Best Adventures of 1951 (8)
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July 12, 2016
One in a series of 10 posts identifying Josh Glenn’s favorite 1951 adventure novels. Happy 65th anniversary!
Desmond Cory’s Johnny Fedora crime/espionage adventure Secret Ministry (a.k.a The Nazi Assassins).
In the first of sixteen outings, Johnny Fedora — recruited as an agent by Britain’s Secret Ministry, because of his wartime activities in the anti-Nazi underground — seeks the answer to a series of mysterious accidents involving R.A.F. pilots. Along the way, he stumbles upon a drug smuggling operation run by secret German agents — in order to wreak havoc on Britain. Much of the action centers around the Three of Clubs, a gambling den perched atop the Downs overlooking Brighton, where Johnny meets shady managers, barmen, cloakroom attendants, and singers, any one of whom could be a Nazi. The writing is more reminiscent of Leslie Charteris or Dorothy Sayers than Ian Fleming… Fedora is something of a wit, commenting on the proceedings from a meta-narrative perspective. Not to worry, though, there’s also plenty of violent action.
Fun fact: Here’s an example of the rare first-time-as-farce-second-time-as-tragedy consideration. James Bond, who made his debut two years later, is a serious Fedora.
Let me know if I’ve missed any 1951 adventures that you particularly admire.