ASSIGNMENT CEYLON

ASSIGNMENT CEYLON was (as you can see on the cover pictured above), the 36th published adventure in the durable Sam Durell spy series written by Edward S. Aarons and continued by his son after the elder's death. There were 48 Sam Durell "Assignment" novels published in all. I've read a few of them over the years and while they're not the best they're far from the worst (I'm looking at you Nick Carter, Spymaster).

Published in the fall of 1973 (my senior year in high school), ASSIGNMENT CEYLON finds Durell on the island nation trying to rescue a kidnapped American diplomat. The man has been snatched and held for ransom by a radical terrorist organization led by an obscenely obese criminal mastermind named, wait for it, Dr. Sinn. The kidnapped American is also an amateur archeologist who claims to have found the legendary Buddha Stone, an ancient relic that could turn modern Buddhism upside down if the inscriptions said to be on the stone are accurate.

To complicate Sam's search for the ambassador, he's been branded a traitor by his own intelligence agency, Section K of the CIA. He's lumped in with other agents from other countries (including a murderous Russian), who have betrayed their countries to join Sinn's private army of intelligence agents and killers. Sam has to go on the run to clear his name while fighting off Willie Wells, one of his own fellow agents who has been assigned to kill Sam. There's also a Ceylonese security agent, the lovely divorced wife of the ambassador, (Sam rekindles a brief romance with her), her rebellious, drug addict American son, Skoll, a massive Soviet agent with whom Sam has teamed up with on previous assignments and other dangers to be faced. 

The action climaxes on Dr. Sinn's private island (shades of DR. NO), where Durell and Wells are forced to engage in a hunt to the death in the jungle (Aarons borrows liberally here from Richard Connell's classic 1924 short story THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME). Things come to an explosive climax with Dr. Sinn escaping his burning island headquarters to menace Durell and mankind another day. Durell is one tough guy to kill as are Skoll and Wells. They all receive various forms of torture and punishment but ultimately survive to fight again.

 The action is swift and sure, the exotic locale (Ceylon is now, of course, Sri Lanka) is vividly drawn, the villains are larger than life, and Durell is faced with a life changing decision at the end of the novel. Fast paced and fun, ASSIGNMENT CEYLON is a great way to spend an afternoon. I've enjoyed all of the Sam Durell ASSIGNMENT books I've read and this one's another winner. Check it out.