A MOST PRIVATE INTRIGUE

I stumbled across this one recently at a library book sale. There were three things about this book that I couldn't resist (even though I'd never heard of the title or the author). One, the cover art. Two, the Fawcett Crest logo (always a good sign!). And three, the price: one dollar. For a buck, I figured A MOST PRIVATE INTRIGUE (1967) was worth taking a chance on.

Even though I didn't recognize author Leo Rosten's name, I had enjoyed some of his other works in the past. Before turning to novels, Rosten was a Hollywood screenwriter contributing stories and screenplays to such films as ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (1942), THEY GOT ME COVERED (1943), THE CONSPIRATORS (1944), THE DARK CORNER (1946), LURED (1947), VELVET TOUCH (1948), SLEEP, MY LOVE (1948), WALK EAST ON BEACON (1952), DOUBLE DYNAMITE (1954), MISTER CORY (1957) and CAPTAIN NEWMAN, M.D. (1963). I've seen ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, THE DARK CORNER and LURED and they're all first rate.

Rosten rolled the spy novel dice in 1967 with A MOST PRIVATE INTRIGUE. This was a time when every publisher in the business was trying to cash in on the red hot spy craze of the 1960s by publishing almost any book that had a spy element in the plot, regardless of how good the story and writing actually were. Not to worry, because Rosten is a very capable writer and INTRIGUE delivers the goods in spades.

The hero of the thriller is Peter Galton, a sort-of American James Bond who works for a secret spy agency entitled "Ripsaw". It's a top secret organization comprised of the chiefs of various intelligence agencies, the heads of all four branches of the military and a couple of cabinet level officials. Galton and his partner, Jarvis are approached by an immensely obese Turkish priest named Sulenkian who presents the men with an intriguing offer. He can get three people, (two scientists and a lovely West German agent, whom Galton is in love with) out from behind the Iron Curtain for a price. Galton takes the bait and a complex plan is set into motion.

Of course Sulenkian isn't a priest. He's a black market operative with connections all over Turkey and Russia. His plan hinges on getting Hollister, a British mathematician and another captive of the Soviets, to serve as the go-between in the prisoner exchange. But Hollister's daughter, a British movie star, shows up in Istanbul, falls in love with Galton and threatens to gum up the works.

All goes according to plan until Hollister is murdered before the exchange can occur, an event which forces Galton to take charge of a desperate rescue attempt that is fraught with peril. Galton gets the prisoners out of Russia but there's a last chapter plot twist that changes almost everything.

There's practically no sex to speak of and the violence is subdued and tastefully handled. Rosten is more intent on his labyrinthine plot, a colorful and exotic sense of place (Istanbul is almost a character) and finely drawn characters almost all of whom harbor a hidden secret or two. It's cross and double cross with Galton cracking wise throughout and always managing to be thinking two moves ahead of his various opponents.

Not a classic by any means but A MOST PRIVATE INTRIGUE is a solid enough little thriller to pass the time with on a lazy summer afternoon. Thumbs up.