Living Death

Killmaster #48

by Nick Carter

Tandem 1972 paperback, vg+ In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1969

About the author

Nick Carter is a house pseudonym used by Award, Ace, and later Jove, publishing for the series Nick Carter who later graduated to a special agent for the Killmaster novels, a series of 261+ spy adventures published from 1964 until late 1990s.

A great number of writers have written under the pen-name over the years, beginning in September 1886 when Nick Carter first appeared in the 'New York Weekly' in a 13-week serial, entitled 'The Old Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square'.

The Nick Carter character was originally conceived by Ormond G. Smith, the son of one of the founders of Street & Smith, and realized by John R. Coryell.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is 1969 and Nick Carter, while looking into a tip about a potential defector in Eastern Europe, is shot at a few times and the girl with the info is now dead. He learns from his boss Hawk that there have been seven leading scientists from all over the world who have been infected with a disease that reduces their brains to a vegetative state. Because these scientists are all from western-leaning countries, they suspect that Russia or China might be targeting them with a biological weapon.

While Carter goes about his various short assignments, including protecting a scientist he suspects is the next target, there trends a running joke where his current love interest keeps finding him in compromising situations with other lovely females. Carter has never been a one-woman kind of guy in the first place, so this is doubly funny.

This is the 48th installment of the Nick Carter Killmaster series and it was ghost-written by Jon Messmann. Nick Carter the author is a pseudonym used by several authors writing for the series for Award Books, with Nick Carter also being the name of the protagonist character, an American version of James Bond. These stories have some adult content.

Verdict: A short and silly Nick Carter adventure with enough clever sequences offset by action scenes and an obvious twist that it works. The love scenes are way over the top, but that's just par for the course in a Nick Carter story.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: R

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice rewrite of an old Pulp character. Recast more in the James Bond spy mode. Good quick men's adventure read. If you are looking for some fast paced action and adventure then this is a recommended read.

[I.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple but fun and fairly well written. It was clearly geared to breast men with the constant focus on them, but the action was well done even if everything was wrapped up a little too easily. Direct and to the point.