This is the first of Block's Evan Tanner series, and the
first I've read. I had gotten the impression that this was a
spy series, so I never picked any of them up since I'm not
much interested in the genre. Well, Tanner is not yet a spy
in this book, no matter what most of the people he meets
assume (and the ending does have him heading in that
direction). He is more of an international adventurer
(although it's said it's his first time outside the US since
his wartime service in Korea) making his way through Europe
to try to retrieve a possibly apocryphal cache of gold in
Turkey.
The gimmick is that Tanner does not sleep (due to a war wound
that injured his sleep center), so he spends all of those
extra waking hours reading and researching, learning all
sorts of arcane facts that prove helpful along the way. He
has also joined organizations for lost causes
(Flat Earth Soceity, and all sorts of long failed liberation
movements), which provides him with underground contacts
around the world.
It all adds up to a picaresque where no matter how many tanks
and guns are roaring, no matter how much time is spent in a
Turkish prison, no matter how many thieves, cops and spies
are after him, you never get the impression our hero is in
the slightest danger. It's a pleasant read, but a mere
trifle. And that is largely due to the voice. It's a first
person narrative written in pretty much the same casual voice
as the Bernie Rhodenbarr and Keller series, which was
recently discussed here. I enjoyed a few of the Burglar
books, but didn't miss them a bit when I stopped reading
them. I enjoyed the first two Hit books, but haven't felt
particularly compelled to pick up Hit Parade. I'm in no hurry
to pick up another Tanner book, either. They're all pleasant
ways to pass time, but the best of his Scudder books (even as
the character becomes increasingly domesticated) and most of
his early standalones are a whole lot more than that.
Mark
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