Passport to Peril

by Anne Campbell Clark, Lawrence Block

A thriller loaded with international intrigue from mystery master Lawrence Block     Struggling folksinger Ellen Cameron can’t believe her luck. Not only is the State Department sponsoring her trip to West Berlin, but her agent has arranged for her to tour Ireland. It’s just the break she needs. And better yet, she’s meeting the friendliest and most interesting people on her trip, from a kind priest on the plane to a handsome American studying abroad. But things—and people—aren’t always what they seem, and her European adventure could turn out to be the type of international affair she never imagined.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from his personal collection, and a new afterword written by the author.

Lawrence Block (b. 1938) is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author. His awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers’ Association (UK). Although he is best known for his four main mystery series, Block explored a variety of genres, including thrillers and erotica, and developed an early following as a pulp-fiction writer under a number of pseudonyms. Born in Buffalo, New York, Block has three daughters and currently lives with his wife in New York City.

Genres: Thriller

Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

A pseudonym used by Lawrence Block.

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From 1967
It is so cool that Lawrence Block published a romantic thriller as by Anne Campbell Clark. The main character is a female folk singer named Ellen Cameron who goes to England, Ireland and Germany. Of course there are spies and microfilm and so forth.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting older book that doesn't pass logic test, but I understand he wrote this back in the 60's under a female pseudonym to fit the requirement of a romance/spy book. I enjoyed it for what it offered in the way of Irish folk music and dibs and dabs of traveling around Ireland.
With regard to the espionage element, a plot device used back then cannot succeed in this post 9/11 world. Even so, it is a light and enjoyable read featuring a young American woman folksinger asked to visit Berlin by the State Department.
Enjoy the Irish song lyrics!
Several Classic Crime books available on Kindle Unlimited

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1967, before the IRA resurgence into the Troubles in Northern Ireland, this book is a little dated but a lyrical romp through Dublin, Cork, Kerry and other parts of the Republic before an unexpected violent ending.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really a 2.5-star rating. I like/love a lot of what Lawrence Block has written. I picked this up because I needed a stand-alone thriller for a book challenge. Since it involved Cozy Mysteries, I tried sticking with an amateur dealing with thrilling intrigue. This was billed as a "a thriller loaded with international intrigue." However, it was not that thrilling until the last third of the book. I don't know if I've read too many mysteries that I was not fooled by the different characters the sort-of protagonist, a young folk singer, meets along her journey. It made things less intriguing for sure. However, the overall story was okay, fine. It was a pretty quick read.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

finished the book and that's the best i can say...

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This week, I had the rather unique experience of reading two Cold War espionage novels back to back, both sharing the same title Passport to Peril. This 1967 novel is something of an curiosity in Lawrence Block's oeuvre. It is a romantic espionage adventure (apparently, an established genre I never knew about) under the pseudonym Anne Campbell Clarke.

Ellen Cameron is an American singer on vacation to record authentic folk music in Ireland, then play a short concert in Berlin. Of course, the reader gets clued in early that all is not as it appears, but for the first half of the book, Ellen is blissfully unaware of anything amiss. Since we are experiencing events from her point of view, the result is the first hundred pages form a sort of leisurely, relaxing travelogue of the Irish countryside. I cannot say it is great literature, exactly, but it sure did make me want to book a vacation to Ireland.

Eventually, Ellen discovers a mysterious microfilm hidden behind her passport photo and certain random events begin to coalesce--she has been bumping into the same few people wherever she goes, her purse had been stolen during a stopover in London. A spy is using her to unknowingly smuggle secretive information into Eastern Europe.

The story goes through a real rough patch in the 2nd half. Ellen bumbles into captivity. There is a long, monotonous car chase. Part of the problem is the book went to great lengths to establish her character, including a deep knowledge of Irish history and love of its songs, but those traits are not germane to action scenes.

The final act manages to right the ship, however. It includes a macabre scene involving a car accident and a herd of sheep. Ellen finds a legendary hideout based on a reference in a song, and the local IRA boys lend a helping hand in an explosive climactic shootout.

[Bruce Nieminski · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10
206 pages
Book #45 of 2017

A great little spy diddy by Block about an American folk singer in Ireland in the 1960s. Quick, fast paced and amusing. I found it interesting that the real action doesn't really start until about halfway through the book, but I can live with that as the background about Ireland is entertaining.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like when I don't read the title or description before reading a book. 40% through this one I thought "hmmm, I guess block wrote a story about a woman folk singer traveling around Ireland and falling in love..."

[Robert Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

a New York folk singer embarks to Ireland to discover Irish music and found a conspiracy with Clegy and others.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kind of like the old Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn movie Charade (remade as The Truth About Charlie) only set in Ireland and not quite so complicated.

[Sarah Pantoja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I received it for free in a giveaway on the author's Facebook. It was a fast-paced easy read that was full of action and adventure. The story begins with a young American woman who is traveling to Ireland to gather and learn about folk music, as well as to play in a few festivals along the way. She quickly meets with misadventure, although she doesn't realize it right away. She also meets with a romance that is love at first sight. It was interesting to read a book that was written only a few decades ago and to see how much some things have changed in that short amount of time. I didn't really like that the people who help the main characters resolve their issues seemingly come out of nowhere, but other than that it was great.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little better than some of the old re-released Blocks

[Gail Stewart rumsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book, part thriller and part travelogue. A folk singer becomes a pawn while travelling rural Ireland in search of authentic folk songs.

[Leonard Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was utterly boring..... for the first 110 pages or so. But then finally the action occurs. If you stayed with it that long, you should be satisfied with the remainder.