Assignment Carlotta Cortez

Sam Durell #8

by Edward S. Aarons

Duncan had two things going against him. He was married to the evil Carlotta and he flew U.S. Air Force bombers with the nuclear bombs that Carlotta wanted. Unable to deny her anything, he agreed to fake a malfunction and land the plane where Carlotta and her team could hijack the nukes.

Genres: Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that the Sam Durell novels are not great literature, but I love them anyway. They are easy, quick reads with lots of action. In this one Durell must find stolen nuclear bombs and return them. Well done of its' kind. Recommended to Durell fans.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I don't like the Durell counterespionage novels with Wittington as much as the McFee CIA novels set abroad. This was another of the Wittington stories. A tale of foreign plotters stealing a destructive American weapon and then threatening the United States, unless the plotters were free to return to their country take over using the weapons. What were the weapons? It's the 1950s, so not much of a guess. But I'll leave it unanswered for those who might worry about spoilers anyway. The rest of the story is the usual fast paced, efficient Aarons storytelling. With one exception. And this makes the novel just a bit better than it would have been otherwise. What is it? It's the relationship between Durell and Garry Fritsch, a veteran of the Special Force for counterespionage headed by Wittington. Initially antagonistic, the two agents, one coming into his prime and the other on the verge of being forced out due to age and health, come to regard each other with respect. They even sacrifice for one another. Aarons applies just enough pathos to make it all work without undue sentiment. Turned out to be a good novel.

[John Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam's latest mission involves an old friend of his who seems to have turned traitor. His plane has crashed, and the atomic bombs aboard have vanished. It's clear that the man's wife, Carlotta, is involved, but Sam can't do much until the bombs are located, or one of them might go off in New York City...

A top-notch thriller, one of the best in the Sam Durell series. An exciting ride.

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another from the old paperback shelf I've been blasting through as the year winds down. I thought this was a very good Cold War espionage novel that delivered a tight and lean story with plenty of suspense and violence. In this one, CIA agent Sam Durell joins the hunt for missing nuclear bombs supposedly stolen by an old war buddy of his. Carlotta Cortez is the femme fatale in this caper. She's appropriately sexy and manipulative. That's her on the cover in case you were wondering. Also featured is a sadistic pervert who gets his kicks torturing and killing his victims. Written in 1959 this is an early one in the series. Sam Durell was a response to Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. The Durell novels were much more hardboiled then the Bond novels. Durell doesn't take breaks from his cases to get massages and play Baccarat Chemin-de-fer.