Wind Chill Factor in Espionage Aficionados

Jun 21, 2012 Feliks rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-thrillers

If you're dismissing this now-obscure thriller as weak or undistinguished; consider this: you're maybe not as dedicated to the genre as much as you might be.

There's many fine qualities in this work which casual readers typically bypass. For one thing, it was very nearly released as a major motion picture. Give it its due--consider how hard it is to bring a thriller to the screen and just how close this one came. You can see the film production specs on the book cover! This attests to the fact th If you're dismissing this now-obscure thriller as weak or undistinguished; consider this: you're maybe not as dedicated to the genre as much as you might be.

There's many fine qualities in this work which casual readers typically bypass. For one thing, it was very nearly released as a major motion picture. Give it its due--consider how hard it is to bring a thriller to the screen and just how close this one came. You can see the film production specs on the book cover! This attests to the fact that someone in Hollywood saw merit in it; and merit was not easy to earn in the mid '70s.

For another: it was the first--or among the very first--modern novels of international intrigue which was truly 'international' in scope. The incredible plot traverses multiple continents and locales; from sleepy towns in the American mid-west to the exotic capitals of Europe and South America. This is done routinely these days, but Gifford was an early pioneer in bringing broad, world-wide scope to this kind of tale.

Gifford's writing itself is of a respectably high caliber. Smooth; textured; effortlessly-flowing; personal; vivid; evocative.

He succeeds where most of his peers fail, combining a very fast paced, violent mystery with vivid 'everyday'-type characters; resonant emotions; and credible motivations. His lead character is not James Bond or Superman; (in fact he is continually making mistakes and almost getting himself killed).

There's also a special bonus in the story's two romances. Most thriller fiction contains women which are faintly/thinly conceived. But both 'Paula' and 'Lisle'--and what happens to them--are hauntingly drawn. Themes of loyalty, too: Detective Olaf Peterson, (a character- name I can still recall years later, as I'm writing this review) is one of the genre's great supporting sidekicks.

And you simply have to give a nod of respect to a story which involves giant submarines and men in possession of their own private islands. The story also has some of the best 'wintry weather' any writer has ever described.

Conclusion: sure, maybe this is Gifford's only real 'standout work' --but if he only has this one; its certainly enough to mention him in the top tier with Follett and Forsyth. Ranked against all other thrillers which deal with neo-Nazism, "Wind Chill" is clearly the best of breed. Better than 'The Formula'; better than 'The Odessa File'; even better than 'The Quiller Memorandum'.

Jut gotta love this thriller written in the best manifestation of 'classic thriller style'. Dark, bitter, twisted, grim. ...more

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