People who have read this column for a while will notice something: I rarely cover books that are more than 400 pages. That is done for one simple reason: Those bricks of books better deliver or I’d seriously be pissed off at wasting my time trying to plow through them. It’s not that I don’t like reading really long tomes — hey, I enjoy Charles Dickens — but it’s a daunting task to start one, especially if you have to slog your way through them … which hopefully is not the case with the three I chose. Consider them potential summer reading, since everyone is always looking for a nice, long read to enjoy while on the beach or by the pool.
THE MATARESE CIRCLE by Robert Ludlum — This 1979 novel has been on my radar for a while, thanks to David Cronenberg, who is writing and directing a movie version. Plus, it’s considered one of the best Ludlum books out there. It’s more than 500 pages, but I flew through it in no time. I thought it would go by slow, but no, not at all!
The plot slowly develops and builds to the climax, where there are some true surprises. The story opens with two killings of high-profile government officials in both the U.S. and Russian governments. In the U.S., it’s the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both killings have trademarks of long-term spies Brandon Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov, but neither one is responsible.
Taleniekov is told by his former boss about a secret society that has been dormant, but when it was originally in power, it was an assassin-for-hire operation. Now, it has an even more sinister purpose. It’s called the Matarese, and it never really went away, laying down a foundation for world domination. To go further with what the Matarese has planned would ruin the whole story, but it’s a biggie.
Most of the first third has Taleniekov trying to persuade Scofield to trust him and that it’s imperative they meet. Scofield is such a hard-bitten spy, he thinks he is being set up. Even when Taleniekov saves Scofield in one of the many action pieces, he is still not sure. They come to trust one another to a point. This book does not all of sudden make them the best of friends, skipping off together; it’s a very strained relationship.
I need to point out most reviews of MATARESE give away the big surprise. That’s something I try not to do, since what would be the point of reading the book then? Telling people that Ludlum is a good writer is about as pointless as bringing sand to the beach; his books have never gone out-of-print and people will even grab “his” new ones, even though he is dead. This really is perfect summer reading, since it slowly grabs the reader, who won’t put it down until it’s all said and done.
My concern is how this will translate into a movie, since there is so much material, and it’s also set in the late ’70s/early ’80s, when Russia was still a major powerhouse, and relationships between them and the U.S. were not as friendly. That is a major point of this story. While reading, it was hard not to think of Denzel Washington, who reportedly will be playing Scofield in the film.
QUEST by Richard Ben Sapir — As one of the co-creators of THE DESTROYER series, Sapir did not write many other books. He passed away in 1987, the same year this rare solo effort was published. Long before Dan Brown gave us THE DA VINCI CODE, Sapir did his own telling of the search for the Holy Grail.
The story deals with a search for a jewel-encrusted salt cellar that happens to be built around the grail itself. No one knows that fact except for its real owner, the Queen of England. But this object was stolen back in the mid-1940s, only to turn up in the hands of a Ohio businessman who is trying to sell it off. His trouble gets him killed, with his daughter Claire getting swindled out of the item by a corrupt art dealer.
Everyone is after this item, mainly for the jewel stones that adorn it — we are talking a goose-egg-sized ruby and six sapphires. Claire is determined to get back what she thinks is hers and hers alone, slowly doing research about this salt cellar. Throw in the help of an NYC detective with an eye for jewelry, and a British agent who knows full well that this cellar is more than just a pure ornament, under direct orders from the crown to retrieve it by hook or by crook. Things go from bad to worse as bodies start turning up dead.
For my tastes, the story goes on way too long for its own good. Sapir could have easily trimmed this one down to a more reasonable length. It’s more than 450 pages, and trust me, by the time you hit 350, you just want it to tie up already. That’s kinda of a shame since Sapir’s DESTROYER writing is so lean and fast. I mean, QUEST itself is a fine read, but it’s just too unwieldy for its own good. But for die-hard DESTROYER fans who want to see Sapir branch out, take a chance.
KILLING FLOOR by Lee Child — It seems that Child is a favorite with some of my fellow reviewers, so I figured it was about time to finally read one of his novels. This 1997 one is actually the first in his Jack Reacher series.
A stranger in town is arrested for a crime he did not commit. This is how Child introduces Reacher to the world — not in those words, mind you, but it’s a cliché that has been done to death. But Reacher takes it in stride, knowing full well he is innocent and has a pretty much airtight alibi.
See, Reacher was on a bus from Florida when the murder happened. But this being a small town in Georgia, you can guess what the local sheriff is like; Boss Hog and Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane probably come to mind. Once Reacher is cleared of the murder, thanks to a policewoman, he becomes involved in the investigation, due to the events of his time waiting to be cleared. Then there’s the sudden murder of a husband and wife, and the revelation of who the original dead body was.
Some of Child’s writing comes off a bit “men’s adventure,” mainly in Reacher’s inner monologues when he is about to take action, right before a bit of violence. Still, it’s well-placed and the plot moves along swiftly. One of the problems is that it’s very obvious who one of the big baddies is. Sure, there are some surprises to come, but for me, it was a bit of a strike against it. That’s a minor quibble, since the rest of the book kept me glued, which, for a column like this, is a major victory.
The story is packed with action and has a nice buildup, never lagging at any moment. Just be prepared to suspend disbelief at certain points, those being the action-hero moments you see in movies. I’ll definitely check out other books in the series at some point.
Next time: I hope Criterion will reissue them.—Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF LEE CHILD:
• BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE by Lee Child
• GONE TOMORROW by Lee Child
• THE HARD WAY by Lee Child
• NOTHING TO LOSE by Lee Child
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF RICHARD SAPIR:
• THE BEST OF THE DESTROYER by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir
• THE DESTROYER #5: DR. QUAKE by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #6: DEATH THERAPY by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #9: MURDER’S SHIELD by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #10: TERROR SQUAD by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #11: KILL OR CURE by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #13: ACID ROCK by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #14: JUDGMENT DAY by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #15: MURDER WARD by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #17: LAST WAR DANCE by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #18: FUNNY MONEY by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #19: HOLY TERROR by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #22: BRAIN DRAIN by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #23: CHILD’S PLAY by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #24: KING’S CURSE by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #26: IN ENEMY HANDS by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #30: MUGGER BLOOD by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #48: PROFIT MOTIVE by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #52: FOOL’S GOLD by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
• THE DESTROYER #67: LOOK INTO MY EYES by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy
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Bruce,
Always enjoy your column. I loved Killing Floor when it was first published in paperback and expected so much from subsequent books. However, I have been disappointed: while good thrillers, most of the other Reachers never reach the pace and action setpieces bar set by Killing Floor. They are actually more in the suspense/thriller category than action/adventure.