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Afraid in the Dark
Derrex, a man still struggling with inner scars after being tortured in a Japanese internment camp, now accepts an assignment to track down a vicious war criminal in Malaya—a dramatic journey of passion and vengeance.
318 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
About the author
Mark Derby
43 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 18, 2019
Another of Derby's several adventure novels set in Malaya, a region of the world that he knew intimately. Under his real name Harry Wilcox, he published several non-fiction books exploring the steamy geography and intriguing peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, Malayan peninsula and surrounding territories.
This particular book is more of a thriller than either The Sunlit Ambush or Sun in the Hunter's Eyes. The unfortunate cover on my paperback edition might discourage most serious readers, hinting at a trashy romance; too bad, they would be missing out on a first-class adventure story only slightly marred by a few lapses in character credibility. It's a compelling read, featuring a damaged protagonist suffering from what would in our day be identified as PTSD, faced with the ultimate test of his courage and resiliency. The tale also features a delightfully fiendish villain and our hero's sweetheart who, while a bit too good to be entirely credible, is nevertheless attractive and engaging. A far-fetched yarn? Of course; but that's why we read stories like this.
Once again, while reading Derby, I'm reminded of the golden era of comics in the weekend papers that featured "Terry and the Pirates", brilliantly drawn tales of adventure in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. Great entertainment!
This particular book is more of a thriller than either The Sunlit Ambush or Sun in the Hunter's Eyes. The unfortunate cover on my paperback edition might discourage most serious readers, hinting at a trashy romance; too bad, they would be missing out on a first-class adventure story only slightly marred by a few lapses in character credibility. It's a compelling read, featuring a damaged protagonist suffering from what would in our day be identified as PTSD, faced with the ultimate test of his courage and resiliency. The tale also features a delightfully fiendish villain and our hero's sweetheart who, while a bit too good to be entirely credible, is nevertheless attractive and engaging. A far-fetched yarn? Of course; but that's why we read stories like this.
Once again, while reading Derby, I'm reminded of the golden era of comics in the weekend papers that featured "Terry and the Pirates", brilliantly drawn tales of adventure in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. Great entertainment!
Displaying 1 of 1 review