Assignment Sumatra

Sam Durell #38

by Edward S. Aarons

Lydia Morgan was a member of the CIA's 'sanitation squad' working for Eli Plowman and rated with the rare 'Q' clearance, the authority to kill as necessary. She, unfortunately, liked her work too much, which made Durell, forced to be her partner on this assignment, very nervous.

191 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1974

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive. Aarons put everything together in this story. So many moving pieces. So many levels of treachery and deception. And, at the end, an acknowledgment that sometimes it is people and forces on your own side of the fence who block the road to peace. This is a mature work. In many ways. It's one of Aaron's later works, just a couple of years before he died. But it's also a book of sober realization that it's often difficult to recognize where your enemies are coming from. Built around the story of a team of US assassins called in to protect and guard a "friendly" communist prime minister, CIA agent Sam Durrell discovers they carry their own agenda, that they are so psychologically damaged that they are more of a danger than some of the communist opponents. Durrell pointedly rejects political assassination in this novel. In doing so, he was a creature of his times. Published in 1974, Assignment Sumatra was set against a background of public revelations that the CIA had tried to kill foreign leaders and subvert their governments. The Church Committee itself would issue a final report in 1976 detailing just how widespread were intelligence failures and abuses. And 1976, by the way, was the year that Aarons died. This novel brought Aarons up another notch as far as I'm concerned. This is a seriously good book that more people should read. Otherwise, the usual excellent creation of Southeast Asian atmosphere and what seems to be an allusion to the Brunei Revolt in the way the story unfolds.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

You really can't go wrong with a Sam Durell adventure - lots of action, plenty of plot twists, betrayals and there's always at least one sexy girl Sam gets it on with. In this case, though, the girl is literally a homicidal maniac, which makes things... interesting. While it's not the best "Assignment" novel, it's still a whole lot of fun.

[Jan Norton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lydia is supposed this lethal woman becomes whiny and weak. This really distracted in the story. Plus she took second fiddle to Sam and was hardly in parts of the story. It was a fast read, but not the one I would recommend.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c1974: The series started in 1955 and ran until the early 1980s; the creator and sole writer until his death in 1975 was Edward S. Aarons (after he died the books continued on for a few volumes, published under the pseudonym Will B. Aarons). Durell is known as “The Cajun” given his Louisiana heritage. Geaux Tigers.

[Printable Tire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember the cover but that's about it. How many of these stupid Sam Durell spy books have I read now?