Old Vengeful by
Anthony Price
pbk out August 03
(Orion)
at £6.99
This is one of Orion's Masterworks series, reprints of venerable good books, this
one having been first published in 1982, before the world was turned upside down
by the collapse of the Soviet Union. In those days, the baddies were still the
KGB and this is a le Carre style counter-espionage tale in Anthony Price's notable
series featuring David Audley, an academic spymaster who pulls the strings in
some obscure governmental agency. I always look forward to a Price-Audley book,
even though the plots are often so opaque that I have no idea what's going on
until almost the end. This one is even more obscure than usual and I can't rate
it as one of my favourites in the series. However, if you have a military or naval
historical bent, this will no doubt enthral you, as most of the book concerns
a naval disaster in 1812, with a lot about 1914 Flanders thrown in. The CIA
drop a hint to Audley's outfit that the KGB have some project lined up entitled
'Vengeful', which is all they know about it. This was the name of no less than
thirteen vessels of the British Navy over several centuries - but which one is
relevant? A retired captain, a hero of one of the Vengefuls in the Second World
war has died recently, before finishing a history of the vessels - his daughter,
who typed the manuscripts, is attacked and Paul Mitchell, Audley's assistant,
shoots three of them and saves the lady from a fate equal to death. I am still
not clear why they settled on the 1812 ship, but off they go to France for much
of the book, as the few crew that escaped its wreck were taken prisoner there,
but escaped again. This gives the author an opportunity to recount a lot of military
history from 14-18 in that part of France, as in other books, it is the army,
rather than the navy, that engages Price's attention.
As I say, the story-line is tortuous and the end though not exactly a cheat, is
unexpected. Impeccably written, it is a very British book, with country
houses in the Cotswolds and well-behaved intelligentsia as the characters.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
Old Vengeful by
Anthony Price
