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THE to kill a double agent on the run.
London, New York and the Colombian jungle.
John Carr is a hero for our time. Carr is a killer, but a killer on the government payroll. Laconic, cynical and deadly, he dispatches foreign agents with the same ease as he completes The Times crossword.
'Rare thriller-writer’s skill' - Daily Telegraph
‘Splendid - tense, gripping, convincing’ - Books & Bookmen
“A thriller of unusual quality” – The Independent
‘Hideously real’ - The Listener
Antony Melville-Ross was born in Hastings, East Sussex on November 11 1920. His grandfather, first cousin to the author of Moby Dick, was an explorer, and his father, among other things, was a test pilot. Antony published six novels between 1978 and 1985, all inspired by his background as a sub-mariner in the Second World War. He had an extremely successful career in the navy, rose to command his own boat and transferred into the Secret Service after the end of the war. He died in his hometown on January 10 1993, aged 73.
London, New York and the Colombian jungle.
John Carr is a hero for our time. Carr is a killer, but a killer on the government payroll. Laconic, cynical and deadly, he dispatches foreign agents with the same ease as he completes The Times crossword.
'Rare thriller-writer’s skill' - Daily Telegraph
‘Splendid - tense, gripping, convincing’ - Books & Bookmen
“A thriller of unusual quality” – The Independent
‘Hideously real’ - The Listener
Antony Melville-Ross was born in Hastings, East Sussex on November 11 1920. His grandfather, first cousin to the author of Moby Dick, was an explorer, and his father, among other things, was a test pilot. Antony published six novels between 1978 and 1985, all inspired by his background as a sub-mariner in the Second World War. He had an extremely successful career in the navy, rose to command his own boat and transferred into the Secret Service after the end of the war. He died in his hometown on January 10 1993, aged 73.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2018
34 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Antony Melville-Ross
28 books14 followersANTONY MELVILLE ROSS was a thriller writer of unusual quality. He was an excellent craftsman who constructed his stories with skill and wrote clear uncluttered prose, and his work has a ring of authenticity which in fact owed as much to personal experience as to the liveliness of his imagination and to his gifts as a storyteller.
The six novels that he published between 1978 and 1985 arise equally from his service as a sub- mariner in the Second World War, in which he was awarded the DSC and rose to command his own boat, and the Cold War world of the Secret Service into which he transferred soon after the end of the war. He wrote them in inverse order, beginning with the spy novels and then going on to submarines. His first book, Blindfold (1978), was at once recognised by such discriminating critics as TJ Binyon and Sheridan Morley, who compared it to Ian Fleming's debut with Casino Royale. Like Fleming, Melville Ross made good use of exotic backgrounds - the Libyan desert, the Colombian jungle - as well as the familiar thriller territory of London and New York. But he made less use of, indeed was not so much at home in, the world of beautiful people, of the best clubs, the best restaurants. There is perhaps less glamour but there is no less excitement. Two Faces of Nemesis (1979) consolidated the reputation established by Blindfold but it is Tightrope (1981) that shows his complete mastery of complicated plotting and a compulsive narrative power.
Trigger (1982) was the first of the submarine stories. Set in the Mediterranean in 1943, it was at least partly based on his service under a legendary fire-eater decorated with the VC who was by no means the easiest of commanding officers. The book was as widely praised for its expertise, communicated to the reader without apparent effort, as for the suspense he knew so well how to achieve. 'He has that rare thriller writer's skill of making the reader know what to do in a crisis, as when enemy destroyers are sweeping overhead,' as one reviewer put it. The same qualities were evident in Talon (1983) and Shadow (1985). The tension and the trust between men living together in the closest of quarters and the greatest of danger pervades every line. So does the discipline and the professionalism that Melville Ross brought to his work as an author.
The six novels that he published between 1978 and 1985 arise equally from his service as a sub- mariner in the Second World War, in which he was awarded the DSC and rose to command his own boat, and the Cold War world of the Secret Service into which he transferred soon after the end of the war. He wrote them in inverse order, beginning with the spy novels and then going on to submarines. His first book, Blindfold (1978), was at once recognised by such discriminating critics as TJ Binyon and Sheridan Morley, who compared it to Ian Fleming's debut with Casino Royale. Like Fleming, Melville Ross made good use of exotic backgrounds - the Libyan desert, the Colombian jungle - as well as the familiar thriller territory of London and New York. But he made less use of, indeed was not so much at home in, the world of beautiful people, of the best clubs, the best restaurants. There is perhaps less glamour but there is no less excitement. Two Faces of Nemesis (1979) consolidated the reputation established by Blindfold but it is Tightrope (1981) that shows his complete mastery of complicated plotting and a compulsive narrative power.
Trigger (1982) was the first of the submarine stories. Set in the Mediterranean in 1943, it was at least partly based on his service under a legendary fire-eater decorated with the VC who was by no means the easiest of commanding officers. The book was as widely praised for its expertise, communicated to the reader without apparent effort, as for the suspense he knew so well how to achieve. 'He has that rare thriller writer's skill of making the reader know what to do in a crisis, as when enemy destroyers are sweeping overhead,' as one reviewer put it. The same qualities were evident in Talon (1983) and Shadow (1985). The tension and the trust between men living together in the closest of quarters and the greatest of danger pervades every line. So does the discipline and the professionalism that Melville Ross brought to his work as an author.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 13, 2020
I am very sorry to say I could only only read to about a third of this book. For me that is rare, even if I am not fully enjoying a book I usually finish it for the author’s sake as they have put the time and effort in writing it. I will say I did enjoy this author’s ‘Submarine’ books.
With this book it was the dialogue and characters that resulted in me discontinuing the story. As I am in Self-Isolation it maybe that my brain has turned to mush, however, I found the dialogue difficult at times, too many obscure references to what, I have no idea. I felt as though I had missed a previous book that would have lifted my mist of confusion. As for characters, just as I read their names, they seemed to immediately die. Therefore, I found the story became a bit too twisted and I was not enjoying my normal experience of reading.
I may well have stopped too soon, however, life, particularly these days, is too short and why continue when the enjoyment is gone.
With this book it was the dialogue and characters that resulted in me discontinuing the story. As I am in Self-Isolation it maybe that my brain has turned to mush, however, I found the dialogue difficult at times, too many obscure references to what, I have no idea. I felt as though I had missed a previous book that would have lifted my mist of confusion. As for characters, just as I read their names, they seemed to immediately die. Therefore, I found the story became a bit too twisted and I was not enjoying my normal experience of reading.
I may well have stopped too soon, however, life, particularly these days, is too short and why continue when the enjoyment is gone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2018
A backstabbing Story
This book is full of twists and turns. Lots of intrigue and sly planned killings within a group of individuals. suspense and action throughout the book!A great author who uses great words to describe everything.
This book is full of twists and turns. Lots of intrigue and sly planned killings within a group of individuals. suspense and action throughout the book!A great author who uses great words to describe everything.
December 12, 2022
Good page turner
What a grand read this book is. The story jogs along nicely and keeps you wondering where it is going, till it hits the dramatic ending. Very good.
What a grand read this book is. The story jogs along nicely and keeps you wondering where it is going, till it hits the dramatic ending. Very good.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews