Trevanian: Four Complete Novels: The Eiger Sanction / The Loo Sanction / The Main / Shibumi

by Trevanian

With these four gripping novels, Trevanian has proven himself a master of suspense. As he weaves his tales of death and danger, of action and mystery, he generates an explosive edge-of-the-seat excitement that few writers can match. In The Eiger Sanction, Trevanian’s highly acclaimed first novel, Jonathan Hemlock, mountain climber and professional assassin, is tricked into a most hazardous assignment that involves an attempt to conquer and scale one of the most treacherous mountain peaks in the Swiss Alps, the Eiger. Hemlock’s highly skilled services are required in The Loo Sanction to recover a set of films incriminating high-ranking British officials. Drawn into a labyrinthine network of intrigue, he must attempt one of the most daring escapes ever conceived. In another masterful achievement in suspense, police lieutenant Claude LaPinte must solve a grotesque murder as he undertakes a strange journey through The Main, Montreal’s dangerous immigrant district. In Shibumi, Nicholai Hel uses his nearly superhuman mental and physical prowess to destroy political terrorists. His wild series of globe-spanning adventures demonstrates why he is considered the world’s most dangerous man. Rich and thoroughly entertaining, these four superbly written novels prove Trevanian to be one of the most compelling writers of suspense today.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Espionage

750 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Rodney William Whitaker was an American film scholar and writer who wrote several novels under the pen name Trevanian. Whitaker wrote in a wide variety of genres, achieved bestseller status, and published under several other names, as well, including Nicholas Seare, Beñat Le Cagot, and Edoard Moran. He published the nonfiction book The Language of Film under his own name.
Between 1972 and 1983, five of his novels sold more than a million copies each. He was described as "the only writer of airport paperbacks to be compared to Émile Zola, Ian Fleming, Edgar Allan Poe, and Geoffrey Chaucer." Whitaker adamantly avoided publicity for most of his life, his real name a closely held secret for many years. The 1980 reference book Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers listed his real name in its Trevanian entry.

Reviews

[Sue Getman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read Shibumi and The Eiger Sanction, and have now added The Loo Sanction and The Main to my list of Trevanian books. Love them. Read w/a dictionary handy. Plan to watch the Clint Eastwood movie version of Eiger Sanction tonight.

[Kimberly Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

not just 5 stars

5 Billion Stars


Shibumi is - I have no words, just surges of pure joy. It is like oxygen and sunshine.
My annual summer read since I was 17, and never fails to impress, entertain, surprise and delight.
5 infinity stars.

Eiger is great, the rest also great - Shibumi is life.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Includes four novels. Shibumi is the best (intriguing examination of Japanese vs Western culture set in the mode of a Go game). The Eiger Sanction is also good. They are all filled with 1970s cynicism, esp of the government. (Think counter-culture, Watergate, and anti-Vietnam.) In addition to the plots, they make an interesting study of 1970s culture and liberal thought.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read "Shibumi" many years ago and I loved it. Great plot and characters. Well worth your time.

Enjoy!

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining thrillers.
Four novels:
1. The Eiger Sanction
2. The Loo Sanction
3. The Main
4. Shibumi

[Kevin Koeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

If all stories were the quality of "The Main" this would be a 5star collection.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of spy novels by Trevanian. Contained inside are The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, The Main, and Shibuni. The stories cover assassination and terrorism.

[Christopher Skarp]

I've read (and loved) Shibumi, so would love to find this collection!