Innes, Michael - The Man from the Sea / Death by Moonlight (1955)

Review by Nick Fuller

4/5

A Cold War thriller in the mould of Buchan, involving the journey of two wanted men from Scotland to London (The Thirty-nine Steps reversed). While there is plenty of excitement and entertainment along the way, the chief interest is in the moral ambiguity: instead of straightforward derring-do / Rex and realm patriotism, both hero and reader increasingly come to mistrust “the man from the sea.” The ending is extremely modern: general untrustworthiness, and a series of treacherous boxes within boxes. Would make a great film.

One of Innes's specialities: the suspense-pursuit novel (Scottish moors etc.) Starts well with some interesting characters, especially the fugitive, who is a defected scientist defecting back. This defector, John Day, is one of the best characters Innes ever created. Great story, until about three-quarters through, then degenerates into bland and sloppy melodrama. This had the potential of being a classic spy novel, but no dice.

Wyatt James