River of Death - Alistair MacLean

Author's product rating:   

Would you read it again?	Yes
Story	Satisfactory
Characters	Good
Readability	Good
How does it compare to other works by the same author?	Poor

Advantages:	A classic thriller with the wit and excitement to hold your interest .
Disadvantages:	Lacks the depth and complexity of his other novels .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Alistair Maclean is a great writer, and has produced a number of classic thrillers, including "The Guns of Navarone" and HMS Ulysses." Unfortunately, he spent the money earned from his earlier works along similar lines to the way George Best spent his footballers wages, and books written later on in his career, such as this one, pay the price.

In my opinion, Alistair Maclean books come under a distinct style of novel - thrillers written by male authors 25-50 years ago. The plots are good, the leading men are witty and resourceful and the bad guys find ever more surprising ways to squander a position of dominance. There is no sex, negligible swearing by today's standards, no graphical descriptions of violence and no girl power. There are abundant one liners, fistfights, shoot-outs and plot twists, often requiring a suspension of ones belief in the laws of chance. I consider Ian Fleming (James Bond), Leslie Charteris (The Saint), and the earlier books by Dick Francis and Wilbur Smith to be in a similar style, and I gotta say, it's a style I like.

The plot in this case revolves around a search for a lost city in the jungles of South America, spiced with the suspicion that a consignment of Nazi gold that went missing in the second world war will turn up somewhere along the line. After a great start to the book introducing the plot, the story gets a little bogged down in the jungle along with the cast, and builds with all too few twists towards a suitably cataclysmic ending.

The good guy is the cynical Hamilton, who has been searching the jungle for years, often in the company of his young lieutenants Ramon and Navarro. The bad guy is the mysterious Mr Smith, aided and abetted by a selection of henchmen. Cannibalistic natives and the jungle take care of any unwary souls, and provide scope for a liberal sprinkling of comical and/or life threatening situations.

Drunk or sober, it is clear that Maclean is the possessor of a formidable imagination, genuine wit and the ability to bring characters to life and drag the reader into his world. This book may not be as good as some of the earlier novels, lacking the subtle plot twists and brilliant character developments, but it still makes for an entertaining read. If you are looking for a book where a straightforward plot provides the framework for genuinely funny one-liners, gripping action, good character portrayal and a sneaky twist you are onto a winner. It's a good book to take away on holiday, as you will enjoy reading it but won't be too bothered if you buy so much stuff you don't have room to bring it home again.