This is a classic thriller by a classic thriller author.
It starts near the end of the Second World War when the narrator is posted guard on a ship carrying silver bullion from Murmansk to England. There are a number of rather obvious murmurings in the crew which the narrator fails to understand. Then there is an explosion and they have to abandon ship. The narrator mutinies, refusing to enter the life boats because he considers them unseaworthy, and frees up a life raft instead. He and his companions cling to the raft until they are picked up at which point it appears that the people who entered the life boats are drowned, except for the captain and his mate and cronies. Back in England the narrator is sent to Dartmoor prison for mutiny on the testimony of the captain, from which he later escapes. Then we discover that all is not what it seemed...
A fast-paced read which draws heavily on the author's undoubted familiarity with boats and the sea and his Scottish background. There is no subtlety to the characterisation (the villains include a feeble homosexual and a Shakespeare-quoting madman). The latter part of the plot is a take off of Treasure Island with a Ben Gunn character and even the narrator is called Jim! Nevertheless I enjoyed it as a light rapid read.
Feb 2009 222 pages
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