A Touch of Danger

by James Jones

Near fine in burgundy cloth boards in a fair dust jacket with several short edgetears. (original price of 7.95 still present, dj Hardcover first edition - New Doubleday,, 1973.. Hardcover first edition -. Near fine in burgundy cloth boards in a fair dust jacket with several short edgetears. (original price of 7.95 still present, dj now protected by an archival cover) . First printing. A story of suspense and mystery featuring Lobo, an American private eye who operates abroad, and who, at 50, is finding things more difficult. 431 pp. Map endpapers.

Genres: Fiction

431 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

James Jones was an American novelist best known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. His debut novel, From Here to Eternity (1951), won the National Book Award and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. The novel, along with The Thin Red Line (1962) and Whistle (published posthumously in 1978), formed his acclaimed war trilogy, drawing from his personal experiences in the military.
Born and raised in Robinson, Illinois, Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1939 and served in the 25th Infantry Division. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he was wounded. His military service deeply influenced his writing, shaping his unflinching portrayals of soldiers and war.
Following his discharge, Jones pursued writing and became involved with the Handy Writers' Colony in Illinois, a project led by his former mentor and lover, Lowney Handy. His second novel, Some Came Running (1957), was adapted into a film starring Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine. Over the years, he experimented with different literary styles but remained committed to exploring themes of war, masculinity, and the American experience.
Jones later moved to France with his wife, actress Gloria Mosolino, before settling in the United States. He also worked as a journalist covering the Vietnam War and wrote several non-fiction works, including Viet Journal (1974). His final novel, Whistle, was completed based on his notes after his death. In later years, his daughter Kaylie Jones helped revive interest in his work, including publishing an uncensored edition of From Here to Eternity.
Jones passed away from congestive heart failure in 1977, leaving behind a body of work that remains influential in American war literature.

Reviews

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, James Jones! So very clearly a supremely talented writer. And so very clearly a guy who was his own worst enemy outside of the war novels! A TOUCH OF DANGER sees our man Jones try his hand at a thriller and, to his credit, he LARGELY reins in his impulse to write a sprawling novel. There's a grisly decapitation, a strange fixation on how poorly Greek concrete is made, and, of course, the women who throw themselves at a middle-aged protagonist.

Yeah. About THAT.

I really appreciate Jones being fearlessly blunt on the sex front. He HAS demonstrated a capacity to write extremely interesting women. But it's always IN RELATION to men. It's so bizarre. He sees and KNOWS their inner lives and then cheapens their existence -- in this case, with a few hippie girls. I suspect Jones knew about this problem. Because he's made his private eye largely uninterested in this sort of thing (healing from divorce and all that). There's certainly enough eccentricity to propel this novel. And it is a fascinating read if you're familiar with, oh say, GO TO THE WIDOW-MAKER, THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY, and SOME CAME RUNNING (I have read them all; yeah, even the fatty). But the frustration of Jones's non-war novels is how he came SO CLOSE to greatness and ultimately bungled it -- perhaps because he needed a vast tapestry as anarchic as war with which to provide a vital context.

But I am glad that I read pretty much all of James Jones's fiction. Though I mourn what type of writer Jones could have been had he lived beyond the age of 55.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intriga policíaca bastante convencional.
La narración se desarrolla en una isla griega repleta de jóvenes hippies, y lo que podría haber sido una novela original y colorista, se queda en un intento fallido de un autor que claramente pertenecía a una generación anterior (nació en 1921) y que no estaba acostumbrado a la literatura de género.
Esto no tendría por qué haber sido un impedimento, pero al autor de obras abiertamente "mainstream" como De aquí a la eternidad o La delgada línea roja, no parecen interesarle estos personajes más allá de la anécdota y el estereotipo, y esto se nota demasiado en el resultado final.

[Bob Box · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read in 1974. Private eye novel.

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book that takes you away to the Greek Isles back in the late 60's, 70's. Fun!