(6.00)237 pages.
I've just read the 2015 edition of this "lost" Pulp novel, written by Gore Vidal in 1953 (under the pseudonym Cameron Kay) at a time early in his career when he was strapped for cash.
The novel is set in the immediate post-WWII years. As the story begins, two-fisted seaman Pete Wells wakes up in a decrepit whorehouse in Cairo, with no memory of how he got there, and all his money stolen. When the American consulate fails to provide immediate help, Wells is looking to make a quick buck when he encounters a British man named Hastings in a hotel bar. Hastings and his partner, a beautiful French countess named Helene, are looking to hire a courier…
Wells eventually finds himself in upper Egypt, standing out like a sore thumb as a supposed American tourist in the hot season, still not clear who he's working for, who his enemies are, and what he's supposed to accomplish. As the plot transpires, he meets a corrupt senior Egyptian police official, a piano-playing hunchback, a one-eyed collector of Egyptian artifacts, a jackal-faced servant and guide, and a beautiful German singer romantically linked to the Egyptian king.
Meanwhile, there is a sense of revolution in the air…
Some fans of the author were distressed at the 2015 republishing of what they felt was 'a third-rate work' that tarnished Vidal's legacy. However, I have to agree with Hard Case Crime – this is a pleasant adventure yarn. Yes, the characters are stereotypes, but they're well-depicted stereotypes! The protagonist is also a familiar stereotype, as ready to punch someone as to kiss the beautiful girls – not the most interesting character, rather irrational when it comes to love, but he'll do.
The novel is very much of the spirit of 1930s Pulp, though updated (by 1950s standards) with more sex, a character who is mentioned to be gay, and the political turmoil against a dissolute King Farouk. This is an Egypt straight out of pulp novels and Hollywood movies, so is tinged with a bit of prejudice.
I found the book to be a quick read, moving along at a good clip without any dull spots, leaving the reader in suspense right until the end.
Can you game it? Most of the action is individual and difficult to reproduce on the wargame table, but some of the final scenes involve the hero fighting his way across Cairo in the middle of an armed uprising.
I recommend this novel who anyone who enjoys Pulp action tales.
(Not to be confused with the 1941 movie with the same title.)
Reviewed by 
Editor in Chief Bill 
.