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Paul Harris #8
A Time for Pirates
A TALE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE SET IN KUALA LUMPUR.
Paul Harris is an outsider - an unconventional businessman attempting to assimilate into Asian culture. His operations in the Far East bring him wealth and adventure, but not without risk. For while opportunities are plentiful, so too are a number of ruthless opponents, and more often than not Paul Harris finds himself a man on the run, pursued by a violent and dangerous enemy.
It is rare to find, in a novel of suspense, pictures of a distant country that are as vivid, authentic, colourful and moving as Gavin Black gives us here: or characters so distinctive and mysterious.
A Paul Harris novel
- GenresThriller
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 21, 2018
I was a big fan of Gavin Black when his books were published. Somehow I missed this one, and am glad I circled back to read it. I am stingy with five-star ratings, but I get there in this case rating this not as literature but within its genre.
Paul Harris is an excellent protagonist, and all the characters are vivid -- Jean Hyde, a mysterious vamp; Russell Menzies, Paul's partner; Bahadur, his Sikh assistant; a Malay prince and more. In addition, the setting is exceptionally well-worked, giving the reader a sense of post-colonial politics on the Malay Peninsula, as well as cultural insights.
There are hints of Eric Ambler (a true master) here, with an anticipation of the style of Peter Corris, who will be writing later. If you have not read the Paul Harris series, you are in for an enjoyable ride.
Paul Harris is an excellent protagonist, and all the characters are vivid -- Jean Hyde, a mysterious vamp; Russell Menzies, Paul's partner; Bahadur, his Sikh assistant; a Malay prince and more. In addition, the setting is exceptionally well-worked, giving the reader a sense of post-colonial politics on the Malay Peninsula, as well as cultural insights.
There are hints of Eric Ambler (a true master) here, with an anticipation of the style of Peter Corris, who will be writing later. If you have not read the Paul Harris series, you are in for an enjoyable ride.
April 30, 2017
Wow! This is the second book I've read of Gavin Black's thriller series featuring hero Paul Harris. This is one spectacular book. Gavin Black (pseudonym of Oswald Wynd) is just amazing at action sequences and his plots are smart. Plus his characters are not stupid, either, and his insights into East-meets-West are still relevant, though this book is now more than 46 years old. All I can say is Wow, and I'll be reading ALL his other books.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews