The Retaliators
Author: Donald Hamilton
Publisher: Titan Books
When I got the press release with full details of the book and its contents, I didn't expect the James Bond style figure on the right. As Donald has already written 27 novels in the Matt Helm series, maybe this makes him some kind of Fleming, but if you look closer, Matt Helm is a different kind of secret agent and in this novel Matt has become that much richer thanks to twenty thousand dollars appearing in his bank account.
Matt could be happy about his unexpected new fortune, but when another man who receives an unexplained amount of money dies, he has to find out who his demon benefactor could be before he is killed too. Matt is at a loss to try anything when Eric (Mac) tells him he is in trouble. What looks like Matt's embezzling funds for himself leaves his boss in no doubt that he's into some shady activities, but the truth is, Matt is being set up and the boss he's worked for most of his adult life doesn't believe him.
When Matt thinks he is out of luck, a lady ushers him into her car and to safety. She has come to help him out and tell him his life is in great danger, but as Matt and his friend Jack (Roger) are retaliators, he will soon find his man and stuff the remainder of the twenty thousand dollars down his sorry throat!
Like the other novels in this series, Matt Helm doesn't appear to be a dated spy in the same vein as Bond, but a more liberal man who gets embroiled into bad situations he has to get out of at all costs. The women he encounters aren't exactly weak, either, but he still keeps his cool and gets on with finding the villain. The Retaliators is a book to be enjoyed, especially if you want an updated version of Bond.
