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A review by rosseroo
The Liquidator by John Gardner
3.0
I picked this up at a yard sale because I recognized Gardner's name as the author of the 10-15 licensed James Bond books that appeared after Ian Fleming's death, but also because I just liked the 1960s jacket design. I had no idea this was his first novel, no idea it was the first in a seven-book series, and more importantly, had no idea that it was written as a parody response to the Bond-mania that was in full force at the time, with the films just coming out.
The protagonist is the cringingly-named Boysie Oakes -- former WWII tank commander turned debonair British secret service assassin. The twist is that he's actually a coward, but no one has realized it. As a huge fan of George McDonald Fraser's "Flashman" series, featuring a Victorian hero/coward, I of course immediately assumed that Gardner had read Flashman and hit upon applying the same formula to 007. However, this book was published five years before the first Flashman book, so I now wonder if the influence went the other way...
In any event, Gardner has a lot of fun amplifying all the elements of the spy craze (especially the sexual antics of the hero), as Boysie's attempt at a dirty weekend in the French Riviera with his boss's secretary (a thinly veiled Ms. Moneypenny) turns pear-shaped. Amidst all the fun, there is a credibly decent thriller though, and the book is reasonably enjoyable on those merits as well. IT's a quick and fast read, so fans of Cold War-era action thrillers may want to check this out as a curiosity. I'm not sure I need to read any more in the series, but I might track down the film that was made of this one, just for fun.
The protagonist is the cringingly-named Boysie Oakes -- former WWII tank commander turned debonair British secret service assassin. The twist is that he's actually a coward, but no one has realized it. As a huge fan of George McDonald Fraser's "Flashman" series, featuring a Victorian hero/coward, I of course immediately assumed that Gardner had read Flashman and hit upon applying the same formula to 007. However, this book was published five years before the first Flashman book, so I now wonder if the influence went the other way...
In any event, Gardner has a lot of fun amplifying all the elements of the spy craze (especially the sexual antics of the hero), as Boysie's attempt at a dirty weekend in the French Riviera with his boss's secretary (a thinly veiled Ms. Moneypenny) turns pear-shaped. Amidst all the fun, there is a credibly decent thriller though, and the book is reasonably enjoyable on those merits as well. IT's a quick and fast read, so fans of Cold War-era action thrillers may want to check this out as a curiosity. I'm not sure I need to read any more in the series, but I might track down the film that was made of this one, just for fun.