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Matt Helm #1
Death of a Citizen
Somebody opened my coffin that night in the middle of a cocktail party. I'd been all but dead these 15 years, turned into a household pet by a wife and kids.
But now the girl whom I'd known by the code name Tina had walked back into my life -- and 15 years of settled, complacent living slipped away. I was back in that time when our world had been savage and alive, when I had been a lethal young animal trained to kill in cold blood -- and she had been my partner.
And I knew that I was ready to follow her again to the depths of that private hell we had shared.
But now the girl whom I'd known by the code name Tina had walked back into my life -- and 15 years of settled, complacent living slipped away. I was back in that time when our world had been savage and alive, when I had been a lethal young animal trained to kill in cold blood -- and she had been my partner.
And I knew that I was ready to follow her again to the depths of that private hell we had shared.
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
200 people are currently reading
1327 people want to read
About the author
Donald Hamilton
101 books107 followersDonald Hamilton was a U.S. writer of novels, short stories, and non-fiction about the outdoors. His novels consist mostly of paperback originals, principally spy fiction but also crime fiction and Westerns such as The Big Country. He is best known for his long-running Matt Helm series (1960-1993), which chronicles the adventures of an undercover counter-agent/assassin working for a secret American government agency.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
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January 17, 2020
"If President Kennedy is a fan of British secret agent James Bond, he should switch his allegiance to Matt Helm. For there isn't a thing the incredible Bond can do that U. S. agent Helm can't do better."
Back in the day when I was a teenager and read just about anything I could get my hands on I read fistfuls of 1960s equivalents of the dime novel and one of those writers that came into my hands was Donald Hamilton. I have always been a fan of the Bond films and so reading the Matt Helm series just fed right into that mystique I had for spies, spy craft, killing bad guys, and because I would be so damned irresistible seducing beautiful women would be mere child's play. More importantly this guy was an American in a publishing field dominated by British secret agents. To put Matt Helm into perspective, the grittiest Bond moment you can think of in a film happens several times between the covers of a Donald Hamilton book.
Donald Hamilton looking as tough as his character.
I always thought for sure that Donald Hamilton was made in America, but he was actually born in Sweden, emigrated to America, and served in United States Navy Reserve during World War Two. Besides the Matt Helm series he also wrote Westerns which if I have read any I didn't make the association with the writer of the spy series.
The noted critic Anthony Boucher wrote: "Donald Hamilton has brought to the spy novel the authentic hard realism of Dashiell Hammett; and his stories are as compelling, and probably as close to the sordid truth of espionage, as any now being told."
This is the first book in the series and it finds Matt Helm living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also a place that Donald Hamilton lived for many years. Helm has been retired for fifteen years from the black ops organization that he had worked for during the war. He married a beautiful nurse, has three kids, and writes Westerns for a living. His life is safe and probably if he took time to think about it he'd realize he was actually happy. The girl with the code name of Tina walks into a cocktail party and 15 years of Matt Helm's complacent postwar life slips away. He has a history with Tina. In fact he has fond memories of: I could recall very clearly--although it seemed most improbably now--making love to this fashionable and gracious lady in a ditch in the rain, while uniformed men beat the dripping bushes all around us.
First Edition
Helm knows his life is about to fall off the linear forward track and circle back around to a life he felt he left behind when he married his wife Beth. After the party he has a moment where he finds himself gazing at his wife with reflective attention.
"She watched me cross the room to her without smiling or speaking. The light was soft on her upturned face. There's something very nice about a pretty woman at the end of a party evening when, you might say, she's well broken in. She no longer looks and smells like a new car just off the salesroom floor. Her nose is just a little shiny now, her hair is no longer too smooth to caress or her lipstick too even to kiss, and her clothes have imperceptibly begun to fit her body instead of fitting some mad flight of the designer's fancy. And in her mind, you can hope, she's begun to feel like a woman again, instead of a self-conscious work of art."
Donald Hamilton had a fine grasp of hardboiled dialogue and descriptions.
After Helm is drawn into the convoluted situation surrounding Tina, he finds himself lying to his wife for the first time in 15 years, but there is almost an immediate acceptance that he can not escape becoming a principle character in this new drama even if he had wanted to. He is blunt and doesn't fool himself about anything.
"Naturally," I said. "I'm bound to be unfaithful to my wife before I'm through with you. It was inevitable from the moment I saw you last night. Well, this is a nice quiet place. Let's get it over with, so I can stop wrestling with my conscience."
The action takes place from Santa Fe to Dodge City an area that I am very familiar with and certainly increased my enjoyment of the book. A nostalgic tour for me that certainly left me with the decision that of course I will read more. Next up The Wrecking Crew. If you want a bit of escapism that leaves a bit of grit between your teeth then spend an hour or two with Matt Helm. It will most certainly do the trick. Books like this are almost historical documents of a time when paperbacks were published with garish covers and splashy blurbs. Maybe like Matt Helm my life too has started becoming a circle.
Back in the day when I was a teenager and read just about anything I could get my hands on I read fistfuls of 1960s equivalents of the dime novel and one of those writers that came into my hands was Donald Hamilton. I have always been a fan of the Bond films and so reading the Matt Helm series just fed right into that mystique I had for spies, spy craft, killing bad guys, and because I would be so damned irresistible seducing beautiful women would be mere child's play. More importantly this guy was an American in a publishing field dominated by British secret agents. To put Matt Helm into perspective, the grittiest Bond moment you can think of in a film happens several times between the covers of a Donald Hamilton book.
Donald Hamilton looking as tough as his character.
I always thought for sure that Donald Hamilton was made in America, but he was actually born in Sweden, emigrated to America, and served in United States Navy Reserve during World War Two. Besides the Matt Helm series he also wrote Westerns which if I have read any I didn't make the association with the writer of the spy series.
The noted critic Anthony Boucher wrote: "Donald Hamilton has brought to the spy novel the authentic hard realism of Dashiell Hammett; and his stories are as compelling, and probably as close to the sordid truth of espionage, as any now being told."
This is the first book in the series and it finds Matt Helm living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, also a place that Donald Hamilton lived for many years. Helm has been retired for fifteen years from the black ops organization that he had worked for during the war. He married a beautiful nurse, has three kids, and writes Westerns for a living. His life is safe and probably if he took time to think about it he'd realize he was actually happy. The girl with the code name of Tina walks into a cocktail party and 15 years of Matt Helm's complacent postwar life slips away. He has a history with Tina. In fact he has fond memories of: I could recall very clearly--although it seemed most improbably now--making love to this fashionable and gracious lady in a ditch in the rain, while uniformed men beat the dripping bushes all around us.
First Edition
Helm knows his life is about to fall off the linear forward track and circle back around to a life he felt he left behind when he married his wife Beth. After the party he has a moment where he finds himself gazing at his wife with reflective attention.
"She watched me cross the room to her without smiling or speaking. The light was soft on her upturned face. There's something very nice about a pretty woman at the end of a party evening when, you might say, she's well broken in. She no longer looks and smells like a new car just off the salesroom floor. Her nose is just a little shiny now, her hair is no longer too smooth to caress or her lipstick too even to kiss, and her clothes have imperceptibly begun to fit her body instead of fitting some mad flight of the designer's fancy. And in her mind, you can hope, she's begun to feel like a woman again, instead of a self-conscious work of art."
Donald Hamilton had a fine grasp of hardboiled dialogue and descriptions.
After Helm is drawn into the convoluted situation surrounding Tina, he finds himself lying to his wife for the first time in 15 years, but there is almost an immediate acceptance that he can not escape becoming a principle character in this new drama even if he had wanted to. He is blunt and doesn't fool himself about anything.
"Naturally," I said. "I'm bound to be unfaithful to my wife before I'm through with you. It was inevitable from the moment I saw you last night. Well, this is a nice quiet place. Let's get it over with, so I can stop wrestling with my conscience."
The action takes place from Santa Fe to Dodge City an area that I am very familiar with and certainly increased my enjoyment of the book. A nostalgic tour for me that certainly left me with the decision that of course I will read more. Next up The Wrecking Crew. If you want a bit of escapism that leaves a bit of grit between your teeth then spend an hour or two with Matt Helm. It will most certainly do the trick. Books like this are almost historical documents of a time when paperbacks were published with garish covers and splashy blurbs. Maybe like Matt Helm my life too has started becoming a circle.
August 4, 2018
Reviewed 2010, updated 2018.
Matt Helm, paragon of virtue, epitome of political correctness, man of the people....oh wait, that's another guy.
I guarantee some if they read this book today will be offended. Others will point to it and say, see I told you men were dogs, but don't go too fast, Helm likes his cat. The story here is okay. Who is the villain, what will be the outcome? Will Helm's new life survive the incursion of his old life?
Not a bad read actually a pretty good read especially if your into the whole spy/fi or nostalgia for the spy/fi era scene. Although in this one Helm hasn't hit his stride yet, it's still got it's share of action, violence and philosophical questions. I don't think anyone is actually going to come to this book or it's ilk for literary insight or esoteric meditation. If you do, well there are more problems here than your choice in reading material. LOL
Helm is a WWII operative in something like OSI (which was part of the beginnings of the CIA). BUT Helm is part of a somewhat separate group which is more secret and more..final in it's actions. Here we're told that while Helm was discharged from the army, he couldn't be discharged from his services to the "shadowy group" for whom he apparently carried out assassinations (among other things), as they (the organization) don't exist(no really, honest they don't...trust us). He gets drawn back into the dark and deadly world of his past. Of course if he didn't we wouldn't have a story, so... you know, had to go that way, his hand forced he does what he sees as necessary.
More "brain whiskey" than "brain candy" here (as I've said about other books) this case. 4 stars.
Just a note. Some have called these a more realistic and grittier world than the one seen in James Bond's world. I had a bad beginning with these books. "Back in the '60s" I read a lot of "spy-fi". I read books that ended up made into TV series and movies and a few books where TV shows or movies came first (the Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, etc.). These included Ian Fleming and other main line spy/action novels. Sadly my introduction to Matt Helm were the movies.
If you've seen the Matt Helm movies (or the short lived TV series for that matter) you really know nothing about Matt Helm. The movies were played for laughs, the series tried for a 007 like persona. Helm is neither. He's a hard edged man who does what's needed. Helm's world is a lot more rough and gory than Bonds. While Bond may have a license to kill Helm seems to have a responsibility to kill. It's often his main job description it seems.
I am introducing myself to these books. You know..really, they're good reads. Highly Recommended. Enjoy.
Matt Helm, paragon of virtue, epitome of political correctness, man of the people....oh wait, that's another guy.
I guarantee some if they read this book today will be offended. Others will point to it and say, see I told you men were dogs, but don't go too fast, Helm likes his cat. The story here is okay. Who is the villain, what will be the outcome? Will Helm's new life survive the incursion of his old life?
Not a bad read actually a pretty good read especially if your into the whole spy/fi or nostalgia for the spy/fi era scene. Although in this one Helm hasn't hit his stride yet, it's still got it's share of action, violence and philosophical questions. I don't think anyone is actually going to come to this book or it's ilk for literary insight or esoteric meditation. If you do, well there are more problems here than your choice in reading material. LOL
Helm is a WWII operative in something like OSI (which was part of the beginnings of the CIA). BUT Helm is part of a somewhat separate group which is more secret and more..final in it's actions. Here we're told that while Helm was discharged from the army, he couldn't be discharged from his services to the "shadowy group" for whom he apparently carried out assassinations (among other things), as they (the organization) don't exist(no really, honest they don't...trust us). He gets drawn back into the dark and deadly world of his past. Of course if he didn't we wouldn't have a story, so... you know, had to go that way, his hand forced he does what he sees as necessary.
More "brain whiskey" than "brain candy" here (as I've said about other books) this case. 4 stars.
Just a note. Some have called these a more realistic and grittier world than the one seen in James Bond's world. I had a bad beginning with these books. "Back in the '60s" I read a lot of "spy-fi". I read books that ended up made into TV series and movies and a few books where TV shows or movies came first (the Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, etc.). These included Ian Fleming and other main line spy/action novels. Sadly my introduction to Matt Helm were the movies.
If you've seen the Matt Helm movies (or the short lived TV series for that matter) you really know nothing about Matt Helm. The movies were played for laughs, the series tried for a 007 like persona. Helm is neither. He's a hard edged man who does what's needed. Helm's world is a lot more rough and gory than Bonds. While Bond may have a license to kill Helm seems to have a responsibility to kill. It's often his main job description it seems.
I am introducing myself to these books. You know..really, they're good reads. Highly Recommended. Enjoy.
February 26, 2014
Death of a Citizen was first published in 1960, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and introduced Matt Helm, a secret agent on the order of James Bond, but without all the gadgets and the British mannerisms. During the Second World War, Helm had belonged to a super-secret group of agents/assassins, headed by a guy named Mac, and once the war ended, he left that life and became a private citizen. By 1960, he had established himself as a husband, father and writer, living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
One night Helm and his wife go to a cocktail party in Santa Fe, and Matt is stunned to see there a woman named Tina, who had also been an agent during the war and who, for a brief period following one of their assignments, had been Matt’s lover. Tina gives Matt the old secret handshake, but he refuses to play along and doesn’t acknowledge her. Tina is accompanied by a rough-around-the-edges sort of guy who attempts to intimidate Matt, but naturally he’s not going to fall for that either.
Matt knows that Tina has recognized him and assumes that she’s in town on some sort of assignment with Mr. Tough Guy. He wonders if the meeting was an accident or not. He discovers the answer to that question when he goes home after the party and finds a woman shot to death in his study. The gun he keeps in the study is missing, and Matt knows full well that it must be the murder weapon and that he is in the frame. Even before Tina appears in his doorway to make the point clear, he knows he has a choice: cooperate with her on whatever the assignment might be or take the fall for a murder he did not commit.
What follows is an entertaining story that unfolds as Helm attempts to extricate himself from this trap. As one would expect, there’s a lot of action as well as some very discreetly described sex. There are also, inevitably, some great twists and turns. It’s a good read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys the kind of pulpish men’s adventure stories that were so common fifty years ago.
A note: Some may know this character only from the Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin that used to pop up on late-night television. As is often the case in these matters, it would appear that the movie people took a lot of license with the character, and I would point out that the book is much grittier and much better than the couple of the movies that I dimly remember seeing.
One night Helm and his wife go to a cocktail party in Santa Fe, and Matt is stunned to see there a woman named Tina, who had also been an agent during the war and who, for a brief period following one of their assignments, had been Matt’s lover. Tina gives Matt the old secret handshake, but he refuses to play along and doesn’t acknowledge her. Tina is accompanied by a rough-around-the-edges sort of guy who attempts to intimidate Matt, but naturally he’s not going to fall for that either.
Matt knows that Tina has recognized him and assumes that she’s in town on some sort of assignment with Mr. Tough Guy. He wonders if the meeting was an accident or not. He discovers the answer to that question when he goes home after the party and finds a woman shot to death in his study. The gun he keeps in the study is missing, and Matt knows full well that it must be the murder weapon and that he is in the frame. Even before Tina appears in his doorway to make the point clear, he knows he has a choice: cooperate with her on whatever the assignment might be or take the fall for a murder he did not commit.
What follows is an entertaining story that unfolds as Helm attempts to extricate himself from this trap. As one would expect, there’s a lot of action as well as some very discreetly described sex. There are also, inevitably, some great twists and turns. It’s a good read that will appeal to anyone who enjoys the kind of pulpish men’s adventure stories that were so common fifty years ago.
A note: Some may know this character only from the Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin that used to pop up on late-night television. As is often the case in these matters, it would appear that the movie people took a lot of license with the character, and I would point out that the book is much grittier and much better than the couple of the movies that I dimly remember seeing.
September 20, 2019
Taut, realistic beginning to the set
Review of Kindle edition
Death of a Citizen
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Titan Books
Language: English
ASIN: B00BE24UMM
240 pages
Published in 1960 to acclaim and praise, DEATH OF A CITIZEN was the first novel in what was eventually a 27 book series about American espionage agent and assassin, Matt Helm. Typical of the praise heaped on author Donald Hamilton and his creation Matt Helm aka Eric was this review by noted author and critic Anthony Boucher, “Donald Hamilton has brought to the spy novel the authentic hard realism of Dashiell Hammett; and his stories are as compelling, and probably as close to the sordid truth of espionage, as any now being told.” Anthony Boucher, The New York Times
Unlike his rival Ian Fleming, Donald Hamilton strove for cold, hard realism in his writing. Only toward the end of the Matt Helm series did Hamilton begin to add some of the silly gimmicks of the James Bond tales and movies. Apparently that is what the public came to want in spy stories. The four Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin are, if anything, even sillier and more unbelievable than the most outrageous of the Bond movies.
Death of a Citizen with its double meaning title is my favorite Matt Helm book. The ending is a little bleak but not unexpected as Helm tries but fails to suppress who and what he really is.
It is interesting that agent Matt Helm was, as a civilian, a photographer and author of westerns. Donald Hamilton also wrote fine western stories and novels. Two of his better novels became classic movies, 'The Big Country' and 'The Violent Men' (Smoky Valley), both available for streaming from Amazon. The Big Country is currently free through Amazon Prime. Both movies are realistic westerns featuring notable Hollywood actors and stars.
Review of Kindle edition
Death of a Citizen
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Titan Books
Language: English
ASIN: B00BE24UMM
240 pages
Published in 1960 to acclaim and praise, DEATH OF A CITIZEN was the first novel in what was eventually a 27 book series about American espionage agent and assassin, Matt Helm. Typical of the praise heaped on author Donald Hamilton and his creation Matt Helm aka Eric was this review by noted author and critic Anthony Boucher, “Donald Hamilton has brought to the spy novel the authentic hard realism of Dashiell Hammett; and his stories are as compelling, and probably as close to the sordid truth of espionage, as any now being told.” Anthony Boucher, The New York Times
Unlike his rival Ian Fleming, Donald Hamilton strove for cold, hard realism in his writing. Only toward the end of the Matt Helm series did Hamilton begin to add some of the silly gimmicks of the James Bond tales and movies. Apparently that is what the public came to want in spy stories. The four Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin are, if anything, even sillier and more unbelievable than the most outrageous of the Bond movies.
Death of a Citizen with its double meaning title is my favorite Matt Helm book. The ending is a little bleak but not unexpected as Helm tries but fails to suppress who and what he really is.
It is interesting that agent Matt Helm was, as a civilian, a photographer and author of westerns. Donald Hamilton also wrote fine western stories and novels. Two of his better novels became classic movies, 'The Big Country' and 'The Violent Men' (Smoky Valley), both available for streaming from Amazon. The Big Country is currently free through Amazon Prime. Both movies are realistic westerns featuring notable Hollywood actors and stars.
October 22, 2014
I am so excited to see this series being re-issued FINALLY. Hamilton wrote a final book before he died, but it had been so long since his previous book that they wouldn't publish it. He's gone, but his son has it & we may finally get to see it in a few years, IF the series sells well. I'm pre-ordering the books as soon as they become available. The first two, this one & The Wrecking Crew came this week. The third book, Matt Helm - The Removers is due out in August.
Although I just read the entire series a couple/few years ago, I'm re-reading this to see if they screwed it up with any editing. So far, I haven't noticed anything. Besides, it's fun!
Helm is a government assassin who learned his trade in WWII. As his boss, Mac, put it to him, he was willing to fight & kill for his country, so why pick the targets randomly? He quit after the war & became a regular citizen, a writer & photographer. He's very similar to Hamilton in other ways, too. He's of Swedish decent, knows a fair amount about guns. While he's been called the American James Bond, he doesn't use gadgets.
The books are written in the first person. Helm is a reliable narrator, although he's not quite as ruthless as he'd like us to think he is, although he can be surprisingly so at times & is in this book. Characters are well drawn and the women in his life are often tougher & more ruthless than he is.
The vehicles & dress styles in the book are old, but otherwise it wasn't dated much at all. It was kind of funny when he mentioned that a new car had the key do the starter, too. It also had a push button transmission & fins. Definitely a blast from the past, but pretty minor.
I'm really glad to have read this again. Wonderful story!
Although I just read the entire series a couple/few years ago, I'm re-reading this to see if they screwed it up with any editing. So far, I haven't noticed anything. Besides, it's fun!
Helm is a government assassin who learned his trade in WWII. As his boss, Mac, put it to him, he was willing to fight & kill for his country, so why pick the targets randomly? He quit after the war & became a regular citizen, a writer & photographer. He's very similar to Hamilton in other ways, too. He's of Swedish decent, knows a fair amount about guns. While he's been called the American James Bond, he doesn't use gadgets.
The books are written in the first person. Helm is a reliable narrator, although he's not quite as ruthless as he'd like us to think he is, although he can be surprisingly so at times & is in this book. Characters are well drawn and the women in his life are often tougher & more ruthless than he is.
The vehicles & dress styles in the book are old, but otherwise it wasn't dated much at all. It was kind of funny when he mentioned that a new car had the key do the starter, too. It also had a push button transmission & fins. Definitely a blast from the past, but pretty minor.
I'm really glad to have read this again. Wonderful story!
March 10, 2023
holy ish, i was not expecting this. i was down for a cheap spy pulp series from the 60s, but this book turned out to be a legit discovery. i’d rank this first matt helm story right up there with the better 007 stuff, just less lyrical and more grounded in its style, as well as sharper plot mechanics and reveals.
look, bond is bond, but the fact the first book in this series is so strong is kinda a real delight. the colourful character of tina alone makes this worth the price of admission. i was as taken by her as matt helm was.
the actual story is a fantastic spy/assassins yarn that moves at a very brisk pace. lots of twists and turns abound — with a charming sense of humor to boot. lots of character based laughs in this one. donald hamilton brings a welcomed dose of wit to the proceedings.
an easy fast read/listen, but also packs a strong narrative punch by the end. and there’s almost no fat on this sucker, which makes for an unusually smooth narrative that’s easy to follow, even when it’s winding up on us.
while the ending isn’t a cliff hanger, it can be taken for granted that where we leave the characters by the last sentence, will have you craving the next book in an asap-like fashion. you’ll likely dive right into story number two.
in fact… i’m off to do just that.
look, bond is bond, but the fact the first book in this series is so strong is kinda a real delight. the colourful character of tina alone makes this worth the price of admission. i was as taken by her as matt helm was.
the actual story is a fantastic spy/assassins yarn that moves at a very brisk pace. lots of twists and turns abound — with a charming sense of humor to boot. lots of character based laughs in this one. donald hamilton brings a welcomed dose of wit to the proceedings.
an easy fast read/listen, but also packs a strong narrative punch by the end. and there’s almost no fat on this sucker, which makes for an unusually smooth narrative that’s easy to follow, even when it’s winding up on us.
while the ending isn’t a cliff hanger, it can be taken for granted that where we leave the characters by the last sentence, will have you craving the next book in an asap-like fashion. you’ll likely dive right into story number two.
in fact… i’m off to do just that.
January 15, 2023
This should have been right up my alley as a fan of both James Bond and hardboiled detective and crime fiction, yet I found Hamilton's brand of macho secret agent mostly flat and one dimensional, full of flimsy explanations, trite and old fashioned observations and predictable plot twists. It's certainly not terrible, but there's not much in the way of flair, verve or style to make it memorable. I'm on the fence about continuing the series.
January 6, 2011
Spy/espionage fiction began to develop in the early 1900s, around the same time the mystery genre was becoming popular. Some literary critics consider it a subset of the latter, and the two certainly have affinities; but I consider the former a distinct genre. I've read in it enough (though in some cases I can't recall the names of the books!) to know that it has its own history, influences and strands, which could be the subject of an essay in itself. The particular strand the Matt Helm series well represents is one that developed (and mainly flourished) in the 1950s and 60s; its basic characteristics are a vision of international affairs that reduces to an "Us = good; Them = bad" mentality, and an intense glorification of the cynical, amoral, "the end justifies the means" mentality. (Another strand, the tradition represented by writers like LeCarre, also ascribes the same cynicism to its intelligence agencies --even to the extreme of essentially viewing the West and the Soviets as morally equivalent-- but those writers deplore it; writers in this school celebrate it.) Protagonists in this tradition (they're typically antiheroes rather than "heroes") are defined by their fighting/killing ability more than their brains, and the plots generally call for more use of the former. (In that respect, it much resembles, and was undoubtedly influenced by, noir detective fiction.)
Here, Hamilton's protagonist served, as a young World War II officer, in a clandestine agency that carried out assassinations behind enemy lines. After his release from the service, he married, settled in the Southwest, fathered three kids, became a writer of Westerns (as was Hamilton at times --one can suspect that Helms' character may have been something of a fantasy self) and generally tried to suppress the Beast in him: that part of his nature with a relish for killing and violence. 15 years later (in the author's present), at a cocktail party thrown by an acquaintance, who's a world class physicist about to leave for Washington to report on research, Helms' female former colleague --and bed partner-- walks in and gives him a signal meaning "stand by for instructions." Not initially interested in disrupting his life, he tries to ignore her as much as possible --but that gets a bit harder to do later that night, when he finds a dead body in his bathtub. From there, the plot has more twists than a pretzel.
As a kid, I know I read a couple of paperbacks in this series, though not this particular one. At the time, I found the Helm novels more readable than a couple of others I sampled, representing competing series by Philip Atlee and Edward S. Aarons (I'm not sure I even finished any of those books). After nearly 50 years or so, my assessment of Hamilton's work, at least, is about the same: it's very readable, with clear prose and a page-turning narrative drive that has a tendency to hook you. Despite the embarrassingly lurid cover art on both the edition above and the one I read, there's no explicit sex here (and very little sex at all); the bad language amounts to no more than an occasional h- or d-word, and Hamilton is actually fairly restrained in depicting violence. (Especially in this genre, he deserves pretty good marks for all of the above.) Unlike James Bond (at least in his film incarnations) Helm also isn't equipped with outlandish gadgetry; his equipment and techniques have some grounding in plausible reality.
That said, this is not a series you'd turn to for moral vision or likable characters; NO really major character here is at all likable, including Helm. One reader called him "pragmatic," which could be, I suppose, an accurate enough term, if charitable; "sociopath," I'd say, would be much less charitable but no less accurate. :-) He's totally cynical and ruthless, with a predilection for rationalizing violence; he's not, by his own statement, trustworthy (during the war, on one occasion, he murdered a wounded comrade simply to prevent other team members from being distracted by trying to aid the guy); and he tends to see himself as a superior being above petty considerations like ethics or legality. While he does pay women the compliment of taking a female adversary seriously, he's quite capable of hitting one he knows to be unarmed; he's no model of marital fidelity, and he makes the revealing comment at one point (he's first-person narrator) that "there are times when a husband can't help" thinking about marital rape. (Uh, actually, Matt, most of us can help it!) There's a strong degree of influence here from the noir tradition of portraying women as either evil femme fatales or soft, helpless easily-victimized types who can be put on a pedestal but aren't suited for the real world (though to his credit, Hamilton actually does suggest, in a couple of his secondary characters, that a woman can be tough without being a villainess --I'd actually have liked to see them more developed). The view of proper government "security" policy and the efficacy of torture as a handy-dandy foolproof guarantor of accurate information (a theory that has as much real-world basis as the existence of the Easter bunny) would probably have earned Attila the Hun's agreement. (This despite the fact that I could see several places where a less devious or less bloodthirsty approach would probably have served better!)
This isn't my favorite fictional tradition. But if it's yours, this is a quick read that'll probably please.
Here, Hamilton's protagonist served, as a young World War II officer, in a clandestine agency that carried out assassinations behind enemy lines. After his release from the service, he married, settled in the Southwest, fathered three kids, became a writer of Westerns (as was Hamilton at times --one can suspect that Helms' character may have been something of a fantasy self) and generally tried to suppress the Beast in him: that part of his nature with a relish for killing and violence. 15 years later (in the author's present), at a cocktail party thrown by an acquaintance, who's a world class physicist about to leave for Washington to report on research, Helms' female former colleague --and bed partner-- walks in and gives him a signal meaning "stand by for instructions." Not initially interested in disrupting his life, he tries to ignore her as much as possible --but that gets a bit harder to do later that night, when he finds a dead body in his bathtub. From there, the plot has more twists than a pretzel.
As a kid, I know I read a couple of paperbacks in this series, though not this particular one. At the time, I found the Helm novels more readable than a couple of others I sampled, representing competing series by Philip Atlee and Edward S. Aarons (I'm not sure I even finished any of those books). After nearly 50 years or so, my assessment of Hamilton's work, at least, is about the same: it's very readable, with clear prose and a page-turning narrative drive that has a tendency to hook you. Despite the embarrassingly lurid cover art on both the edition above and the one I read, there's no explicit sex here (and very little sex at all); the bad language amounts to no more than an occasional h- or d-word, and Hamilton is actually fairly restrained in depicting violence. (Especially in this genre, he deserves pretty good marks for all of the above.) Unlike James Bond (at least in his film incarnations) Helm also isn't equipped with outlandish gadgetry; his equipment and techniques have some grounding in plausible reality.
That said, this is not a series you'd turn to for moral vision or likable characters; NO really major character here is at all likable, including Helm. One reader called him "pragmatic," which could be, I suppose, an accurate enough term, if charitable; "sociopath," I'd say, would be much less charitable but no less accurate. :-) He's totally cynical and ruthless, with a predilection for rationalizing violence; he's not, by his own statement, trustworthy (during the war, on one occasion, he murdered a wounded comrade simply to prevent other team members from being distracted by trying to aid the guy); and he tends to see himself as a superior being above petty considerations like ethics or legality. While he does pay women the compliment of taking a female adversary seriously, he's quite capable of hitting one he knows to be unarmed; he's no model of marital fidelity, and he makes the revealing comment at one point (he's first-person narrator) that "there are times when a husband can't help" thinking about marital rape. (Uh, actually, Matt, most of us can help it!) There's a strong degree of influence here from the noir tradition of portraying women as either evil femme fatales or soft, helpless easily-victimized types who can be put on a pedestal but aren't suited for the real world (though to his credit, Hamilton actually does suggest, in a couple of his secondary characters, that a woman can be tough without being a villainess --I'd actually have liked to see them more developed). The view of proper government "security" policy and the efficacy of torture as a handy-dandy foolproof guarantor of accurate information (a theory that has as much real-world basis as the existence of the Easter bunny) would probably have earned Attila the Hun's agreement. (This despite the fact that I could see several places where a less devious or less bloodthirsty approach would probably have served better!)
This isn't my favorite fictional tradition. But if it's yours, this is a quick read that'll probably please.
October 23, 2014
I needed a comfort book & chose this one. Quick read & wonderful. The ruthless common sense displayed by Helm is such a nice change of pace from most of the current heroes or even many of the old ones. He's an American James Bond without the tricky gadgets. He has no sense of fair play or sentiment - usually. He'll shoot a man in the back & wonder why anyone considers the direction he was facing to be of concern. The object was to make him dead, right? Of course, he's not quite as cold & callous as he'd like to be. His sloppy sentimentalism causes him occasional problems, but just enough to keep it interesting.
The first book sets the stage for the rest of the series very well. Apparently, it was originally a standalone, but Hamilton's editor talked him into a few changes foreseeing a possible series. Good man. Great series.
The books portray a pretty ordinary, if smart & ruthless guy who is a government assassin. In this book, we find that he had quit the business after the war (WWII) & is sucked back in after 15 years of being a normal citizen, hence the title. Very well done.
See these pages for more of Hamilton's work, about him, & the latest releases.
http://www.matthelmbooks.com/intro.html
http://www.benish-industries.com/hami...
http://goodreadergonebad.net/donaldha...
Several books (4?) in the series were horribly done in the movies, Helm played by Dean Martin. Rather than go head to head with the popular Bond movies, they decided a spoof was better, unfortunately. Like Fleming's Bond series, the books bear little to no relationship to most of the movies save the title & some character names.
The first book sets the stage for the rest of the series very well. Apparently, it was originally a standalone, but Hamilton's editor talked him into a few changes foreseeing a possible series. Good man. Great series.
The books portray a pretty ordinary, if smart & ruthless guy who is a government assassin. In this book, we find that he had quit the business after the war (WWII) & is sucked back in after 15 years of being a normal citizen, hence the title. Very well done.
See these pages for more of Hamilton's work, about him, & the latest releases.
http://www.matthelmbooks.com/intro.html
http://www.benish-industries.com/hami...
http://goodreadergonebad.net/donaldha...
Several books (4?) in the series were horribly done in the movies, Helm played by Dean Martin. Rather than go head to head with the popular Bond movies, they decided a spoof was better, unfortunately. Like Fleming's Bond series, the books bear little to no relationship to most of the movies save the title & some character names.
December 20, 2021
If James Bond was played by Mike Hammer and lived in the southwest United States, his stories might have been something like this. Expect the usual misogyny and racism we often find in tough-guy stories from the late-Eisenhower era. There's plenty of action and the plot occasionally makes sense but it drags quite a bit for a 140 page book.
December 21, 2016
In the early 1960s, James Bond pretty much ruled my world of books. My husband and I saw the first movie, "Dr. No," at a local drive-in theater, were intrigued, and then discovered the books by the late Ian Fleming that were written between 1953 and 1966. I loved them so much, in fact, that they are the only books I've ever read more than once.
That decade brought our attention to another popular series of books featuring U.S. government counter-agent Matt Helm. In all, there were 27 of them; in all honesty, I don't recall reading any, but my husband insists that we did, so I'll take his word for it. For sure we saw all four of the very campy, silly motion pictures starring the late Dean Martin as Helm (very loosely based on the books and fun to watch).
Within the past week, I discovered that some of the original Helm books, which apparently have been out of print for several years, have been released in Kindle format. This one is the first in the series, published in 1960; when I got an offer to buy it for just 99 cents I absolutely couldn't resist, if only to rekindle (pun intended) old memories. And what a delightful flashback it was!
Actually, it's a great story and introduction to a very interesting character; the fun part comes from signs of the times, like female characters who wear veiled hats and long gloves to dinner parties and whose "girdles" could be felt through their clothing by anyone who ventured to pat one on the derriere. Interspersed are lines from Helm like this: "I can see no particular reason for a female to appear in pants unless she's going to ride a horse."
Ah yes; back in the day, I'd have agreed. I grew up on a farm in the 1950s, when girls weren't allowed to wear jeans or slacks to school - and in church? Wouldn't dream of it; hats and gloved hands clutching embroidered handkerchiefs appeared in every pew. But at home, the minute we hopped off the dusty school bus, we ran up the lane and into the house to change into the "blue jeans" we'd bought for $5.99 at Sears or Penneys - rolling up the bottoms into stylish cuffs before venturing back out to the roller rink.
But on to this story: It begins more than a dozen years after Helm's last assignment during World War II; he's a writer happily married with a beautiful wife, three children, and a lovely home in Sante Fe, New Mexico. His wife has no clue as to his former identity and work as a government-sponsored assassin; those who left that service alive were instructed never to reveal their pasts - lying, if necessary, to protect the secrets they all held.
And true to form, lie Helm did. But his happy bubble is threatened when at a party he sees a woman he knew (and worked and "dallied" with) in his past clandestine life. Their meeting is no accident, Helm correctly surmises when she sends him a "secret" signal that she's still on the job - and soon, the two meet up and he reluctantly agrees to help her with a new assignment from Helm's former boss in Washington, D.C. And it doesn't take long before at least one of the events of the past takes place again (go ahead. Guess).
As with many espionage stories, though, the truth isn't always as it seems; getting to the bottom of things turns dangerous for Helm in more ways than one. Much of the focus is on Helm himself as he deals with demons from his past and realities of his present and the impact of decisions he's forced to make that (for better or worse) threaten to change the course of the rest of his life.
Reading this was a real treat; now that others have been re-released, no doubt I'll be tackling another, and another, and another...
That decade brought our attention to another popular series of books featuring U.S. government counter-agent Matt Helm. In all, there were 27 of them; in all honesty, I don't recall reading any, but my husband insists that we did, so I'll take his word for it. For sure we saw all four of the very campy, silly motion pictures starring the late Dean Martin as Helm (very loosely based on the books and fun to watch).
Within the past week, I discovered that some of the original Helm books, which apparently have been out of print for several years, have been released in Kindle format. This one is the first in the series, published in 1960; when I got an offer to buy it for just 99 cents I absolutely couldn't resist, if only to rekindle (pun intended) old memories. And what a delightful flashback it was!
Actually, it's a great story and introduction to a very interesting character; the fun part comes from signs of the times, like female characters who wear veiled hats and long gloves to dinner parties and whose "girdles" could be felt through their clothing by anyone who ventured to pat one on the derriere. Interspersed are lines from Helm like this: "I can see no particular reason for a female to appear in pants unless she's going to ride a horse."
Ah yes; back in the day, I'd have agreed. I grew up on a farm in the 1950s, when girls weren't allowed to wear jeans or slacks to school - and in church? Wouldn't dream of it; hats and gloved hands clutching embroidered handkerchiefs appeared in every pew. But at home, the minute we hopped off the dusty school bus, we ran up the lane and into the house to change into the "blue jeans" we'd bought for $5.99 at Sears or Penneys - rolling up the bottoms into stylish cuffs before venturing back out to the roller rink.
But on to this story: It begins more than a dozen years after Helm's last assignment during World War II; he's a writer happily married with a beautiful wife, three children, and a lovely home in Sante Fe, New Mexico. His wife has no clue as to his former identity and work as a government-sponsored assassin; those who left that service alive were instructed never to reveal their pasts - lying, if necessary, to protect the secrets they all held.
And true to form, lie Helm did. But his happy bubble is threatened when at a party he sees a woman he knew (and worked and "dallied" with) in his past clandestine life. Their meeting is no accident, Helm correctly surmises when she sends him a "secret" signal that she's still on the job - and soon, the two meet up and he reluctantly agrees to help her with a new assignment from Helm's former boss in Washington, D.C. And it doesn't take long before at least one of the events of the past takes place again (go ahead. Guess).
As with many espionage stories, though, the truth isn't always as it seems; getting to the bottom of things turns dangerous for Helm in more ways than one. Much of the focus is on Helm himself as he deals with demons from his past and realities of his present and the impact of decisions he's forced to make that (for better or worse) threaten to change the course of the rest of his life.
Reading this was a real treat; now that others have been re-released, no doubt I'll be tackling another, and another, and another...
April 2, 2018
April 2018: I needed a pallet cleanser for my mind. I've run across too many gooey, illogical heroes & heroines who make stupid decisions simply to extend the story & add excitement. That's never a problem with Matt Helm. The books are short & Stefan Rudnicki's voice works perfectly for this first person narrative. Best of all, Helm does what's necessary & to hell with anyone's feelings. He has his priorities right.
I also really liked the lack of political correctness. Fact or ficition, everyone is bending over so far to be PC that their points are watered down when they make them at all. Very refreshing & some fun glimpses of the past. I'm so glad we have radials now. The old bias ply tires were a drag. Park too long & you'd bump down the road until they warmed up & rounded back out. Starters on the floor & gear shifting on the dashboard via buttons. Glad the latter didn't hang around, although I never minded the former.
Anyway, a nice, quick adventure to put me in a better reading mood.
July 2015: Yes, I've read this several times including when it was reissued as a paperback by Titan books. Now it's an audio book read by Stefan Rudnicki. I like his narration & love the books, so I'm supporting this by buying all that are published so far - the first 7, I believe. Blackstone Audio has a consumer site for buying the downloadable audio book as mp3's at
http://downpour.com
It's easy to use & the files come down as a single zip. Fast & easy.
It was fantastic again. As always, I love Helm's practicality. His opinions on cars are great, too. This is set about 1960 so using the key to turn over the starter was fairly new. In many ways, a blast from the past, but people haven't changed much. Helm certainly hasn't. He tries to stay a docile citizen, but falls back into his old habits quickly & once the gloves are off, look out!
I also really liked the lack of political correctness. Fact or ficition, everyone is bending over so far to be PC that their points are watered down when they make them at all. Very refreshing & some fun glimpses of the past. I'm so glad we have radials now. The old bias ply tires were a drag. Park too long & you'd bump down the road until they warmed up & rounded back out. Starters on the floor & gear shifting on the dashboard via buttons. Glad the latter didn't hang around, although I never minded the former.
Anyway, a nice, quick adventure to put me in a better reading mood.
July 2015: Yes, I've read this several times including when it was reissued as a paperback by Titan books. Now it's an audio book read by Stefan Rudnicki. I like his narration & love the books, so I'm supporting this by buying all that are published so far - the first 7, I believe. Blackstone Audio has a consumer site for buying the downloadable audio book as mp3's at
http://downpour.com
It's easy to use & the files come down as a single zip. Fast & easy.
It was fantastic again. As always, I love Helm's practicality. His opinions on cars are great, too. This is set about 1960 so using the key to turn over the starter was fairly new. In many ways, a blast from the past, but people haven't changed much. Helm certainly hasn't. He tries to stay a docile citizen, but falls back into his old habits quickly & once the gloves are off, look out!
July 21, 2017
It is the beginning of one of the best espionage series out there and it is easy to see how more recent spy novels are in some sense derivative of the Helm books.
Helm's books take place in a world where men are men and women are women. The men are tough no-nonsense types and the women seductive temptresses in dresses and heels.
The writing is superb and Hamilton somehow can make even a dull cocktail party seem interesting.
Helm was originally a special agent in the European theater with the assigned task of executing Nazis. The story takes him back and forth between his reminiscing about his training and his wartime romance with another agent and his present day (around 1960) suburban life as a western writer in Santa Fe with a wife and kids and the whole ball of wax. Sucked back into the world of espionage that he didn't know still existed, Helm is called upon to utilize his skills and training to survive attacks by the enemies.
This is well-written and compelling. It's especially fun as Hrlm reasons his way through one situation after another.
Helm's books take place in a world where men are men and women are women. The men are tough no-nonsense types and the women seductive temptresses in dresses and heels.
The writing is superb and Hamilton somehow can make even a dull cocktail party seem interesting.
Helm was originally a special agent in the European theater with the assigned task of executing Nazis. The story takes him back and forth between his reminiscing about his training and his wartime romance with another agent and his present day (around 1960) suburban life as a western writer in Santa Fe with a wife and kids and the whole ball of wax. Sucked back into the world of espionage that he didn't know still existed, Helm is called upon to utilize his skills and training to survive attacks by the enemies.
This is well-written and compelling. It's especially fun as Hrlm reasons his way through one situation after another.
January 9, 2019
This is an odd book for me to review. While I never considered abandoning it, I did set it down and totally forget about it several times.
I think my problem is that not much really happens in it. A large chunk of it involves a road trip, and we get travel information just as much as we get cool spy stuff. Also, the big action scene that comes near the end was a total dud. The main character literally kept saying things like "I could have shot her, but I didn't", and "I could have hit him in the head, but I didn't", and "I could have brought my gun up and shot him, but I didn't". It was actually an anti-action scene. Since we just spent an entire book slowly travelling around in a truck, I felt the author owed us a bit more than that.
I didn't hate the book, though, and I thought some parts were really good . But, overall, this was very much a "meh" book for me.
I think my problem is that not much really happens in it. A large chunk of it involves a road trip, and we get travel information just as much as we get cool spy stuff. Also, the big action scene that comes near the end was a total dud. The main character literally kept saying things like "I could have shot her, but I didn't", and "I could have hit him in the head, but I didn't", and "I could have brought my gun up and shot him, but I didn't". It was actually an anti-action scene. Since we just spent an entire book slowly travelling around in a truck, I felt the author owed us a bit more than that.
I didn't hate the book, though, and I thought some parts were really good . But, overall, this was very much a "meh" book for me.
December 7, 2019
The first book in the series tells the story of Matt Helm’s regression from a staid family man to the violent and dangerous bad-ass that he was many years in the past. Hamilton’s writing is superb with snappy dialog and observations, and a startling number of plot twists that serve to illustrate how shockingly ruthless Helm really is under the slim veneer of a law-abiding citizen. I would like to imagine that I’m a secret bad-ass underneath my baldness and flab, however I’m surely not, so that’s part of the vicarious appeal of the book too. I’m really looking forward the the other books in this series.
February 26, 2014
The series has a heavy continuity element to it, but I never was able to read any of them in order. Helm is a hardboiled spy who is lured back into service by an old partner/lover. His old boss, Mac, is still around from the WWII days as well, and is a master at head games as ever. Helm is a chauvinistic bastard, cold-blooded, and ruthless, which is part of the charm of this series. The earliest novels are generally agreed to be the better ones, but I haven't read one yet that I didn't enjoy. It's nice to see them available again. They were getting a little hard to find there for awhile.
March 29, 2016
Lots of backstory in this the first of the Matt Helm series. Looking forward to reading the next book.
June 7, 2022
I’m kind of mixed on this. Published in 1960, there’s sort of a fun historical, almost campy, look at spy craft - but then it’s also heavily laden with misogyny that became overwhelming.
I did enjoy the bones of the story which consisted of reactivating Helm as an agent and his first case. There was some predictability as well as twists and turns I didn't expect.
Biggest complaint: (spoiler)
I’m just not sure whether I’ll continue the series even thought it’s free to borrow via Plus.
Narration:
Stefan Rudniki has kind of a gruff “announcer” voice that worked well for the characters and time. I enjoyed his performance.
I did enjoy the bones of the story which consisted of reactivating Helm as an agent and his first case. There was some predictability as well as twists and turns I didn't expect.
Biggest complaint: (spoiler)
I’m just not sure whether I’ll continue the series even thought it’s free to borrow via Plus.
Narration:
Stefan Rudniki has kind of a gruff “announcer” voice that worked well for the characters and time. I enjoyed his performance.
July 24, 2021
A family man and writer of Westerns is confronted by his bloody past as an undercover operative during WWII when an old comrade shows up with a story about an upcoming assasination attempt.
From here we embark on a vivid first-person narrative about a man who seems to have successfully buried his essential killer nature beneath a veneer of conventional respectability only to find that it is much closer to the surface than he thought—and closer to his heart, too. Over the course of the novel, Matt Helm (code name Eric) smoothly reverts to his old training, becoming more than a match for agents who haven’t had the hiatus from killing that he has. This novel doesn’t treat the concept of the reawakened killer as seriously as the brilliant David Cronenberg film A History of Violence (and presumably the graphic novel upon which it was based and which I haven’t read), but author Donald Hamilton does squeeze plenty of pulpy goodness out of it, and Helm provides a terrific POV. Hamilton doesn’t flinch from the nastiness, either. Although the ugliest business takes place off screen, the end is genuinely shocking when you consider the implications. I’ve always heard good things about this series, and it’s off to a great start.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
From here we embark on a vivid first-person narrative about a man who seems to have successfully buried his essential killer nature beneath a veneer of conventional respectability only to find that it is much closer to the surface than he thought—and closer to his heart, too. Over the course of the novel, Matt Helm (code name Eric) smoothly reverts to his old training, becoming more than a match for agents who haven’t had the hiatus from killing that he has. This novel doesn’t treat the concept of the reawakened killer as seriously as the brilliant David Cronenberg film A History of Violence (and presumably the graphic novel upon which it was based and which I haven’t read), but author Donald Hamilton does squeeze plenty of pulpy goodness out of it, and Helm provides a terrific POV. Hamilton doesn’t flinch from the nastiness, either. Although the ugliest business takes place off screen, the end is genuinely shocking when you consider the implications. I’ve always heard good things about this series, and it’s off to a great start.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
February 19, 2014
After dipping my toes in to the Matt Helm series at random I thought it about time to discover the deadly secret agent's origin story by visiting this first novel in the series. Debuting two years prior to Richard Stark's Parker I can't help but feel like Donald Hamilton laid some strong groundwork for other amoral bastards with this early Helm.
It doesn't reach the same standards that The Hunter does, or even the same level of entertainment as later instalments but Death of a Citizen features a protagonist that is as happy killing with his bare hands as a gun, is willing to torture the truth out of a woman as readily as he would give her the best three minutes of her life and knows his way around a convoluted, twisty plot as well as Bond and Marlowe.
Helm has a wife and children in this one and it might be a bit noir of me but I'm quite looking forward to how they are removed from the scenario, knowing this series so far it's bound to be brutal.
It doesn't reach the same standards that The Hunter does, or even the same level of entertainment as later instalments but Death of a Citizen features a protagonist that is as happy killing with his bare hands as a gun, is willing to torture the truth out of a woman as readily as he would give her the best three minutes of her life and knows his way around a convoluted, twisty plot as well as Bond and Marlowe.
Helm has a wife and children in this one and it might be a bit noir of me but I'm quite looking forward to how they are removed from the scenario, knowing this series so far it's bound to be brutal.
August 25, 2021
I first started reading Donald Hamilton’s Matt Helm series when I was in the US Army in early 1964, along with Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer and Johan D. MacDonald’s Travis MaGee. Not much else to do for entertainment, no TV or other outlets. This was the first in the series and was originally published in 1960. I don’t remember reading it, and that’s a good thing. Maybe never did read it back then. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was thoroughly glad I listened to this reading. I learned a lot about Matt Helm that I had forgot. I plan to read or listen to all of of the following books, hopefully in order. You won’t regret reading these books as they have much to do about our current situation in and about Afghanistan, China and Iran. Hope you enjoy this. Thanks. They are coming after US, remember I warned you.
June 22, 2018
Really enjoyed this ... What does it take for a happily married man, making a comfortable living in a line of work he enjoys to go back to the grim, blood, murder and lust he once knew - 15 years before, half a world away, during a brutal, death-thirsty war?
Matt Helm is that man, he is that citizen. How does the citizen die a death and the spy rise from the ashes of his death?
After reading this I get it!
Nothing like the literary Bond, and nothing like the camped up Dean Martin movies... Fast paced, first person action!
4.5/5
Matt Helm is that man, he is that citizen. How does the citizen die a death and the spy rise from the ashes of his death?
After reading this I get it!
Nothing like the literary Bond, and nothing like the camped up Dean Martin movies... Fast paced, first person action!
4.5/5
February 14, 2022
It is an old book and not very exciting for 2022. Also a book that seems to portray woman in a very 50's and 60's way.
March 18, 2016
I can't say I cared for this book too much. That may be because I'm a woman. Normally I love books written with men in mind, they're light on the fluffy romance stuff and heavy on the action. This one just didn't do it for me. It was a little too 'stereotypical 50's male' for my tastes.
Even if I didn't know this was first in a long series, I would have guessed it was - not a whole lot happened but Matt Helm, after being out of the assassin business for years, gets pulled back in. I didn't care much for Helm. After the war and his years killing people, he went back to civilian life. He got married and had three kids. One night, he and his wife are at a dinner party when he sees a woman who also used to be a spy/assassin. She gives him the secret handshake and he's back in the game. I was fine up to this point, but when he drives away with this woman, he completely changes. He thinks nothing of his family or having sex with his old flame. He turns into a bit of a jerk. I guess I was expecting someone a bit smoother, someone with intelligence and self-control (he was a spy and assassin after all). Maybe he develops a conscience as the series unfolds but I'll never find out. I don't like Helm enough to read more about him.
Even if I didn't know this was first in a long series, I would have guessed it was - not a whole lot happened but Matt Helm, after being out of the assassin business for years, gets pulled back in. I didn't care much for Helm. After the war and his years killing people, he went back to civilian life. He got married and had three kids. One night, he and his wife are at a dinner party when he sees a woman who also used to be a spy/assassin. She gives him the secret handshake and he's back in the game. I was fine up to this point, but when he drives away with this woman, he completely changes. He thinks nothing of his family or having sex with his old flame. He turns into a bit of a jerk. I guess I was expecting someone a bit smoother, someone with intelligence and self-control (he was a spy and assassin after all). Maybe he develops a conscience as the series unfolds but I'll never find out. I don't like Helm enough to read more about him.
January 2, 2019
The spy genre, or ex-spy/detective genre is not one i frequent too often but i've read a few and while not as detailed as a Le Carre or Deighton and still a bit politically incorrect, this is a heck of a lot better than say a Bond story.
A little bit pulpy it ain't shakespeare but its quick and too the point, compelling and well thought out.
The author does a great job establishing his main characters with some flashbacks, although this almost becomes a problem. So many flashbacks interrupt the early stages that in real time the 1st third of the book covers only a couple of hours, so it might feel like you havn't accomplished much when reading those parts :P . But its a minor quibble.
While the main character might feel a bit dated thats rather the point, and he's counterbalanced somewhat towards the end with some more modern less brutal characters. Its remarkable how modern and fresh the story feels for something written in 1960.
If i was grading on a curve against all literature it would be a lower score but in terms of the pulpy exciting spy/detective story that its trying to be its essentially flawless.
A little bit pulpy it ain't shakespeare but its quick and too the point, compelling and well thought out.
The author does a great job establishing his main characters with some flashbacks, although this almost becomes a problem. So many flashbacks interrupt the early stages that in real time the 1st third of the book covers only a couple of hours, so it might feel like you havn't accomplished much when reading those parts :P . But its a minor quibble.
While the main character might feel a bit dated thats rather the point, and he's counterbalanced somewhat towards the end with some more modern less brutal characters. Its remarkable how modern and fresh the story feels for something written in 1960.
If i was grading on a curve against all literature it would be a lower score but in terms of the pulpy exciting spy/detective story that its trying to be its essentially flawless.
February 4, 2016
When I first saw this book at my library's used book sale for 25 cents, I had to have it. I'd seen the old 1960s Matt Helm films starring Dean Martin, and thought I was in for some campy fun. Unlike those films, this novel - first in the series - is dead serious.
It's a gritty spy-versus-spy story set during the Cold War, full of violence, suspense and deceit. It also gives the background story for Mattt Helm - how he became a spy in WWII, and his life since then. The action starts when he recognizes Tina - a spy on his team during the war - at a cocktail party. From certain signals, Matt knows it's not coincidence that brought her back in his path.
Keep in mind this book was written in 1960. It's not politically correct. (Think first season of Mad Men.) The sex really isn't explicit - it's more implied, than anything. If you're in the right frame of mind, it's a quick, entertaining read.
It's a gritty spy-versus-spy story set during the Cold War, full of violence, suspense and deceit. It also gives the background story for Mattt Helm - how he became a spy in WWII, and his life since then. The action starts when he recognizes Tina - a spy on his team during the war - at a cocktail party. From certain signals, Matt knows it's not coincidence that brought her back in his path.
Keep in mind this book was written in 1960. It's not politically correct. (Think first season of Mad Men.) The sex really isn't explicit - it's more implied, than anything. If you're in the right frame of mind, it's a quick, entertaining read.
July 8, 2014
I love these "old" Matt Helm stories. I bought this one, but discovered my Overdrive library has the first 9 or so. I am set for awhile.
The book truly reflects the world at the time it was written, in this case about 1960 or so. Good, bad, or indifferent, the story takes place at that point in time. The story incorporates the values of the early 60's.
Matt is a no-nonsense type of spy. He gets dragged back into the world he thought he left behind after WWII. No such luck Matt. Helm is tough, cool, and can handle himself in a fight. He is not perfect, and does get knocked around a bit. This is my 2nd Matt Helm book I have read (the other being The Silencers)and enjoyed. I plan to read the entire series in order now, from book #2 onward.
The book truly reflects the world at the time it was written, in this case about 1960 or so. Good, bad, or indifferent, the story takes place at that point in time. The story incorporates the values of the early 60's.
Matt is a no-nonsense type of spy. He gets dragged back into the world he thought he left behind after WWII. No such luck Matt. Helm is tough, cool, and can handle himself in a fight. He is not perfect, and does get knocked around a bit. This is my 2nd Matt Helm book I have read (the other being The Silencers)and enjoyed. I plan to read the entire series in order now, from book #2 onward.
February 27, 2017
Matt Helm is retired from the war business. His days of covert killing and globetrotting replaced by a suburban comfy lifestyle where his family and writing career consume and fulfil him. However, a chance encounter with a former sexy operative, Tina, at a local party thrusts the agent known as ‘Eric’ back into the world of bullets, blood and bruising fist fights.
DEATH OF A CITIZEN took a while to get going (about a third of the book) as author Donald Hamilton established Helm as a writer and family man with a darkly brooding sense of violence bubbling beneath the surface. Slowly unravelling his back-story and assignments during the war effort, Helm is built up as a once successful assassin turned soft. Luckily, all it took was a subtle signal from the deadly Tina to turn that around and merge past and present into what is a surprisingly decent action thriller.
I wanted to love this book (I haven’t seen the adaptations fortunately) having been a fan of pulps from some time, this reprint of the first Matt Helm book original published in 1960 promised much yet felt slightly off centre to me. Conceptually, DEATH OF A CITIZEN ticked all the boxes but for some reason (which I can’t put my finger on) it felt like something was missing – perhaps it was the use of Helm as a has-been who effortlessly springs into action despite seeing no recent action.
While I enjoy a good twist as much as the next reader, DEATH OF A CITIZEN constantly changes the goal posts – working more often than not yet at times seeming a little too convenient as a means to progress the story.
Will I read more Matt Helm novels? Yes. Reading the blurbs of some of the upcoming books reminds me of a cross between Bond and Quarry. For DEATH OF A CITIZEN, I give it a pass mark.
DEATH OF A CITIZEN took a while to get going (about a third of the book) as author Donald Hamilton established Helm as a writer and family man with a darkly brooding sense of violence bubbling beneath the surface. Slowly unravelling his back-story and assignments during the war effort, Helm is built up as a once successful assassin turned soft. Luckily, all it took was a subtle signal from the deadly Tina to turn that around and merge past and present into what is a surprisingly decent action thriller.
I wanted to love this book (I haven’t seen the adaptations fortunately) having been a fan of pulps from some time, this reprint of the first Matt Helm book original published in 1960 promised much yet felt slightly off centre to me. Conceptually, DEATH OF A CITIZEN ticked all the boxes but for some reason (which I can’t put my finger on) it felt like something was missing – perhaps it was the use of Helm as a has-been who effortlessly springs into action despite seeing no recent action.
While I enjoy a good twist as much as the next reader, DEATH OF A CITIZEN constantly changes the goal posts – working more often than not yet at times seeming a little too convenient as a means to progress the story.
Will I read more Matt Helm novels? Yes. Reading the blurbs of some of the upcoming books reminds me of a cross between Bond and Quarry. For DEATH OF A CITIZEN, I give it a pass mark.
July 21, 2020
I was looking at Tina. There was nothing in the world except the two of us, and I was back in a time when our world had been young and savage and alive, instead of being old and civilized and dead. For a moment it was as if I, myself, had been dead for fifteen years, and somebody had opened the lid of the coffin and let in light and air. Then I drew a long breath, and the illusion faded. I was a respectable married man once more.
...and so it begins...and oh boy was it gritty.
...and so it begins...and oh boy was it gritty.
February 25, 2017
I didn't read these novels years ago but remember the Dean Martin movies featuring pretty girls and booze. They were fun but didn't match up to the Bond movies. Death of a Citizen matched up well to the early Bond novels. Both the main characters were very different from the film versions.
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