Assignment Silver Scorpion (Sam Durell #35) by Edward S. Aarons

Sam Durell, agent of K-Section of the CIA is used to working alone. He’s a mission-oriented, no-nonsense, experienced top-notch agent. So when he finds himself on a case with a young, inexperienced female agent, he’s not exactly thrilled. They have been sent to the newly unified African country of Boganda where it appears over $300,000 of American and International aid has been diverted into the pockets of…somebody. Perhaps it’s Mokutu, the new country’s president, or perhaps it’s their military leader. Or perhaps it’s one or both of their wives who happen to be sisters and have every appearance of being professional pirates. The money, in the form of international credits, was intended for economic, social, and educational needs. But over the past six months, the credits have been converted, little by little, into hard cash for projects that were never completed, or never even begun. It was an international swindle of the first magnitude. Durell and his rookie partner must find out where the money’s gone.

Once again Edward S. Aarons (also known by the pseudonyms Paul Ayres and Edward Ronns) has provided an exciting adventure thriller in the lengthy “Assignment” series featuring agent Sam Durell. I think these later books in the series have a bit more TV-style adventure than the early ones, more action, more double-crosses, more peril in general. Durell ends up in a jail cell at least three times (maybe four) in this single novel. But it’s a fun ride all the way through. The author, as he has many times before, provides a realistic exotic setting for his characters to romp around in. While the country of Boganda is fictional, it seems much like many an African nation in the early 1970s when this was published. 

I must say that the character of Sam Durell doesn’t come off well over the first half of the novel. The way he treats his female co-agent is abominable. I get that he is used to working alone, but the author seems to press this point too far in my opinion. Yes, I’m aware that this was written in the early 1970s, but he is arrogant, condescending, patronizing, and flat out rude to her in every interaction they have. He demands information from her but never stoops to answering her questions. He even physically slaps her twice (and another character once). I worry that if this book were a reader’s first introduction to the series, they would be so turned off as to quit half-way through and never want to read another one. Happily, I can report that this relationship changes significantly as the pages fly by. When two people face the kind of dangerous situations that these two face, they tend to gravitate towards each other. In fact, this becomes one of the major rewards of persevering through the book.

Looking forward to my next "Assignment" read.

Assignment Suicide (Sam Durell series) by Edward S. Aarons

I've been told that it does not matter in what order these books are read.  They are all stand-alone stories and so I took a risk and skipped number 2 (I don't have a copy of that one) and went right to number 3.  It seems fine to do so.  Even book number one didn't seem like the first in a series.

In this one, CIA operative Sam Durell parachutes into Russia to help prevent a rogue member of the Politburo, known as "Comrade Z", from launching one of Russia's first ICBMs toward the US.  Sam Durell has a mere handful of days to stop this event which will happen on May Day.  The book was first published in 1958 and it is interesting to see the perspectives between the US and Russia at that time.  Also of interest is the similarities to Ian Fleming's Bond books which first began appearing in 1952.

This novel was much as I expected.  Lots of spy action without much spy craft.  There is the usual good guys and bad guys and the occasional misconstrued identity.  And, of course, there is the obligatory Bond, er Durell girl.  The mystery part surrounds the identity of just who is Comrade Z.  There is a nice climax at the end to wrap up the story.

I enjoyed the first two Sam Durell books I've read so will keep on with them.  They are quick reads so serve well as a break between weightier material.

Assignment to Disaster (Sam Durell series) by Edward S. Aarons

A couple of weeks ago I came across a bunch of vintage paperbacks by Edward S. Aarons, all with the word “Assignment” in their title.  I had never heard of these books or the author, but they looked to be spy thrillers from the 1950s and 60s and since they would cost me all of 25 cents each, I took a small chance and bought a boatload of them.

And so it was that I picked up this first novel in the “Assignment” series.  This novel came out just after Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel 'Casino Royale' was published and so many people today seem to regard this series as a Bond rip-off.  But since this novel was published before 'Casino Royale' had a chance to make much of an impact yet, I would disagree.  The main character in this series is CIA agent Sam Durell and yes, he is sort of like an American version of Bond. But in its day, the books in the Sam Durell series were very popular.  There are 48 novels in the series; the first 42 were written by Edward S. Aarons and the final 6 were reportedly written by his brother although there is speculation that the name Will B. Aarons was just a house name for Fawcett. All were published over a span of 28 years.  That’s quite a successful run by any standards.

The novel itself is a hoot.  Of course, the reader must keep in mind the age in which it was written and so, like the Bond books, you’ll see some cultural references and attitudes that may seem odd today.  What we would call male chauvinism today was treated more like chivalry in the 1950s.  World War II is over and the world’s concerns tend to revolve around rockets and the power that can be unleashed at the whim of a mad scientist.  Durell is on the lookout for a missing American scientist, one of the brains behind the world's first man-made satellite, named Cyclops, a bomb of dramatic proportions. With just a few hours to go before launch, it is vital that Durell find the man and put an end to the sabotage.

Another nice thing about the series is that they really don't have to be read in order.  There are no overarching story lines that I am aware of that reach across individual novels but I understand Durell's relationship with Dierdre does run through the books.  The publisher usually lists the books in alphabetical order rather than by published date.  I am a stickler about reading series in order if at all possible but with so many in a series it would be a shame to hold up reading them just because you can’t locate book #2 in your local used book store.

Largely, because of the Bond movies, series like this Sam Durell set have fallen by the way side.  I’ll definitely be reading more and doing my best to spread the word about their existence. If you’ve enjoyed Bond or other spy novel series of that era, I recommend you give these a try.