The Great Spy Race

Philip McAlpine #2

by Adam Diment

THE GREAT SPY RACE is a competition, organized by a retiring master-spy, for the agents of world powers...and Britain's entry is McAlpine, up to his neck in bullet, blackmail and beautiful birds...

Genres: Espionage, Fiction

169 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Frederick Adam Diment (born 1943) is a spy novelist who published four novels between 1967 and 1971. All four are about the adventures of Philip McAlpine whom critic Anthony Boucher described as an agent who smokes hashish, leads a highly active sex life, kills vividly, uses (or even coins) the latest London slang and still seems a perfectly real (and even oddly likeable) young man rather than a reflected Bond image.

A film version of The Dolly Dolly Spy with David Hemmings playing McAlpine was scheduled to go into production but was never made.

Diment disappeared from public view after his last novel, adding to his cult figure status among fans of 1960s spy novels. According to The Observer, by 1975 Diment was living in Zurich, shunning publicity, and had no plans to write further novels. A publisher is attempting to re-issue his books via a crowdfunding scheme.

Reviews

[Karl]

This hardcover book published by Dutton is a sequel to "The Dolly Dolly Spy"

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little stronger than the first although just as misogynist and a light dose of universal racism. So entirely preposterous that it's a marvel that it was never filmed. Philip McAlpine (terrible spy name, beeteedubs) is just as dissolute and just as much of a coward as in the first book, but he retains enough native spy nous to make him a competitor in The Great Spy Race - a notion so astonishingly daffy that the 1967 version of Casino Royale would have rejected it as outlandish.

There are plenty of sexy times ahead as every great spy needs to be an expert in seduction... and not getting killed, obvs. Despite the silliness, I found myself enjoying the obsession with collar lengths and the descriptions of Mali as the whole thing had enough of a sense of humour to keep me engaged. In referencing his earlier adventure, the narrator says you can read all about it in the first book, "same Bat channel, same Bat publisher" or something similar. It was worth a chuckle at least for being so unashamedly of the moment and yet smart enough to recognize something iconic enough to retain its currency 50+ years later.

The only way I will read more of these is if I find them cheaply, but the story of Adam Diment is at least as compelling as the stories he wrote.

[Mirko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever asked the question: hey, what would you get if you crossed 'Withnail and I' with a 1960s Bond film? Well, this book provides an answer. There is lyrical charm to the first third or so as Diment portrays being young, hip and on-the-make in late 1960s London. And remember, this is not retro pastiche or nostalgia, it is contemporary novelising. It's amazing to think that a 25 year old wrote this book. Diment has a great turn-of-phrase and it is clearly evident that he had a precise grasp of structure for paperback thrillers such as this. It makes me wish that he had kept publishing after his last novel in the early 1970s. If you're out there Adam, we want to hear your voice again.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philip McAlpine is a nasty young man, but perhaps not as nasty as he would have us think. He has a twinge of conscience once, when blackmailing a homosexual.
That said, he sees women only as sex objects, including a fifteen-year-old native girl being dandled and fondled by her elderly white keeper.
Partially set on the fictional island paradise of “Mali,” somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Did the African nation of the same name not exist yet?

[Brian Greiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book the perfect read for a lazy Sunday afternoon and quite enjoyed it. It is, however, somewhat dated in its outlooks and writing style ... although growing up in that era (although not in swinging London which is the main focus of the book) made it all seem familiar. Lots of gritty spy stuff, sexy romps, and action.

[Graham Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moved at a pace that ruined the whole story. Not enough details to flesh out the situation McAlpine found himself in! Really hoping future books are better presented!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Spy Race by Adam Diment is the 2nd of four books that feature Philip McAlpine, reluctant spy for the English. Set in the psychodaelic '60s, the book is a bit sexy and filled with action, especially the last chapters.
The book reminds me of the 1967 Casino Royale, which starred David Niven, and was filled with spies in a spyish rolic, and also Mike Myers, Austin Powers. Not that the book is a comedy, but it has a similar tone, providing a picture of the time; drugs, sex, fancy clothes.
The premise of the story is that a rich, ex-spy offers intelligence that all countries might want and they have to provide spies to take part in a race, using the old-fashioned spy techniques. McAlpine is black-mailed by his boss to take part and begins a journey from London to St Tropez to Geneva and ending at an island resort in the Indian Ocean called Mali. McAlpine must use tried and true techniques like blackmail, forgery and sex to get information to continue his journey and to beat the other spies to the end. Accompanied for part of the journey with the sexy Josephine, it's a fast paced adventure. Don't expect a classic of the spy genre, rather more of a cult py story which is entertaining and action-packed. (3.5 stars)

[Julie Ihlenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dolly, dolly spy is back with another espionage whirl through the swinging Sixties. I really enjoy these books!