For those of you spy novel fans who have never been introduced to Adam Hall's Quiller books, all I've got say is what are you waiting for. Hall's pacing is frantic and his character is not the suave sophisticated English Gentleman Secret Agent. He's ruthless, slightly paranoid, and definitely deadly operative. The Quiller books are all written first person. I have always had a problem with first person thrillers. I mean, the protagonist is narrating the story so you already know he's won at the end. Hall is such a masterful writer he can get you tachycardic while telling his tale. In Mandaring Cypher Quiller is assigned to Hong Kong to watch the widow of a Defence Ministry engineer who died under mysterious circumstances. The woman is suddely able to buy Ming vases and other niceites on her husbands meager British civil servant death benefits. Before you know it Quiller is running a a breakneck, persuing his target and being pursued by the Red Chinese secret police. I won't give away the plot but it is first rate and the twists are marvelous. The denoument is classical Quiller. Get yourself onto Quiller this instant.
