Author: James Leasor
First Published: 1964
Pages: 224
In my last blog entry I reviewed the Aristo Autos book, Host of Extras, by James Leasor. I was very impressed - so much so that I immediately bought a copy of the first book in his spy series featuring amateur (at least initially) espionage agent, Dr Jason Love, the general practitioner from Bishop's Combe, Somerset, England.
Its clear from the cover of the film tie-in edition and the promotional posters for the film version, Where the Spies Are, that MGM were trying to cash in on the success of Ian Fleming's James Bond movies in 1966. David Niven, cast in the starring role as Love is prominently shown wearing a very 007 white tuxedo, bow tie and carrying a sniper rifle and pistol accompanied by a bevvy of female co-stars. I especially love the 'tall-poster' version below with an artistic impression of Niven that is close to the actor himself to be recognisable, but just different enough to give Jason Love his own persona that I think I will always have in the back of my mind when reading any further books. I also like the addition of the Clouseau-esque cartoon that appears in some versions. But Love is no Bond, and the book reinforces this, making a few outright critical points about the differences.
I've not seen the film - yet - but I'm going to guess Niven plays Love with a more rakish element than his fictional version possesses. Love in the book is certainly a contented bachelor, with a fair sense of humour but not as far as I fear his screen outing might portray. I need to track down a copy to find out for myself. Anyone seen it?
Passport to Oblivion was the book that made it for Leasor, he was able to start writing full time after its success, and its clear to see why. As I point out above, the book is certainly not a Bond copy, Jason Love is an amateur, and he makes some big mistakes on his first mission - one that he is persuaded to undertake by an old war colleague, MacGillivray, who overseas the dwindling British spy network from various office blocks around London. MacGillivray becomes aware that one of his operatives in Tehran is late with his regular message, and not wanting to attract unwanted attention decides to send Love to investigate the missing agent known only as "K". Fortunately, for everybody, there is a conference in Tehran about Malaria, which is being attended by many of the foremost medical specialists. This gives our hero the perfect cover, and he is sent off, via a stop-over in Rome where he has a bizarre encounter with British contact Simone, to contact "K" and find out why his communications have ceased.
What Love and MacGillivray do not know is that "K" has been murdered. He has stumbled onto a devious plot to commit a high profile assassination and further de-stable world politics by the Russians. Their agent, Andre Simmias who reports to the suitable menacing voice of "Stanilaus" on the other end of a secret phone, attempts to hole up his assassins whilst also trying to stop Love from discovering what is happening.Love's amateurish efforts get him into trouble and Leasor writes wonderful action scenes that are short and detailed - Love is an exponent of Judo, and he soon gets the opportunity to show off his skills, as well as some of the neat sixties gadgets supplied by British Intelligence to thwart the attentions of the enemy. Love is joined by a second English agent known as Parkington, who as the professional seems to know less than Love - he is suffering from jaundice and cannot perform to his best so reluctantly has to allow Love to take the lead on occasion.
Leasor also gets to insert a scene involving classic cars, which means that Jason Love, the owner of a classic Cord roadster can impress a potential contact with his knowledge - be prepared to learn a few new things about cars!
I mentioned in the previous review that Leasor is not afraid to spend time setting up his characters and locations; he takes time to introduce us to the main players, providing them with histories and traits. It took me a while to get used to this more relaxed pace, but it does pay dividends in the end. I feel like I know Dr Jason Love more intimately after one novel than I do James Bond after several Fleming stories.
Saying that, there is a side plot involving characters in Canada that I felt slowed the story down a bit, and I could have done without the few detours to this strand.
Leasor is very good at locations. The hot, sandy Tehran setting, and a trip to Persepolis for a great action sequence are wonderfully atmospheric.
Unlike Host of Extras, Passport to Oblivion is not described in the first person narrative. We get multiple points of view. Mainly from Love and MacGillivray's perspective - at first I was disappointed because I was hoping for more of the inner dialogue style Leasor adopted for the Aristo Autos unnamed owner. However, as the plot took hold, and the suspense increased it made far more sense.
The climax of the story takes place on a plane and in the snow encrusted North West Territories of Canada, with Love confronting Simmias and a (not so) surprising double agent reveal.
Overall, Passport to Oblivion was a very satisfying read and a great introduction to Jason Love - I'm looking forward to see how he develops in subsequent missions. I preferred Host of Extras over this one, but I think that was because of Leasor's skill in first person narration, and the vivid character he is giving voice too. My eBook version cost me £2.77, very good value.
Now, I'm off to hunt down a copy of the film version!