The Spy / Thriller Novel Continued - Hammond Innes

It's been a quiet start to the week; a bit of a rainy morning and cloudy this afternoon. I watched an episode of the original Danish version of The Killing, an episode of Dragnet, one of The Fugitive and two of Peter Gunn. A nice relaxing morning. Jo and I have Downton Abbey on now, winding down the series.

St Avold, US Military Cemetery, France

That's about it for today. Not sure what's on tonight, probably not too much as it's Memorial Day in the US and they will probably have appropriate programming. The photo above is of a US military cemetery in France. My parents took my brother and I to visit it when my Dad was stationed in Germany. It was a beautiful place, lovely place to honour those who died to liberate Europe. Of especial interest to me back then (this would have been in the late '60s) was the fact that they had put up crosses for the Christian soldiers and the Star of David for those of the Jewish faith. 

I was very impressed that Joe Biden and his wife Jill used today to make their first public appearance since the Covid-19 pandemic meant everyone should be self-isolating. They definitely showed respect for those military personnel. 

So, now on to my ongoing look at the Spy / Thriller genre.

The Spy / Thriller Genre - Ralph Hammond Innes

Hammond Innes

Ralph Hammond Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex in 1913 and died in 1998. Over the course of his life, he wrote over 30 novels, as well as a number of children's and travel books. I have read one of his thrillers so far and have two more on my book shelf.

1. The Trojan Horse (1940).









"This was my first Hammond Innes thriller and I enjoyed very much. In some ways it reminded me of John Buchan's John Hannay thrillers. 

In this story, a barrister, Andrew Kilmartin, becomes involved in espionage/ intrigue that has the potential to give the Nazis a technological advantage that might help them win the war in the skies over Britain. Trying to help an Austrian scientist avoid Nazi spies who are seeking his designs for a new, improved aircraft engine, he finds himself travelling across Britain and seeking to escape from imprisonment by these same spies. 

There is political intrigue in the highest levels of the English government and industry, non-stop, well-paced action and a super ending. I enjoyed this very much. (4 stars)"

2. The Angry Mountain (1950).

"Dick Farrell is a man haunted by his wartime memories of torture and fear - a time better forgotten. But past and present merge when a trip to Eastern Europe embroils him in the twilight world of the industrial spy. Farrell becomes a reluctant player in a lethal game as the hunt shifts from Czechoslovakia to southern Italy. And there, beneath the blazing summit of Vesuvius in full eruption, he comes face to face with the living ghosts of his past."

3. The Blue Ice (1948).


"High in the snowy wastes of Norway a man had given his life to discover the wealth hidden in an ice-bound mountain. Many men wanted his secret--and would kill to get it. But the cryptic message he had smuggled out before he was murdered meant nothing to anyone except the man for whom it was intended, and for him, the only way to serve the memory of his friend was to tackle the mist-shrouded, frozen bastion of Blue Ice--alone."





The complete list of Innes's books can be found at this link.