Spoilers [Paperback]

Desmond Bagley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2008

When film tycoon, Sir Robert Hellier, loses his daughter to heroin, he declares war on the drug peddlers. London drug specialist, Nicholas Warren, is called in to organise an expedition to the Middle East, in an attempt to track down the big-time dope runners, inveigle themselves into their confidence and make them an offer they can't refuse. No expense is spared in the plans for their capture, but with a hundred million dollars worth of heroin at stake, the 'spoilers' must use methods as ruthless as their prey.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Desmond Bagley was born in 1923, in Kendal, a rural town in England's scenic Lake District. He left school aged fourteen and worked for a number of years in the aircraft industry before embarking on an adventure - travelling to South Africa by road and supporting himself along the way by working in gold and asbestos mines. Bagley spent the Fifties in South Africa, working as a freelance journalist and critic, before moving to Italy with his wife, Margaret, and then to Guernsey. His first novel, The Golden Keel, was based on a true story overheard by Bagley in a bar in Johannesburg, about Mussolini's vast personal riches and the men who went looking for it. It was published in 1963 to great acclaim and followed by a further fifteen popular adventure ovels. Bgley's career spanned two decades and his influence can be seen in the work of several highly respected thriller writers. When he died, in 1983, his final novel, Juggernaut, was completed by his wife.

From AudioFile

This slightly improbable story of a scheme to stop a massive drug smuggling operation translates beautifully to the audio format. Nigel Davenport portrays protagonist Nick Warren, the London doctor who is a "combination St. George and James Bond," capturing his intensity and dynamism with great charm. The cast, several of whom follow the "honor among thieves" adage, provides ample opportunity for Davenport's considerable talent. For some characters he uses subtle inflection while others are given a rich, full accent. Even the cadence and speech of the sole American is captured with aplomb. The story's action and the aural characterizations make a highly successful combination. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: House of Stratus (November 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842320513
• ISBN-13: 978-1842320518
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,620,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good reading, August 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Spoilers (Audio Cassette)

This is a book about drugs and traffickers. Desmond Bagley brings his own unique perspective into the picture. Totally different from the legalistic "Snow Tiger", this books pumps adrenaline all the way. But since the book was first published some 20 years ago, it does not have the social ambience to grip the reader in a vice hold. A good read anyway

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Old hat actioner, September 12, 2000

By 

Mr N Forbes-warren "author of RESURGENCE and ... (Newport, South Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The spoilers (Hardcover)

Old-fashioned action thriller with one redeeming feature - a character sharing the same name as me! Pure co-incidence, of course. The Nick Warren in this book is a top British drug expert who finds himself on the trail of Iranian smugglers after an entertainment impressario's daughter is found dead in her own apartment after a heroin overdose, and vows revenge for her death. An oft-told tale unfortunately still set in the past with an old fashioned narrative and dialogue(does anyone really say OLD CHAP these days? Maybe in a Colin Forbes book . . .) which does not quite work now in print, but would certainly make a decent movie.

2.0 out of 5 stars Bagley's weakest book, July 6, 2011

By 

H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spoilers (Paperback)

When wealthy film tycoon Sir Robert Hellier's daughter dies of a heroin overdose, Hellier pressures her physician Nick Warren for answers. Warren, a doctor who prescribes "clean" heroin and provides a safe and sterile environment for users to inject, has developed a close relationship with drug addicts, and knows more about the ins-and-outs of the heroin trade than most people. Hellier wants the trade smashed at any expense, and offers Warren unlimited finances to use his insider knowledge against a major international drug ring. Initially reluctant, Warren is worn down by professional interest and personal circumstances, and assembles a rag-bag team of friends and specialists to travel to the Middle East. Through a combination of deceit and violence, can this eclectic bunch infiltrate and bring down the drug ring, and destroy the heroin supply at its source?

I am a huge fan of Desmond Bagley's work (see my other mostly positive reviews of his books on Amazon), but 'The Spoilers' is easily his worst book, by a considerable margin. The fundamental problem with this book is that the plot just requires too much suspension of disbelief. The idea that an ordinary doctor, no matter how sympathetic to addicts, would have knowledge that the most well-resourced international police forces wouldn't is hard to accept for a start. But even allowing this, we then have Warren turning into a quasi James Bond character, travelling to some of the most dangerous corners of the Middle East, blowing up drug factories, fighting pitched battles in caves, and so on. This is an ordinary doctor, remember, not some ex-Special Forces mercenary who dabbles in medicine in his spare time. It's just not believable, even accepting that your standards for realism aren't high in an adventure thriller. When Warren himself notes over and over how "ridiculous" it all seems, you know there's a problem. And the motivation for many of the other protagonists is pretty weak; they tag along basically because Warren asks them to.

The parts of the book that focus on Abbot and Parker's attempts to infiltrate the organisation are better, however. This sort of clever scheming and manipulation is much more like what we'd expect from Warren, using brains and guile instead of brawn. Some of the baddies such as femme fatale Jeanette Delorme are interesting, and these parts of the book allow the antagonists to be fleshed out and developed a bit. If 'The Spoilers' had been based around this sort of strategy, and not on Warren pulling a Rambo, it would have been a much stronger and more interesting book.

Unfortunately, for the most part, you just can't really believe Warren doing all the things he does, and so you can't really get into the book. You just read with increasing frustration and lack of interest as the book becomes more and more over-the-top and silly. 'The Spoilers' is definitely not the place for newcomers to start; if I'd read this one first, I probably would never have given Bagley a second chance. If you're a fan, you'll eventually get around to reading this, but be aware that this is quite clearly his weakest and least interesting book.