Things are not going well for Joe Wilderness. After becoming embroiled in a huge embarrassment for MI6, he finds that he has been deemed persona non grata by his employers at British intelligence. As a result, rather than being allowed to enjoy life as a spy in London during the swinging sixties, he is shipped off to deepest darkest Finland on the pretext of participating in a cultural exchange programme and with no clue as to who or what he is supposed to by spying on. It initially seems that there isn’t much going on in Finland at that point, so Wilderness agrees to pass the time by teaming up with old acquaintance Kostya, who happens to be a KGB officer, to smuggle vodka into the USSR. Of course, Kostya is really after far more than simply knock-off booze and Wilderness’ life is about to get even more complicated.
Hammer to Fall is the third book to feature Joe Wilderness and it should probably be noted from the outset that it is best read (and most likely enjoyed) by those who have read the previous novels. John Lawton does work in references to previous events from the series, and the central plot of this third book can be understood and appreciated without too much background information, but much of the detail and many of the nuances are hard to properly grasp without sufficient grounding in what has gone before. The dynamics between some of the characters are also rather puzzling for the novice reader, although it probably all makes sense if you have read of their prior dealings.
Saying all that, Hammer to Fall is still an exciting spy story. As you would expect from the genre, Winderness has to deal with plenty of lies and double crosses, and he seems to be very well versed in dodgy dealings himself. The plot is nicely convoluted, the villains suitably nefarious and the goodies appropriately upright (and occasionally duplicitous), and Lawton does an excellent job of recreating the tone of the Cold War era. Although there are moments of levity, it’s a decidedly dark tale and Lawton certainly doesn’t shy away from portraying the life of a spy in a realistic way. Joe Wilderness is an engaging if often infuriating central character and it’s a lot of fun to follow him during his exploits. Ultimately, Hammer to Fall is a good book that might actually be an excellent book for those already familiar with Wilderness and his world.
Hammer to Fall is the third book to feature Joe Wilderness and it should probably be noted from the outset that it is best read (and most likely enjoyed) by those who have read the previous novels. John Lawton does work in references to previous events from the series, and the central plot of this third book can be understood and appreciated without too much background information, but much of the detail and many of the nuances are hard to properly grasp without sufficient grounding in what has gone before. The dynamics between some of the characters are also rather puzzling for the novice reader, although it probably all makes sense if you have read of their prior dealings.
Saying all that, Hammer to Fall is still an exciting spy story. As you would expect from the genre, Winderness has to deal with plenty of lies and double crosses, and he seems to be very well versed in dodgy dealings himself. The plot is nicely convoluted, the villains suitably nefarious and the goodies appropriately upright (and occasionally duplicitous), and Lawton does an excellent job of recreating the tone of the Cold War era. Although there are moments of levity, it’s a decidedly dark tale and Lawton certainly doesn’t shy away from portraying the life of a spy in a realistic way. Joe Wilderness is an engaging if often infuriating central character and it’s a lot of fun to follow him during his exploits. Ultimately, Hammer to Fall is a good book that might actually be an excellent book for those already familiar with Wilderness and his world.