Customer Reviews

Solomon's Seal

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You wouldn't think stamp collecting would form the basis of a thriller, but in Hammond Innes' hands anything is possible. The story revolves around English solicitor and stamp enthusiast Roy Slingsby, who discovers a collection of rare South Pacific stamps when conducting a routine valuation for the mysterious Prenna Holland. Little does he know that this stamp will soon find him travelling halfway across the world to Bougainville, becoming embroiled in arms running, a potential political coup, a bitter family conflict, and taking an increasing personal interest in the lovely Prenna.

Fans of Hammond Innes will find plenty to love here. The usual Innes character types are here; the "everyman" protagonist, the strong-willed heroine, the near-manically driven antagonist who may or may not be a true villain. In typical Innes fashion, the focus on these intriguing and all-too-human characters is often just as important as the action and plot. And like all his best books, there is a very strong attention to detail and realism, and the sense of the environment being almost a character in itself. The South Pacific on display here is not the tourist-guide portrayal of endless blue waters and palm trees. Instead we are shown a world of copper mining, constant rain, mud, and volatile politics, where Cargo Cult and tribal loyalty means much more than nationalism. Setting the conflict in Bougainville, geographically part of the Solomon Islands but politically part of Papua New Guinea, adds to the realism; in the three decades since this book was published, this region has been the site of several conflicts, uprisings, and civil wars.

However, I do have one problem with the book; it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of all the different members of the Holland family. The inter-personal conflict between the three generations of Hollands forms a simmering tension throughout the book, and a family scandal forms a final explosive twist and revelation. But I sometimes found it difficult to keep track of who was who, especially when characters begin referring to family members by nicknames...you find yourself constantly having to look back to remember whether "The Colonel" is the same as "The Old Man", and whether this was supposed to be Prenna's father, grandfather, uncle, or bastard relative. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps Innes could have made this a bit clearer by including a family tree or something.

For this reason, I found the "family scandal" sub-plot didn't quite have the payoff it should have. But the remainder of the book, exploring the political, personal, and environmental tensions on the island, is standard high-quality Innes stuff. Recommended for all Innes fans....just make sure you keep a paper and pen handy to keep track of the Hollands.