Lighting The Pipes

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Fresh on the heels of last week's novel review, we're proud to present our conversation about Clint Eastwood's film adaptation of Trevanian's "The Eiger Sanction" from 1975. Recorded a few years back with our good buddy Jeff Chapman from Bond By Numbers, no Eiger stone was left unturned in this deep-dive investigation, re-polished for your listening pleasure.

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Throughout the first World War, acclaimed novelist W. Somerset Maugham worked for British Intelligence in Switzerland. Under cover as a writer, Maugham used his knowledge of travel, languages and culture to great effect, infiltrating high society and common folk alike in his job of greasing the wheels of espionage. A decade later, Maugham fictionalized his experiences in this book, a pseudo-autobiographical account of his time on the continent. Brimming with intrigue and colourful supporting characters, the linked stories of "Ashenden" are skillfully controlled narrative glimpses of war-time spycraft by a figure who's been there and done it. Fast Facts @ 2:00; Summaries @ 28:00; PIPES @ 1:35:00

Happy New Year! Our survey of John Gardner's continuation novels carries on with a chat over his third effort. If, like many, you buy into the belief that a Bond's third outing is his best ("Goldfinger", "The Spy Who Loved Me", "Skyfall".... Fleming, too, wrote "Moonraker" third) then Gardner should be stretching comfortably by now. "Icebreaker" sees 007 unite with an inter-agency operation in Finland to thwart a fascist terrorist group. Join us as we explore Gardner's world of snowmobiles, double agents and smoked salmon fireside chats.

Our final episode of 2024 looks back on an entertaining year of reading for the show. We also present our rankings for each text covered and share in the challenge of our first holiday Sherlock quiz!

It's Christmas at Gorston Hall and the Lee family is preparing to welcome family home for the holidays at the behest of grizzled, mischievous patriarch, Simeon. But when the guests arrive, bringing all their baggage in tow, a brutal murder amplifies family conflict to a breaking point. In this year's holiday read, LTP mulls wine and conversation over Hercule Poirot and one of Agatha Christie's most celebrated locked room mysteries.

Despite first appearing on the scene in 1928's "Meet the Tiger", author Leslie Charteris promoted this volume from 1930 as the proper introduction of Simon Templar, aka "The Saint". Across three novellas ("The Man Who Was Clever", "The Policeman with Wings" and "The Lawless Lady") his dandified crime-buster makes his literary debut here, taking on London gangsters, outsmarting dwarfish diamond thieves and navigating round a ring of high-seas scam artists. So polish your halos and brogues, its time for close and classy combat with Simon Templar!Fast facts (5:45), "The Man Who Was Clever" (26:30), "The Policeman With Wings" (1:08), "The Lawless Lady" (1:44:20).

Scott Henderson is facing execution for a murder he didn't commit and the countdown clock is ticking. His only chance of reversing fortune rests in a close friend's ability to scour New York's grimy nightlife and locate the anonymous woman who can prove he wasn't at the crime scene. Such are the opening stakes in Cornell Woolrich's pulp thriller, "Phantom Lady", the focus of our latest review. Demonic drugs, fever dream rhythms and even an orange pumpkin hat - what could be more Halloween than that! Thrills and chills abound in this twisty, influential noir.

In his second continuation novel, John Gardner returns Bond to the USA and reunites readers with some canonical staples. Motivated by a recent spate of airline hijackings with potential SPECTRE links, Bond is sent by M to investigate an ice-cream magnate from Texas whose guarded compound and general milieu reeks of suspicion. But the decision to resurrect Fleming's narrative ghosts comes with hefty responsibilities and there's a thin line between successful fan-service and ephemeral tokenism. Join us as we go down the literary gunbarrel for another LTP 007 and discuss the finer points of Gardner's sophomore effort!

Richard Vine's debut novel transports readers to the sharp, seedy world of Manhattan art shows, broken hearts and criminal enterprise. What starts as helping out a murder investigation soon becomes much more for art-dealer (and friend of victim) Jackson Wyeth. "SoHo Sins" is crafted by Vine with a knowing pen, one that is encouraged by a wealth of career experience in the art game and inspired by the busted-up detective narrators of noirs gone by. LTP is excited to be back and kick-starting a new round of reviews with this 2016 entry from Richard Vine and Hard Case Crime.

Who killed Dimitrios Makrupoulos? That’s what obsessive mystery writer Charles Latimer is eager to find out in Eric Ambler’s classic thriller from 1939. As he racks up European passport stamps in pursuit of an answer, the dark and criminal underbelly of a continent in flux is exposed to him, offering Latimer much more than fodder for his next novel. Join LTP as Josh and Scott give chase and explore both author and novel. Fast facts @ 8:50; Summary @ 27:15; Pipes @ 44:30

Our look at the post-Fleming world of 007 continues with "Licence Renewed", John Gardner's inaugural outing and the first James Bond novel of the 1980s. An ousted nuclear scientist with a Braveheart complex seeks revenge in this spy adventure. From fixed horse races and holographic bedrooms to night-driving and devilish highland games, we portion out the narrative goods and take focus down the literary gun-barrel.

Artistry and imagination ran in the bloodline of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's family. His father, Charles, was driven by powerful appetites and ambitions that aptly reflected the Victorian spirit and would come to greatly influence his son. However, his personal life and mental health were marked by persistent struggle. From his advantaged start in London to his tumultuous adult years in Edinburgh to his final days in Dumfries, we step off the beaten track in this special episode for a sojourn through the life and legacy of Charles Altamont Doyle.

We conclude this summer's Sherlock Selects series with "The Devil's Foot", originally published in 1910 and presented later in Conan Doyle's "His Last Bow" collection. Highlighted by a dastardly villain with a vengeful, colonial mind, this story also features a drug-induced journey into the unknown which tests Holmes and Watson's friendship to the max! Edwardian adventure awaits you in this conversation, originally recorded in June of 2018.

Louise Penny's debut novel transports readers to the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, and the fictitious village of Three Pines. The mysterious death of a retired teacher, Jane Neal, sends this secluded community into a fog of suspicion marked by the exhumation of buried secrets, insecurities and dark history. Working the case is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, veteran of the Sûreté du Québec, whose peaceable personality puts him in good stead among the denizens of Three Pines. So pack your bag, readers, and book your B&B: visitors to the leafy lanes of "Still Life" can expect lessons in archery, antique furniture and amateur art! Fast Facts @4:00, Summary @19:30, Review from 43:30.

Josh's selection for this year's "Sherlock Selects" returns us to The Illustrious Client. Marked by the predatory exploits of a dastardly Baron, this later Conan Doyle story (1925) spins its archetypal threads of good vs. evil while promoting emergent themes in context of suffragette and female agency. Our chat, originally recorded in-person during the summer of 2018, has been trimmed down, tidied up and newly introduced here for our annual Summer Redux. Enjoy!

In this installment, Josh presents a clean line through the scandalous phlegm of HUAC and the red scare in Hollywood which served as backdrop for many great film noir productions, including 1948's "Force of Evil". Director Abraham Polonsky fills each frame with atmosphere and suggestive imagery to help convey themes of family conflict and corruption. Heralded still for its lyrical, razor-sharp script, "Force of Evil" has earned a place in the pantheon of film noir. John Garfield, Thomas Gomez and Beatrice Pearson star in this compelling thriller showcasing the rot of capitalist greed in the American underworld.