
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Sue Hammond worked for a travel agency, as a Group Travel courier. She was packing for her sixth trip in as many months - this time to the Aegean - when there was a sudden loud noise on the balcony outside her bedroom. The French doors were pushed open and a man appeared, with blood streaming down his face. The man was Bill Smith, salesman for the London Metal Exchange, which should have been a reasonably safe, humdrum job, though he did travel all over the world because of it. But Bill's life suddenly didn't seem safe - or at all humdrum. And Sue, to her amazement, found that her own job became not only much more exciting but considerably more dangerous, because of the new man who had so surprisingly entered her life. Andrew Garve was one of Paul Winterton's pseudonyms. He worked as a journalist and travelled widely, and was a founding member of the Crime Writers' Association.
A routine evening for travel courier Sue Hammond is shattered when a bloodied stranger crashes onto her balcony, pulling her into a high-stakes web of danger. Sue finds her predictable life upended as she attempts to assist Bill Smith, a salesman whose mundane profession masks a perilous reality. As the two become entangled, they must navigate a series of threats that transform Sue's professional travel duties into a desperate struggle for survival. The narrative maintains a brisk, suspenseful pace, utilizing a third-person perspective to track the escalating tension between the protagonists and their unseen pursuers.
Andrew Garve, a pseudonym for the prolific journalist Paul Winterton, is recognized for his ability to craft tight, logical thrillers that emphasize the vulnerability of ordinary people. The premise suggests a classic mid-century suspense structure where the protagonist is thrust into a situation far beyond their experience. Readers of the genre often appreciate Garve's grounded approach to danger, which avoids excessive melodrama in favor of steady, mounting pressure. The narrative likely relies on the contrast between Sue's mundane travel career and the sudden intrusion of violence to drive the reader's engagement throughout the story.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
1971-01-01
Publisher:
Collins
ISBN-10:
0002314592
ISBN-13:
9780002314596
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!