.” 

While his eyes are appreciative, Chavasse is anything but a womanizer, and his relationship with Jean Frazer is that of a friend.  Chavasse, like most of Patterson’s protagonists, has a romanticized view of women, which is often both a strength and weakness, but it always lends itself to the character’s loneliness—he is an outsider, isolated from a society that depends on his work to survive, and often a gentleman people look upon as fallen far below his stature. 

Chavasse always gets the job done and he does it with a complex mixture of larger than life exploit and human frailty; a mixture and style only Harry Patterson can routinely employ successfully.  It is atmosphere, dialogue and action.  When in top form Patterson can tell a character’s story with the singularity of the way he smokes a cigarette, stirs his drink, or looks at a woman.  The six novels to feature Paul Chavasse are a step below Patterson’s best work, but only just.

Part III.  Novels

1.  The Testament of Caspar Schultz (1962)
2.  Year of the Tiger (1963)
3.  The Keys of Hell (1965)
4.  Midnight Never Comes (1966)
5.  Dark Side of the Street (1967)

To be continued...

DARK SIDE OF THE STREET by Martin Fallon (Jack Higgins)

Dark Side of the Street is the twenty-first novel published by Harry Patterson, and the fifth to feature Paul Chavasse. It was originally released in the U. K. as a hardcover by John Long in 1967 under the byline “Martin Fallon”; a name that has a history with Mr. Patterson. It was an early pseudonym, and the name of two protagonists who met similar fates in the novels Cry of the Hunter (1960) and A Prayer for the Dying (1973). It made a pre-The Eagle Has Landed appearance in the United States as a Fawcett Gold Medal paperback in 1974.

Paul Chavasse is employed by a British intelligence organization called “The Bureau”; its director reports directly to the Prime Minister. Chavasse is educated—a former lecturer of linguistics—ruthless, and very much in demand. When he is approached by Scotland Yard’s Special Branch with an opportunity to spend time in a maximum security prison Chavasse accepts with good humor. His assignment is to infiltrate a criminal organization that seemingly has the ability to penetrate any prison, and abscond with the convict of its choosing. And once out, the prisoner vanishes without a trace.

Special Branch believes the next convict to escape will be Harry Youngblood. Harry was convicted of robbing an airport with two associates, and both have already escaped in spectacular fashion. Chavasse’s assignment is to tag along with Youngblood when his escape comes, and get the details of the organization arranging it. He does, and what he finds is both surprising and daunting.

Dark Side of the Street is one of the more accomplished Paul Chavasse novels. The plot is perfectly executed and surprising. The prose is even and consistent, and at times vividly eloquent—

“Rain drifted against the window with dismal pattering and Chavasse looked out across the farmyard morosely. In the grey light of early morning, it presented an unlovely picture. Great potholes in the cobbles filled with stagnant water, archaic, rusting machinery and a profusion of rubbish everywhere.”

There is a nicely executed heist in the opening pages before it settles into straight adventure. Paul Chavasse is a likable protagonist with a knack for finding himself behind bars, and an uncanny ability of getting out. A situation that happens at least once in the first five novels. The central antagonist is interesting for two reasons. The first is Mr. Patterson’s use of an obvious sociopath with an over the top personality (Sean Rogan less the conscience). The second is his name, Simon Vaughan. A name many readers will recognize as the protagonist from The Savage Day (1972), and Day of Judgment (1979); although it is definitely not the same character.      

The plot is also familiar, but the familiarity is external to Mr. Patterson’s work rather than internal. Desmond Bagley used a similar storyline for his excellent 1971 novel The Freedom Trap, filmed as “The Mackintosh Man”, which was inspired by the 1966 escape of British double agent George Blake from Wormwood Scrubs prison. It is likely, due to the proximity between Blake’s escape and the publication date, it also inspired Dark Side of the Street.  

No matter its inspirations, Dark Side of the Street, is one of the better early novels Harry Patterson published. It is the last novel Mr. Patterson wrote before introducing his most famous nom de plume—Jack Higgins—and it is a bridge between his early work and the brilliant novels he wrote in the middle of his career.   

I wrote a short introduction to the Paul Chavasse novels a few years ago you may find interesting.

CRY OF THE HUNTER by Harry Patterson (Jack Higgins)

Cry of the Hunter is the second novel published by Harry Patterson.  It was released as a hardcover by John Long in 1960.  It is an interesting novel for a few reasons.  It is the first of Patterson’s novels to feature the Irish Republican Army, which is referred to as the Organization throughout, and the protagonist is familiar to the regular reader of Patterson’s work—Martin Fallon.  Mr Patterson used the Fallon moniker as a nom de plume for six of his early thrillers, and Martin Fallon, although a different Fallon, appeared in the 1973 novel A Prayer for the Dying.    

Martin Fallon is a legend in the Organization.  He joined the IRA at 17, and was the leader of the Ulster Organization at 22, and served nine years at the Dartmoor Prison before escaping to Ireland where he lives in the rural County Cavan.  Fallon earns a living writing nondescript thrillers, drinks too much, and is generally hiding from the world.  His comfortable, if not satisfying, life is interrupted when an old associate seeks him out with a special job. 

Patrick Rogan, leader of the Ulster Organization, has been arrested and he has sent out an ultimatum.  If he isn’t busted out before he reaches Belfast he will spill everything he knows about the Organization in exchange for a reduced sentence.  Rogan is not well liked, but he knows enough to set the IRA back years.  Fallon isn’t keen on getting back into the game, but he allows himself to be manipulated, and soon he is back in Northern Ireland on a mission to rescue Rogan.

Cry of the Hunter is the footprint for many of Mr Patterson’s later novels featuring Irish anti-heroes.  The protagonist is a man fallen far below his station; in this case Martin Fallon is a product of Queen’s University, and in the words of his favorite professor—“a fine man ruined and a good mind wasted.”  He is as much a man of ideas as he is of action.  He is an idealist who knows his actions are less than ideal, and the dialogue is that of the standard Harry Patterson Irish rogue—think Liam Devlin, and Sean Dillon.

The action doesn’t play out exactly as expected—the tension of the story is between Martin Fallon and Patrick Rogan rather than Martin Fallon and the Constabulary.  It is plotted with Mr Patterson’s deft hand, and the character of Martin Fallon is developed beyond just a simple cut out.  Fallon is a romantic who is afraid he has lost his nerve, and he also fears the Organization’s momentum.  The good men are being replaced by sociopathic hoods, which is exactly what Rogan is.

The prose is sharp, stark, seemingly simple, and at places almost lyrical—

“It was a fine morning with a clear sky and the sun was beginning to lift above the horizon.  He drove in silence for half an hour and then the girl spoke.”

Cry of the Hunter is plainly one of Harry Patterson’s first novels—it suffers from a naïve exuberance of ideas and mood—but it is a good example of a quick, exciting, and entertaining thriller.  The action scenes are well written—

“Fallon moved so quickly that Doolan didn’t stand a chance.  A fist caught him high on the right cheek and he stumbled, tripped over a loose rug and fell heavily to the floor.” 

And the mood is something shifting between brooding despondence—it rains for more than half of the novel—and naïve hope, but it does so with the slightest touch of humor—

“He started to walk faster.  It wouldn’t do to collapse in the street.  That would be stupid.”

—and a bushel of romantic ideas.  There are also a few terrific terms I wasn’t familiar with.  One example is referring to the police as “peelers,” which is a slang term derived from Sir Robert Peel’s surname; the founder of the Irish Constabulary.

Cry of the Hunter is worth reading on its own merits, but it is even more interesting (and possibly entertaining) as a study of Harry Patterson’s craft, and just how far it advanced from this novel to its younger siblings with similar plot structures (i. e. A Prayer for the Dying, and The Savage Day).

Jack Higgins: The Golden Age Novels

In 1975 a midlist writer thundered onto the worldwide bestseller lists with a World War 2 adventure thriller titled The Eagle Has Landed.  It was published as by Jack Higgins, but the writer was a former college lecturer named Harry Patterson.  Mr Patterson was a veteran writer in 1975; he had already published 34 novels and his work was becoming both more accomplished and more successful.

Mr Patterson’s work can be broken into three easily identifiable segments, (i), his pre-The Eagle Has Landed work (1959 – 1974), (ii) The Eagle Has Landed to The Eagle Has Flown (1975 – 1991), and (iii) Eye of the Storm to his most recent novel A Devil is Waiting (1992 – 2012).  Mr Patterson’s pre-The Eagle Has Landed work tended to be lean, deftly plotted, and very linear suspense novels.  I think of this era as his golden age.  It includes a bevy of truly excellent adventure novels, The Savage Day, A Prayer for the Dying, and The Last Place God Made, which are, by my reckoning his three best novels.

The next period is his bestseller period.  Mr Patterson hit it big with The Eagle Has Landed, and while he wrote several very successful novels he could never quite get out from under the shadow of his “big” bestseller.  The most recent, and final, period is the Sean Dillon era.  He introduced an antagonist in his 1992 novel Eye of the Storm, which in Mr Patterson’s subsequent work became a protagonist.  The Dillon novels are the weakest of Harry Patterson’s canon, but there are several, which are really quite good.

The following is a chronological listing of Harry Patterson’s golden age books.  It includes work published by multiple publishing houses and pseudonyms.  Many of Mr Patterson’s early work disappeared without a trace when it was first released, but most of it, with only two exceptions, are easily obtained today.  I listed the original United Kingdom and U. S. publisher for each title, but most of the books have been published in multiple editions, and all have been republished under Harry Patterson’s primary pseudonym Jack Higgins.    

Sad Wind from the Sea.  Published by John Long in 1959.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was not printed in the United States until 2010 when it was issued as an ebook and a POD trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Cry of the Hunter.  Published by John Long in 1960.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was not printed in the United States until 2010 when it was issued as an ebook and POD trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.  Read the Gravetapping review.

The Thousand Faces of Night.  Published by John Long in 1961.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was not published in the United States until 2010 when it was issued as an ebook and a POD trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Comes the Dark Stranger.  Published by John Long in 1962.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was not published in the United States until 2010 when it was issued as an ebook and a POD trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Hell is Too Crowded.  Published by John Long in 1962.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was issued in the United States in 1978 as a paperback original by Fawcett Gold Medal.  Read the Gravetapping review.

The Testament of Casper Schultz.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1962.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was published in the United States as a paperback original in 1978 by Fawcett Gold Medal.  This is the first novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse.  It was reissued in 2006 as The Bormann Testament; the new edition included a brief introduction explaining the “testament’ was originally Martin Bormann’s, but due to potential legal issues the publisher requested the title change, and the references to Martin Bormann be removed.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Pay the Devil.  Published by Barrie Rockcliff in 1963.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was published in the United States in 1999 as a paperback original by Berkley. Read the Gravetapping review.

The Dark Side of the Island.  Published by John Long in 1964.  It was originally issued as hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was published in the United States in 1977 as a paperback original by Fawcett Gold Medal.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Seven Pillars to Hell.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1963.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Hugh Marlowe.  It was published in the United States in 1994 as a paperback original with the title Sheba by Berkley. Read the Gravetapping review.

A Phoenix in the Blood.  Published by Barrie Rockcliff in 1964.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It has never been released in the United States.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Thunder at Noon.  Published by John Long in 1964.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It has never been released in the United States.  This title was rewritten and published in both the United Kingdom and the U. S. as Dillinger in 1983.  Dillinger was published by Hutchinson in the U. K. and Stein & Day in the U. S. as Harry Patterson. Read the Gravetapping review.

Wrath of the Lion.  Published by John Long in 1964.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was published in the United States in 1977 as a paperback original by Fawcett Gold Medal.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Year of the Tiger.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1964.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was rewritten and issued in the United States in 1996 as a paperback original by Berkley.  It is the second novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse.  Read the Gravetapping review.

Passage by Night.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1964.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Hugh Marlowe.  It was issued in the United States in 1966 as a paperback original by Avon. Read the Gravetapping review.

The Graveyard Shift.  Published by John Long in 1965.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was issued in the United States in 2002 as a paperback original by Berkley.  This is the first novel (of three) to feature Nick Miller. Read the Gravetapping review.

The Keys of Hell.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1965.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was issued in the United States as a paperback original in 1976 by Fawcett Gold Medal.  It was rewritten and reissued in 2002 by Berkley.  This is the third novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse.  Read the Gravetapping review.

The Iron Tiger.  Published by John Long in 1966.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was released in the United States as a paperback original in 1979 by Fawcett Gold Medal. Read the Gravetapping review.

Midnight Never Comes.  Published by John Long in 1965.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was issued in the United States as a paperback original in 1975 by Fawcett Gold Medal.  This is the fourth novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse.  This was extensively rewritten and published as On Dangerous Ground  in 1994; Sean Dillon replaces Paul Chavasse.  Read the Gravetapping review.

A Candle for the Dead.  Published by Abelard-Schuman in 1966.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Hugh Marlowe.  It was not printed in the United States until 2010 when it was issued as an ebook and a POD trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.  It was adapted as a film titled The Violent Enemy released in 1967.  The novel was retitled as The Violent Enemy and reissued as a paperback in the U. K. by Coronet in 1969. Read the Gravetapping review.

Brought in Dead.  Published by John Long in 1967.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was issued in the United States in 2004 as a paperback original by Berkley.  This is the second novel (of three) to feature Nick Miller. Read the Gravetapping review.

Dark Side of the Street.  Published by John Long in 1967.  It was originally issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was issued in the United States in 1974 as a paperback original by Fawcett Gold Medal.  This is the fifth novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse. Read the Gravetapping review.

East of Desolation.  Published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1968.  It was originally published as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States as a hardcover by Doubleday in 1969.  This is the first use of the Jack Higgins pseudonym, and the first title published in the U. S. in hardcover. Read the Gravetapping review.

Hell is Always Today.  Published by John Long in 1968.  It was originally published as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was issued in the United States in 2005 as a paperback original by Berkley.  This is the third novel (of three) featuring Nick Miller.

In the Hour Before Midnight.  Published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1969.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States as a paperback original by Lancer Books as The Sicilian Heritage in 1970.  Lancer later released an edition with its original title.

A Fine Night for Dying.  Published by John Long in 1969.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Martin Fallon.  It was released in the United States in 2007 as a paperback original by Berkley.  This is the sixth novel (of six) to feature Paul Chavasse.

Night Judgment at Sinos.  Published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1970.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States as a hardcover by Doubleday in 1971.

A Game for Heroes.  Published by Macmillan in 1970.  It was issued as a hardcover as by James Graham.  It was released in the United States as a hardcover by Doubleday in 1970.  This is the first novel (of four) released under the James Graham pseudonym; interestingly Mr Patterson was a lecturer at James Graham College between 1968 and 1970.  

The Last Place God Made.  Published by Collins in 1971.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States in 1971 as a hardcover by Holt.

Toll for the Brave.  Published by John Long in 1971.  It was issued as a hardcover as Harry Patterson.  It was released in the United States in 1976 as a paperback original by Fawcett Gold Medal.  This is the final novel Mr Patterson published with his long time publisher John Long.

The Wrath of God.  Published by MacMillan in 1971.  It was issued as a hardcover as by James Graham.  It was released in the United States in 1971 as a hardcover by Doubleday.  This is the second novel (of four) released under the James Graham pseudonym.  It was adapted as a film released in 1972.   

The Khufra Run.  Published by MacMillan in 1972.  It was issued as a hardcover as by James Graham.  It was released in the United States in 1973 as a hardcover by Doubleday.  This is the third novel (of four) released under the James Graham Pseudonym.

The Savage Day.  Published by Collins in 1972.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States in 1972 as a hardcover by Holt.

A Prayer for the Dying.  Published by Collins in 1973.  It was issued as a hardcover as by Jack Higgins.  It was released in the United States in 1974 as a hardcover by Holt.  It was adapted as a film released in 1987.

The Run to Morning.  The U. K. title is Bloody Passage.  Published by MacMillan in 1974.  It was issued as a hardcover as by James Graham.  It was released in the United States in 1974 as a hardcover by Stein & Day.  It was reprinted with the title Bloody Passage in the United States by Open Road Integrated Media.  This is the fourth novel (of four) released under the James Graham pseudonym.

MIDNIGHT NEVER COMES by Jack Higgins

This is the fifth part of an essay about the six novels Jack Higgins wrote featuring Paul Chavasse titled “Paul Chavasse: An Introduction to the Cold War Spy Story”.  The novels were written throughout the 1960s, and owe much to the James Bond and Matt Helm novels.  The novels were published as by Martin Fallon, and before you read this post, you should read the first four segments of the essay here and here and here and here to put this post in context.

Midnight Never Comes made its debut in 1966.  It was published by John Long in the United Kingdom, and it was a 1974 paperback original published by Fawcett Gold Medal (M3190) in the United States in a pre The Eagle Has Landed edition.  It has been one of the more difficult Paul Chavasse titles to find in the U. S., and large segments of the novel were used, word for word, in Higgins’ On Dangerous Ground published in 1995.  I wrote more about this here.  It, however, has since been republished as an ebook and in trade paperback by Open Road Integrated Media.

Paul Chavasse is a shadow of the man he was before he was stabbed and nearly killed in Albania.  He is weak, tired, and prone to error.  The novel opens with Chavasse running a training course.  He is stalked by one of the Bureau’s top agents, and it goes less than well.  The opening paragraph acts, as opening paragraphs should, as a thematic harbinger.

“The moment he pushed open the door and paused on the edge of darkness, Chavasse knew that he had made a bad mistake.  Somewhere deep inside, a primitive instinct, that slightly mystical element common to all ancient races and inherited from his Breton ancestors, combined with the experience that came from ten hard years of working for the Bureau touched him coldly, sending a wave of greyness moving through him.”

It touches on Chavasse’s history, his Breton roots, his present—his broken psyche—and the mysticism ties his past and present to the future.  It is a brilliantly constructed opening paragraph.  It foreshadows the entire story in 70 words, which does not mean the novel is a serious study of mysticism, human frailty, or anything else of the kind, because it’s not.  Rather it is a straight up, straight forward, linearly plotted mid-1960s suspense novel.  It is entirely plot driven.  It is adventure in its purest form:  the good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and everything else exits to serve the story.

Midnight Never Comes is really two novels masquerading as one.  The first several chapters deal in the rehabilitation of Chavasse from broken super hero, with the help of an obese Chinese master of ch’i—a martial art that focuses on the mental and spiritual power over the physical power—named Yuan Tao.  The novel then shifts gears when Chavasse is approached by The Bureau and offered a mission to the Hebrides Coast of Scotland where a Soviet scheme to steal a newly developed British missile is unfolding with alarming speed.

The setting is reminiscent of Alistair MacLean’s When Eight Bells Toll.  The main action of the novel is on the Western coast of Scotland.  It is harsh, and gray with a very sparse population.  The climax of the novel shifts to a fictitious island in the Outer Hebrides called Fhada, which interestingly, means island in Gaelic.

Midnight Never Comes is a cool little thriller.  Chavasse is, as usual, smooth, competent and tough as nails.  The bad guys are exactly what the thriller gods meant them to be—hard, destructive, remorseless, and single minded in their mission.  The setting is stark and exotic.  And there is just enough humor laced throughout to keep the outlandish plot firmly in cheek.  The best moment is when a street tough albino, who is pretty good with his heavy boots, makes an appearance in the opening chapters.