Operation Fireball

Drake - The Man With Nobody's Face #3

by Dan J. Marlowe, Robert McGinnis (Illustrator)

Five strangers ...Two million bucks ...One lusty redhead ...And no holds barred.Staying out of trouble might be relaxing for some guys. But too much peace and quite make me very nervous.Hazel-the luscious lady who keeps me busy and happy during long winter evenings-was trying to sell me her retirement plan.I was tempted.But then suddenly an old pen pal turned up with a couple of friends and a scheme that started my motors going full blast.A two million dollar heist. Cash. Already out of the bank and stashed in a nice, respectable museum-in Cuba.They needed me to help them get it back to the States. That should have tipped me. A hijacker trying to get back from Cuba?I shoulda stood in bed. With Hazel.

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

aka Albert Avellano, Jaime Sandaval, Gar Wilson (house name)

Dan J. Marlowe was a middle-aged businessman who, in the personal turmoil after the death of his wife of many years, decided to abandon his old life. He started writing, and his first novel was published when he was 45.

Marlowe's most famous book and his best-known character arrived from Fawcett Gold Medal Books in 1962 ("The Name of the Game Is Death").

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operation Fireball" is the third book in the Drake series and it is a pivotal book in the series, marking Drake's metamorphosis from hardboiled criminal to men's adventure character. This is a terrific, fast-moving story which takes Drake and the redheaded Dynamo named Hazel into a new world of adventures from a wild battle with a horde of country folk to a search for millions in abandoned treasure in Fidel's Havana. Getting there with a ragtag crew of criminals and smugglers is half the fun as they evade both Castro's troops and an entire U.S. Military base. Although this book is a departure from the hardboiled goodness of the earlier books in the series, it works well as a tough nosed adventure story.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, better than the previous books. It took on international proportions (a little) & got more complex. There is some good tech & a great female character. Drake is even better than before. His love interest has a good effect on him. There were some real surprises, too.

This is definitely a series to read in order. I'm quite happy with how it is developing. I have at least one more on my ereader. I think I'll get to it next!

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plenty of good scenes and writing here, and Drake, in this the third book of the series is now someone we want to root for, however, just too many scenes, especially in the first half of the book, that don't advance the plot. It's as if Marlowe got stuck on the same plot point, thought it was more important than it was, and then wasted a lot of energy with half-step-forward, half-step-back scenes. He turns the characters and the action loose in the second half, but this is not as strong as the first two in the series or his other non-Drake books.

[The Professor · Rating 3 out of 5]

“How in the hell had I ever wound up in such a jackpot?” Bad men doing bad things. Taciturn, wig-wearing, bank robber Earl Drake beds his ex and fills seven men full of lead before the end of chapter two and I was mightily satisfied. I returned to Dan J Marlowe for a drop of the hard stuff after “The Name Of The Game Is Death” and “One Endless Hour” and, reader, he delivered. If a whistle-stop visit to sixties Cuba to lift some stolen loot is what you’re after, Earl Drake is your man.

The force of nature that shot his way across the country in the previous two novels gains a name here, restores the wonderful rootin’-tootin’ Hazel to plus one status and even appears to be gaining some working contacts. He is therefore vastly diminished in mythic status but remains as enjoyably gruff as ever. He is also, bracingly, not a Marlowe Gary Sue – finding himself out of shape and out-played by men with skills other than his own. The finale and endgame reveals even turn this tale into something of a shaggy dog story which is mildly amusing but eventually a touch disappointing; after all the lunacy you kinda want Drake to end up with Hazel in one arm and a huge pile of loot in the other. It doesn’t quite work out that way but what does transpire is plotted like clockwork; Marlowe the writer doesn’t waste a thing.

The men in "Fireball" are a rum lot; alcoholic, predatory, filled with flaws which eventually outweigh their skills or usefulness. Part of the fun is watching such an obvious grunting neanderthal as Drake having to ally himself with even dodgier types and responding to their deficiencies by immediately reaching for his gun. In this he is more often than not trumped by Hazel; the women in Marlowe’s fictional world may be ludicrous fantasy figures but they all play key roles, all have agency and the men – unless flagged as obvious bad ‘uns – all get gooey-eyed over them and give them stacks of loot. The novel starts with Drake and Hazel getting, um, reacquainted (“No lace panties on that pork chop”) and some minor local trouble for Drake to sort out with lead. Once Drake finds a new criminal endeavour however the middle section of the novel becomes fairly procedural with only the mysterious proficiency of team leader Karl Erikson to raise our eyebrows while one of the men makes the mistake of trying it on with Hazel. The third section intrigues with Erikson getting the team into Cuba via Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, a very nasty fate for one of the team and various shenanigans in illegal Cuban brothels, ambulances full of corpses and a desperate sea escape. It’s all rip-roaring Boy’s Own adventure fiction which may not be in the league of Marlowe’s more incendiary works but as a 150 page escape from the realities of 2022 very much hit the spot. “What comes next, horseman?”

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second Drake (I skipped the first one) and it seems to be the bridge novel between where the series starts (largely amoral Parker-esque pro criminal) and where I’ve read it ends (Drake as a government agent). I couldn’t figure how he’d get to that point, but the execution here makes sense. Drake is still broke after the money from his post-prison job burned up, and he gets contacted through the underground by a guy (Sterling) he did a job with once. Sterling sells him a story about how he got broken out of jail by a guy (Erickson) with presumed mob connections because Sterling knows where $2M US is stashed in Cuba. Most of the novel is just the nuts and bolts of putting a job like this together and pulling it off, which is what I love about the best Parker novels. Also, like a number of Parker novels and the last Drake novel, things that Drake controls go smoothly and the real points of conflict come when his partners do something stupid like punch and officer while they pretend to be Naval dudes or mouth off to Cuban soldiers who flirt with a girl the partner likes.

The climax of the novel comes as the group breaks into Cuba’s National museum, where Sterling’s crew hid the money years ago. The money, by the way, was sent by the US government to support an anti-Castro politician right before Castro took over. The money was lost (by the US) in the ensuing chaos. They get the money and Sterling does in the escape. Before he does, he admits to Drake that Erickson isn’t with the mob, but with the US Treasury. They want their money back!! Turns out Drake’s SO Hazel knew about his identity and blessed the operation because she wanted Drake’s record washed clean. So that’s how things end, with Drake moderately mad he is still broke (although Helen is rich), with a clean record, and with a shady government connection who respects him. I assume novel 4 will start with Erickson enlisting him for some new dark government job. Kinda bummed the author apparently felt pressured to make Drake a good guy, but I’m excited to see where this goes. I liked these two books enough that I ordered the next two. If they are this good, I’ll read the rest of the (I think) 12-book series. One of these days someone will buy the rights to a series like this and make a bunch of short seasons about each book. Can’t wait.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book in the series where Earl Drake became a government spy. I enjoyed it a lot as a kid, not so much now that I'm older. My recent re-read left me thinking the character wasn't nearly so fleshed out as he had been in the earlier books, and the action seemed more tame.

Marlowe knew how to write, though. This is a shining example of the 1970s men's books.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book holds up well, being written over 55 years ago. The novel starts out well, but there is a bit of a lull in the middle. Which isn't good for a book with 176 pages. I thought they'd never leave Florida. To many pages about trivial things like seeing up an antenna. I'm not sure where the title came from? Still I like this series, Dan Marlowe has given a hard-boiled edge to each.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Drake series to this point had remarkably fresh plots, but this entry is softer, phonier, and less morally interesting than the previous entries.

[George K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third installment in the series, where Earl Drake meets again his love, Hazel, and then an old connection who has a hard path for two million dollars in Castro's Cuba. In this novel we see how Earl Drake starts international business and become slowly a spy. This third book isn't in the same level as the first or the second, isn't the same gritty, violent or complicated, but is well-paced and has an unexpected twist in the end. I liked it, but i was expecting something more.

Ελληνικά:

"Πέντε βήματα θανάτου", εκδόσεις Άγκυρα.

Τρίτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον Ερλ Ντρέικ και βλέπουμε πως σιγά-σιγά θ'αρχίσει να μπλέκεται σε διεθνείς μπίζνες και να έχει πάρε-δώσε με τύπους που μπορεί ν'ανήκουν σε κάποια από τις πολλές αμερικάνικες μυστικές υπηρεσίες.

Συναντιέται ξανά με την αγαπημένη του Χέιζελ και έρχεται σε επαφή με έναν παλιό "συνάδελφό" του, ο οποίος ήταν για χρόνια φυλακή αλλά γνωρίζει που βρίσκονται δυο εκατομμύρια δολάρια και τώρα είναι ελεύθερο πουλί. Τα λεφτά βρίσκονται κρυμμένα σ'ένα συγκεκριμένο μέρος στην Κούβα του Φιντέλ Κάστρο και χρειάζονται κάποια απαραίτητα μέσα για να γίνει η δουλειά. Γι'αυτό υπάρχει και ο Έρικσον, ένας μυστηριώδης τύπος με πολλές διασυνδέσεις...

Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν φτάνει το επίπεδο του πρώτου βιβλίου, ούτε καν του δεύτερου, δεν έχει την ίδια μαύρη ατμόσφαιρα και ούτε η πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση την ίδια δύναμη, χώρια που αργεί να πάρει μπρος, όμως σίγουρα σαν φαν του είδους με ικανοποίησε ως ένα βαθμό, είχε κάποια καλά δυνατά κομμάτια και μια ωραία αποκάλυψη στο τέλος.

Δεν ξέρω, ο Μάρλοου το άρχισε εξαιρετικά το πράγμα, αλλά ατύχησε μιας και την ίδια εποχή έγραφε παρόμοιες ιστορίες με ήρωα τον Πάρκερ ο Ρίτσαρντ Σταρκ (aka Ντόναλντ Γουεστλέικ), οπότε είπε να αλλάξει λίγο το θεματικό πλαίσιο των δικών του ιστοριών.

Βέβαια αυτό δεν σημαίνει ότι δεν μπορεί να έχουν την ίδια νουάρ ατμόσφαιρα και την ίδια βίαιη αφήγηση οι ιστορίες του με τον αλλαγμένο Ντρέικ όπως οι δυο πρώτες, έτσι δεν είναι; Θα δείξει η συνέχεια...