Desmond Cory

Johnny Fedora is a resourceful secret agent for British Intelligence. This was back in the days when all that an agent could rely on was their own brain.

Part of a series, this novel has Johnny in a small village in Spain. One of the world's greatest sculptors has just finished a large stone statue. Broken into pieces, the statue is to be carried (by donkey) to the top of a local mountain, where it is to be re-assembled in time for a local religious festival. We're not talking Mt. Everest; the snow-covered mountain is about three thousand feet high.

The trek attracts an assorted group of helpers, including the village priest and mayor, a female Spanish film star and a London newspaperman. Johnny also goes along "just for the ride." It turns into a fiasco. The snow and extreme fog are constant. The groups get separated from each other. Getting lost on the mountain is easy. They have come all this way; do they continue to the top, or give up, and head back down the mountain? This turns into a story of survival, even for someone as experienced as Johnny. Does the statue get installed properly? Does everyone make it off the mountain alive?

Here is a really good story. It's also a really "quiet" story; there is no sex or violence. There is lots of good storytelling, and it is very much worth reading.… (more)

Set in 1950's Central Africa, Johnny Fedora is part of British Intelligence. He has hired a boat to search for a near-mythical white ape. He runs into an archaeological expedition looking for some specific ruins. They are going in the same general direction, so they hitch a ride on Johnny's boat.

As the days go on, it becomes clear that the expedition is not looking for ruins. Johnny is not really looking for a white ape, either. The words "Fourth Reich" are used. Johnny's real mission is to recover a mysterious object, wanted by the Nazis and British Intelligence, regardless of the cost.

Things get interesting when members of the expedition start dying. Can Johnny discover the real purpose of the expedition, and keep himself from becoming the next victim?

This book hearkens back to the days, before technology, when an intelligence agent used his wits to survive. It is very easy to read, has plenty of blood, and is very much recommended for all fans of spy novels.… (more)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of Desmond Cory's other books, or classic spy novels in general, then it's likely you'll enjoy this mountain-themed adventure. Cory strikes me as a skilled writer and there's a great deal of clever wit in this tale.

However, there were elements of the novel which felt un-polished. Given that Cory died several years ago and the book was published more recently, I was left with the impression that someone has dug up a draft novel and released it without further editing. Sadly, they also skipped some formatting and proof-reading courtesies. The first half of the book failed to pull me in, and I was puzzled by some of the main character's actions and motivations, including bringing his female companion on the 'mission' and his choice of team when he decides to tackle the mountain.

That said, things really pick up around the half-way mark with a clever and surprising link to real-life European history. The ascent of the mountain, and what follows, is nothing short of gripping and the last few chapters were genuine page-turners.

If this genre is your cup of tea, by all means give this book a try and know that the second half is stronger than the first. Overall, however, I suspect this is not Cory's best work.… (more)

This was my first time with Johnny Fedora and, for that matter, with his creator Desmond Cory. Perhaps because I had no prior knowledge of Johnny Fedora and his past exploits, it took me a little while to get into both the story and the writing style of the book, but once I'd settled in I quickly became hooked. It's a spy novel, set around 1950 when all things war and Nazi were still very much ongoing concerns. I find the comparisons to James Bond made by so many other reviewers unnecessary - other than the involvement of British Intelligence there's really no comparison, and several decades separate their exploits and their adversaries. So, forget James Bond and just enjoy a fast moving spy thriller with a nice dash of humour thrown in. In particular when the story gets to the mountainside, be ready for a riveting, exciting read with enough twists, action and odd characters to keep you intrigued and involved. In short, if you like spy adventures and the (for us) historic setting then buy it and start reading. For myself, I will track down and buy the earlier Johnny Fedora stories now so I know the backstory I was missing with this one. Recommended.… (more)