The Fox in the Field: A Wwii Novel of India [Hardcover]

Maynard Allington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

The author of The Grey Wolf presents a story of World War II espionage, as a fanatical Indian nationalist, a professional card cheat, a ruthless German intelligence officer, and an Anglo-Indian woman who must chose between two worlds stand at the crossroads.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Allington ( Grey Wolf ) has concocted an entertaining WW II thriller which follows the adventures of Derek Carr, a gambler and former arms smuggler blackmailed into working for British intelligence. Carr's task: to penetrate a German commando operation led by a Cambridge-educated scholar and soldier named Kordt. Kordt's mission, "China Blue," is to cache munitions in India for use by invading Japanese forces now poised on the border. With Kordt is the historical figure of the independence fighter, Subhas Chandra Bose, accompanied by members of his nascent anti-British Indian National Army. Carr infiltrates "China Blue" through a wealthy Anglo-Indian beauty, Ashley Vora, a fervent supporter of Bose. Their affair is unconventional enough to serve as a welcome break from the unrelenting tension of the main plot and the more ambiguous relationship between Carr and Kordt. Allington's descriptions of Carr's escape from a German dungeon guarded by cobras, of his epic fight to the death with Kordt's seven-foot bodyguard and of the climactic confrontation between hero and villain after the German has single-handedly destroyed the Bombay docks, are riproaring stuff, stylishly written. Fine background detail adds depth to this engrossing thriller as Allington also evokes the beauty, poverty and mystery of India.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As cataclysmic battles rage across the European continent, followers of Indian militant Subhas Bose fight the British in India--and join its enemy, Japan, to defeat the colonial master. Within that factual context, Allington invents an amoral, half-British gambler whose undercover mission is to uncloak an operation called China Blue in India. He quickly learns that his stiffest opposition will come from a German soldier-scholar and the half-English wife of an Indian millionaire. Together they support Bose's subversive cause. The heady passions of sex and honor inflamed by the thrill of pursuit whirl the story to a worthy conclusion. Retired Air Force colonel Allington writes with grace and verity. The dialog is true, the research seems impeccable, and the flair for local color emphasizes India in all its mystery. Allington has a gift for clear and lustrous prose that engages the reader immediately. For most popular fiction collections.
- Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc; 1St Edition edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028810856
• ISBN-13: 978-0028810850
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,049,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In addition to short stories and essays, Maynard Allington is the author of three novels, THE GREY WOLF, THE FOX IN THE FIELD, and THE COURT OF BLUE SHADOWS, which The New York Times called: "Beautifully written. . . a sensitive and powerful examination of humanity at its worst and at its best." E-books include THE PSYCHONEUROTIC VAMPIRE and THE SUNSET BOULEVARD DIALOGUES, a mystery series featuring Hollywood PI Rich Hazzard. A detailed biography can be found at the author's web site (www.maynardallington.com).