RIVER OF DEATH

Rating:
Summary: Don't judge MacLean on the basis of this weak entry
Review: "River of Death" was one of the last books that famed thriller author Alistair MacLean wrote before he died in 1987. Unfortunately, it, like most of the other books he wrote near the end of his career, is not a very good book.

The central plot is decent enough: Hamilton, a jungle expert, shows up in Brazil having apparently found a lost Indian city in the jungle. This attracts the attention of Smith, a man who appeared out of nowhere in the late 1940s with a small fortune that he built up into a large financial empire. Smith hires Hamilton into taking him to see the lost city, and soon Hamilton, his two trusty companions, and Smith and his entourage are off to the jungle, facing Anaconda snakes, giant spiders, cannibalistic natives, dizzying heights, and so on. But Hamilton has his own personal agenda . . . .

Unlike his earlier works, "River of Death" just isn't well-narrated. The descriptions are tired, the characters are even more flat than usual, and the story just isn't very compelling.

If you are a devoted fan of MacLean (as I am), you will probably make your way through this poor entry eventually, but if you are new to MacLean, look elsewhere first, or else you may not give him a second chance, and that would be a shame. Instead, start with any of the following: "The Guns of Navarone," "Where Eagles Dare," "The Golden Rendezvous," "The Golden Gate," or "Ice Station Zebra."

Rating:
Summary: Don't judge MacLean on the basis of this weak entry
Review: "River of Death" was one of the last books that famed thriller author Alistair MacLean wrote before he died in 1987. Unfortunately, it, like most of the other books he wrote near the end of his career, is not a very good book.

The central plot is decent enough: Hamilton, a jungle expert, shows up in Brazil having apparently found a lost Indian city in the jungle. This attracts the attention of Smith, a man who appeared out of nowhere in the late 1940s with a small fortune that he built up into a large financial empire. Smith hires Hamilton into taking him to see the lost city, and soon Hamilton, his two trusty companions, and Smith and his entourage are off to the jungle, facing Anaconda snakes, giant spiders, cannibalistic natives, dizzying heights, and so on. But Hamilton has his own personal agenda . . . .

Unlike his earlier works, "River of Death" just isn't well-narrated. The descriptions are tired, the characters are even more flat than usual, and the story just isn't very compelling.

If you are a devoted fan of MacLean (as I am), you will probably make your way through this poor entry eventually, but if you are new to MacLean, look elsewhere first, or else you may not give him a second chance, and that would be a shame. Instead, start with any of the following: "The Guns of Navarone," "Where Eagles Dare," "The Golden Rendezvous," "The Golden Gate," or "Ice Station Zebra."

Rating:
Summary: Vengeance and murder, the 800-level class
Review: An SS officer slips away to South America and builds a new identity. But his past catches up in the form of a sharp stranger
with every intention to revenge the death of his wife. This is
a quick story, probably finish it in a day like most of us. But you may also wish to reread. A nice bundle of layers hidden in the passages...