Vivero Letter [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Desmond Bagley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1976

Jeremy Wheale's well-ordered life is torn apart when his brother is murdered by a mob hit man, whose bait was a family heirloom - a sixteenth-century gold tray. The trail takes Wheale from Devon to Mexico and the wild tropical rain forests of Yucatan. In dense jungle, he helps two archaeologists locate the rest of a fabled hoard of gold - treasure from Uaxuanoc, the centuries-old lost city of the Mayas. But his brother's enemies are on Wheale's trail, and with them are the Chicleros, a vicious band of convict mercenaries.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 531 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print (June 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0854564438
• ISBN-13: 978-0854564439
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,666,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Bagley., January 6, 2008

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vivero Letter (Paperback)

Desmond Bagley is one of my favorite authors; this is a pretty typical example of his writing. He takes a normal, unexceptional "gray little man", places him in an exceptional situation, and watches him flower into an action hero. This may sound implausible, but Bagley manages it with flair. His characterizations, dialogue, and detail almost always ring true (if a bit dated these days) and his research into locale and science at least seem exhaustive to a non-specialist; I couldn't vouch for whether they really are or not, not being any more knowledgeable about exotic locales or scientific detail than the average layman.

Bagley is always good for a quick action-adventure read, and this book is no exception, in fact it's above the mid-level for his work, if not at the very top.