This is obviously the start of a new series for Downing. Its set just prior to the outbreak of The Great War. Jack McColl is a part time spy for the UK Government travelling about the globe as a luxury car salesman with a gift for languages.
It is very Buchanish, apart from the amount of love making that our hero indulges in, its not explicit but Hannay never done it this way.
We travel from China to the USA to Mexico to the UK to Ireland in this adventure. We have German spies and Irish Republicans trying to do for our hero. The only thing that stops this from being a great romp is it is about 80 pages too long. The editor needed to slash and burn many pages of musings by McColl.. This would not have detracted from the story one iota but would have kept the pace up which lags at several points.
As stated its the start of a new series which will be worth following for the many tales of daring do that await.
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