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Luke Pagan #1
Ring of Terror
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298 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1995
23 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gilbert
143 books91 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Born in Lincolnshire in 1912, Michael Francis Gilbert was educated in Sussex before entering the University of London where he gained an LLB with honours in 1937. Gilbert was a founding member of the British Crime Writers Association, and in 1988 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America - an achievement many thought long overdue. He won the Life Achievement Anthony Award at the 1990 Boucheron in London, and in 1980 he was knighted as a Commander in the Order of the British Empire. Gilbert made his debut in 1947 with Close Quarters, and since then has become recognized as one of our most versatile British mystery writers.
He was the father of Harriett Gilbert.
Born in Lincolnshire in 1912, Michael Francis Gilbert was educated in Sussex before entering the University of London where he gained an LLB with honours in 1937. Gilbert was a founding member of the British Crime Writers Association, and in 1988 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America - an achievement many thought long overdue. He won the Life Achievement Anthony Award at the 1990 Boucheron in London, and in 1980 he was knighted as a Commander in the Order of the British Empire. Gilbert made his debut in 1947 with Close Quarters, and since then has become recognized as one of our most versatile British mystery writers.
He was the father of Harriett Gilbert.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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December 12, 2024A latish Michael Gilbert set pre WW1 and genuinely feeling like a thriller written in that period, except for a couple of higher level swears. Very well researched historical grounding including the Siege of Sidney Street. Some slightly uncomfortable period attitudes which didn't need to be in there. Luke is an interesting character, with a certain affectlessness that means IDK if I'm going to read the next one.
October 18, 2012
BOTTOM LINE: #2 of 3 Luke Pagan, MO5, rural Suffolk 1906 and London 1912; gentle thriller. Edwardian intelligence officer and some very nasty spies pre-WW1. Convoluted tale of poor folks in London who want change and are willing to work for it, and of spies from other countries who want to cripple England for their own nefarious purposes.
Main Characters: Luke Pagan, police constable and then intelligence operative for British Intelligence just prior to World War 1; his best friend policeman Joe Narrabone, a hard-headed, hard drinking rival from home; numerous Russian spies and Jewish emigres, local merchants and neighborhood gangs.
Starting with some of the experiences that made Luke the man he has become and working its way through his beginnings as a policeman into his first job with the new intelligence force MO5, this emerges half-way along as a convoluted tale of poor folks in London who want change and are willing to work for it. And of spies from other countries who want to cripple England for their own nefarious purposes. How the various clamoring groups intertwine is rather nicely done, and the different approaches of the characters to their lots in life are clearly set out, but most of the secondary characters are merely sketched in.
Luke and his best friend Joe are very well-drawn, though, as is an elderly man who gets caught in a web of conspiracies. They come to life on the page and reflect Mr. Gilbert's ability to create memorable characters, so clearly evidenced in his Calder and Behrens short stories, some of my favorites of the spy genre. This earlier tale is far less brutal and pragmatic about bad things in life, and reflects some of the mindset of the period.
Beautifully, if slowly, wrought tale of the appealing Luke Pagan, a nice boy from the country with a gift for languages, who moves from police constable to espionage work and enjoys it very much. This nostalgic, almost tone-poem to the Edwardian mind-set was one of Gilbert's last works, and while the plot is quite simplistic the characters and settings are superb. Not really thrilling, but a very enjoyable read, that transported me into another world for a little while.
Main Characters: Luke Pagan, police constable and then intelligence operative for British Intelligence just prior to World War 1; his best friend policeman Joe Narrabone, a hard-headed, hard drinking rival from home; numerous Russian spies and Jewish emigres, local merchants and neighborhood gangs.
Starting with some of the experiences that made Luke the man he has become and working its way through his beginnings as a policeman into his first job with the new intelligence force MO5, this emerges half-way along as a convoluted tale of poor folks in London who want change and are willing to work for it. And of spies from other countries who want to cripple England for their own nefarious purposes. How the various clamoring groups intertwine is rather nicely done, and the different approaches of the characters to their lots in life are clearly set out, but most of the secondary characters are merely sketched in.
Luke and his best friend Joe are very well-drawn, though, as is an elderly man who gets caught in a web of conspiracies. They come to life on the page and reflect Mr. Gilbert's ability to create memorable characters, so clearly evidenced in his Calder and Behrens short stories, some of my favorites of the spy genre. This earlier tale is far less brutal and pragmatic about bad things in life, and reflects some of the mindset of the period.
Beautifully, if slowly, wrought tale of the appealing Luke Pagan, a nice boy from the country with a gift for languages, who moves from police constable to espionage work and enjoys it very much. This nostalgic, almost tone-poem to the Edwardian mind-set was one of Gilbert's last works, and while the plot is quite simplistic the characters and settings are superb. Not really thrilling, but a very enjoyable read, that transported me into another world for a little while.
November 9, 2008
I got this because it came up when I searched the library's catalog for "anarchist". Well, guess what, they are the bad guys. Very distorted view of anarchy. This book also continues a pattern found in many mystery books, thrillers, spy novels, and plenty of mainstream literature:
Characters or groups of characters who have a radical agenda--anarchists, communists, even feminists at times--are revealed by the hero to actually have no ethics at all, but use politics as a way to manipulate others for power and wealth or some dark, twisted need to inflict pain (well, this might be true of communists). The message is an Establishment one: Radicals are craven dogs who attempt to bite the hand that feeds them and if you think their ideas sound good and reasonable then you have been duped by cunning monsters.
Harumph.
Characters or groups of characters who have a radical agenda--anarchists, communists, even feminists at times--are revealed by the hero to actually have no ethics at all, but use politics as a way to manipulate others for power and wealth or some dark, twisted need to inflict pain (well, this might be true of communists). The message is an Establishment one: Radicals are craven dogs who attempt to bite the hand that feeds them and if you think their ideas sound good and reasonable then you have been duped by cunning monsters.
Harumph.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews