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Matt Helm #22
THE DETONATORS - A Matt Helm Adventure
Daddy's deadly little girl.The prim young lady needs a help her father beat a bum drug rap. After all, he is Matt Helm's old colleague at the agency.Suddenly Dad's boat detonates outside Miami Harbor. And Matt Helm discovers that young Amy isn't as innocent as she looks. Amy lures Matt to the Bahamas, where an unlikely pack of fanatics may be planning an explosive surprise....
Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
38 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Donald Hamilton
101 books107 followersDonald Hamilton was a U.S. writer of novels, short stories, and non-fiction about the outdoors. His novels consist mostly of paperback originals, principally spy fiction but also crime fiction and Westerns such as The Big Country. He is best known for his long-running Matt Helm series (1960-1993), which chronicles the adventures of an undercover counter-agent/assassin working for a secret American government agency.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 23, 2014
Another great tale by Hamilton. Helm shocked me by his sentimentalism a couple of times, but it added to the story. Again we find him on a sail boat in the Caribbean which Hamilton does so well since he spent so much time doing exactly the same thing. His sarcastic comments about 'true sailors' always make me chuckle.
Helm underwent some rejuvenation. Other characters were in WWII, but his participation was not mentioned - not exactly denied, but it was made clear that he was somewhat younger than those characters - too old for the young lady in question, but not as old as he should be given his previous history. Older cases, including his marriage are mentioned & the facts remain consistent.
On to The Vanishers!
Helm underwent some rejuvenation. Other characters were in WWII, but his participation was not mentioned - not exactly denied, but it was made clear that he was somewhat younger than those characters - too old for the young lady in question, but not as old as he should be given his previous history. Older cases, including his marriage are mentioned & the facts remain consistent.
On to The Vanishers!
December 31, 2008
It's a little heartbreaking to read the later Matt Helm novels since there is a steady decline in quality as the series moved into the 80s. Part of the problem, I believe, is that Mr. Hamilton was struggling to fit his 1960s character (who was really a throw-back to the 1940s private eyes) into a modern spy genre and it didn't quite work. The other issue was that Mr. Hamilton was clearly pressured by the publishers into making the books longer than the earlier novels, in some cases almost twice as long. When a series has a successful formula that works well at the 60 to 70 thousand word range, adding bulk to the formula only bogs the whole thing down. This is never more clear than in The Detonators where the story meanders in one directions for the first half of the book, then takes a sharp left to follow where the book should have been going in the first place.
The story begins when Helm is brought in to help a fellow agent who has gotten into some trouble with the law. When the agent blows himself up in a boating chase with the Coast Guard, Helm tries to comfort the dead agent's estranged daughter. Turns out, though, that this is all a ruse so that Helm can follow the daughter who is linked to a No-Nukes organization that might be up to some terrorist plot. The middle of the story noodles around with some far-fetched plot where Helm recruits the daughter to go undercover with him on a drug smuggling case. Once Hamilton has sufficiently padded the book with an extra 100 pages or so of this dead-end storyline, he drops the daughter and switches back to the main story of following the No-Nukes group.
The last third of the book is old school Matt Helm, but the padding at the beginning is mighty frustrating to plow through. I gave up on this book several times before forcing myself to finish it. This is for hardcore fans only. If you want a good Helm book, stick with the ones from the 60s.
The story begins when Helm is brought in to help a fellow agent who has gotten into some trouble with the law. When the agent blows himself up in a boating chase with the Coast Guard, Helm tries to comfort the dead agent's estranged daughter. Turns out, though, that this is all a ruse so that Helm can follow the daughter who is linked to a No-Nukes organization that might be up to some terrorist plot. The middle of the story noodles around with some far-fetched plot where Helm recruits the daughter to go undercover with him on a drug smuggling case. Once Hamilton has sufficiently padded the book with an extra 100 pages or so of this dead-end storyline, he drops the daughter and switches back to the main story of following the No-Nukes group.
The last third of the book is old school Matt Helm, but the padding at the beginning is mighty frustrating to plow through. I gave up on this book several times before forcing myself to finish it. This is for hardcore fans only. If you want a good Helm book, stick with the ones from the 60s.
April 8, 2025
This time out, Matt is helping out the daughter of a colleague. The fellow agent has been arrested on charges of smuggling marijuana and assaulting police. She wants him to help out her father. As in spy stories things are never as they seem. There is much more going on.
Before he knows it, Helm is chasing down a group of peace activists who have recruited a notorious esplosives expert. Matt's job is to find out where they're at, and stop whatever they're doing. The rest. It's an action-filled, with plenty of twists and turns.
Like many of the last half of the Helm series this one takes place on the water, with lots of seagoing action. I've done a basic search and have yet to discover why Hamilton developed an interest in boats and yachting. (In the last years of his marriage--his wife died--he split his time between living on a yacht and his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.)
As always the story is told with a detached, gritty realism, more Sam Spade and almost no James Bond. When sex happens the description are almost clinical. Nothing purient here. The taut story telling pulls you along, making page-turning reading. Alongside the gritty realism, Hamilton probes obssesive attachments and family relationships.
After all these years of reading Matt Helm novels, I have found a flaw. All the women in his novels speak the same, regardless of their background, soci0-economic status. It's always "lovely", "dear", "darling", and so on. You'd think he would have been able to create different dialouge for the variety of women. But I'm not giving up on him, not after 40+ years of following Matt Helm.
Before he knows it, Helm is chasing down a group of peace activists who have recruited a notorious esplosives expert. Matt's job is to find out where they're at, and stop whatever they're doing. The rest. It's an action-filled, with plenty of twists and turns.
Like many of the last half of the Helm series this one takes place on the water, with lots of seagoing action. I've done a basic search and have yet to discover why Hamilton developed an interest in boats and yachting. (In the last years of his marriage--his wife died--he split his time between living on a yacht and his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.)
As always the story is told with a detached, gritty realism, more Sam Spade and almost no James Bond. When sex happens the description are almost clinical. Nothing purient here. The taut story telling pulls you along, making page-turning reading. Alongside the gritty realism, Hamilton probes obssesive attachments and family relationships.
After all these years of reading Matt Helm novels, I have found a flaw. All the women in his novels speak the same, regardless of their background, soci0-economic status. It's always "lovely", "dear", "darling", and so on. You'd think he would have been able to create different dialouge for the variety of women. But I'm not giving up on him, not after 40+ years of following Matt Helm.
July 10, 2025
Mac has sent Amy Barnett to Matt Helm. She is the estranged daughter of Doug Barnett, a retired agent who has been arrested for drug smuggling. But things are not all that they seem. Amy is a peace activist in a relationship with a bomber named Minister. Doug has been roughed up during his arrest, aggravating his head wound from a previous mission.
Their meeting, in a hospital room, does not go well. Doug asks Helm to take care of his daughter, no matter what happens.
Helm is outfitted with a sailboat to look for the hideout of the bomber. He is joined by Amy for a while then the head of the peace organization she is a member of, a woman called Gina. He is drugged and beaten several times and eventually learns more details of the plot against a peace conference. And then, he finally goes into action.
This book is nearly twice as long as those written in the sixties. How does he fill up the space? It is not through any additional action. A big chunk of it comes from extended conversations with Doug, then his daughter Amy and then Gina.
Their meeting, in a hospital room, does not go well. Doug asks Helm to take care of his daughter, no matter what happens.
Helm is outfitted with a sailboat to look for the hideout of the bomber. He is joined by Amy for a while then the head of the peace organization she is a member of, a woman called Gina. He is drugged and beaten several times and eventually learns more details of the plot against a peace conference. And then, he finally goes into action.
This book is nearly twice as long as those written in the sixties. How does he fill up the space? It is not through any additional action. A big chunk of it comes from extended conversations with Doug, then his daughter Amy and then Gina.
December 25, 2024
This book shows its age and the apparent fatigue of the writer, lacking the tight plotting of many of the previous volumes.
Matt Helm spends much of this book not doing much to affect event, largely relying on known enemies to bring him where he wants to go. He also seems to be less competent and more gullible than has been typical in other books.
What should be the climax of the book ends up being a series of anticlimaxes.
And Helm seems to be curiously prudish, apparently only his quirks are acceptable.
Where there is action, though, it's written well. This was an entertaining read, but not a particularly memorable read.
Aside: Hamilton apparently spent quite a bit of time living on his boat, and his contempt for the US Coast Guard comes through clearly. This isn't entirely out of character, but I found it a bit distracting.
There are a few volumes left in the series, and I'll probably read them at some point, but that won't be a priority.
Matt Helm spends much of this book not doing much to affect event, largely relying on known enemies to bring him where he wants to go. He also seems to be less competent and more gullible than has been typical in other books.
What should be the climax of the book ends up being a series of anticlimaxes.
And Helm seems to be curiously prudish, apparently only his quirks are acceptable.
Where there is action, though, it's written well. This was an entertaining read, but not a particularly memorable read.
Aside: Hamilton apparently spent quite a bit of time living on his boat, and his contempt for the US Coast Guard comes through clearly. This isn't entirely out of character, but I found it a bit distracting.
There are a few volumes left in the series, and I'll probably read them at some point, but that won't be a priority.
October 12, 2019
Another great Matt Helm story. Was better than some of the last few and petty much exactly what you have come to expect from Helm if you’ve read the earlier books. Just remember, when Matt tells you to be careful and not to give him a reason to kill you or he will, do as he says. If you have enjoyed any of the Matt Helm series, you’ll enjoy this one. Getting closer to the end of the series and that will be a sad day.
February 19, 2019
Back to the high seas...
... and the Bahamas again (does seem a favorite area for Mr. Hamilton's hijinks). Quite the plot this time, taking the old adage of "fighting fire with fire" about as far as it can be taken.
... and the Bahamas again (does seem a favorite area for Mr. Hamilton's hijinks). Quite the plot this time, taking the old adage of "fighting fire with fire" about as far as it can be taken.
October 10, 2017
Yeah it's longer than his earlier works but I still enjoyed the hell out of it.
April 11, 2023
The Detonators
I always find enjoyment reading his books. This one is no exception. I have read the series up to this point and plan on reading the rest.
I always find enjoyment reading his books. This one is no exception. I have read the series up to this point and plan on reading the rest.
August 13, 2014
This is such familiar ground. I think I read my first Matt Helm more then forty years ago. I've read the series at least three times,which would make this read thru my fourth.
I try to mix thing up in my reading,so without realizing it,its been year since I read the 21rst book in the series, but with the first sentence in The Detonators I felt right at home.
Things are never easy for Matt,but when as agent that is used to working alone finds himself working under someone, even another agent from his own organization, things can be really complicated. Throw in some family connections and it can turn into quite a mess.
The family come in the form of a daughter of someone Matt had once worked with on a "job". The complications are many,with most yet to be discovered,even by the very smart men that were planning the mission. Once again there's a nautical angle, and Helm is learning as he goes. When a sail boat blows up the game is one,and things threaten to get nuclear before its over.
I always recommend this series. Its secret agent stories without gadgets. Man and woman stuff without slick seduction. And then death as a job,plain and simple, no sentimentality. At least that's the job description, Helm brings the human,and makes it something we can all understand.
Its definitely a mans world,but it's without the vulgarity that often comes with those kind of stories. There's a 50's politeness to it all, very little ego involved.
Something new since I last read a book from this series, they are being republished. Titan Books is bring the series back. They have published about half the series so far with more in the works. So you no longer have to haunt bookstores and ebay to find and read Donald Hamilton's classic spy series.
I try to mix thing up in my reading,so without realizing it,its been year since I read the 21rst book in the series, but with the first sentence in The Detonators I felt right at home.
Things are never easy for Matt,but when as agent that is used to working alone finds himself working under someone, even another agent from his own organization, things can be really complicated. Throw in some family connections and it can turn into quite a mess.
The family come in the form of a daughter of someone Matt had once worked with on a "job". The complications are many,with most yet to be discovered,even by the very smart men that were planning the mission. Once again there's a nautical angle, and Helm is learning as he goes. When a sail boat blows up the game is one,and things threaten to get nuclear before its over.
I always recommend this series. Its secret agent stories without gadgets. Man and woman stuff without slick seduction. And then death as a job,plain and simple, no sentimentality. At least that's the job description, Helm brings the human,and makes it something we can all understand.
Its definitely a mans world,but it's without the vulgarity that often comes with those kind of stories. There's a 50's politeness to it all, very little ego involved.
Something new since I last read a book from this series, they are being republished. Titan Books is bring the series back. They have published about half the series so far with more in the works. So you no longer have to haunt bookstores and ebay to find and read Donald Hamilton's classic spy series.
January 9, 2020
If you have never read any of Hamilton's Matt Helm series, you are in for a treat. The Matt Helm series was always sort of a hardboiled spy fiction series that did not rely on fancy gadgets, speed boats, secret
missile bases, or the like. Rather, it focused on a more realistic portrayal of spy life, including that the featured spy/assassin Matt Helm ended up early on being estranged from his wife and children once his wife realized the kind of work that he did, but as the narration explained, it is necessary work that someone has to do in order to preserve the freedoms that we hold dear.
This particular volume tackles the thorny issue of what links there are between radical environmental groups and out and out terrorists and whether there are always sharp lines. It tackles the question of when activists are merely innocent dupes and when they become so enmeshed in evil in pursuit of their tactics that they can no longer see that a terrorist who blows up planes and embassies is simply evil. It is a world of good intentions that even an agent's grown children might
become involved in and in which a rich widow might find purpose.
But, as any good Matt Helm novel, this story is not about belief systems or theories, but real people and how they react to situations, including how estranged family members will react, how Helm deals with seemingly-innocent counter-agents, and the like. Much of the action takes place in a nautical world in and around the Bahamas and Florida.
Overall, it turned out to be quite a powerful story and well worth reading. Most series of more than two dozen novels suffer from quality control and repeated plot lines, but not this series. Every Matt Helm book I have read has been absolutely top notch, including this one.
missile bases, or the like. Rather, it focused on a more realistic portrayal of spy life, including that the featured spy/assassin Matt Helm ended up early on being estranged from his wife and children once his wife realized the kind of work that he did, but as the narration explained, it is necessary work that someone has to do in order to preserve the freedoms that we hold dear.
This particular volume tackles the thorny issue of what links there are between radical environmental groups and out and out terrorists and whether there are always sharp lines. It tackles the question of when activists are merely innocent dupes and when they become so enmeshed in evil in pursuit of their tactics that they can no longer see that a terrorist who blows up planes and embassies is simply evil. It is a world of good intentions that even an agent's grown children might
become involved in and in which a rich widow might find purpose.
But, as any good Matt Helm novel, this story is not about belief systems or theories, but real people and how they react to situations, including how estranged family members will react, how Helm deals with seemingly-innocent counter-agents, and the like. Much of the action takes place in a nautical world in and around the Bahamas and Florida.
Overall, it turned out to be quite a powerful story and well worth reading. Most series of more than two dozen novels suffer from quality control and repeated plot lines, but not this series. Every Matt Helm book I have read has been absolutely top notch, including this one.
January 28, 2009
Looking for a well-crafted light thriller? Booklist, in a retrospective of mystery writers, recommended Donald Hamilton as a writer who has been underated and forgotten in recent years. I happened to have an old copy lying around, and I agree with their positive assessment.
Matt Helm, his hero, works for a shady government agency performing tasks that would never be officially sanctioned, e.g. assassinations, etc. There job is to keep track of bad guys taking them out when necessary.
Doug, another agent and old friend of Matt, is in jail for having some marihuana on his boat. Doug is ostensibly in retirement and close to death with assorted medical problems. Matt is asked to help Doug's daughter reconcile with her father. Together they watch as Doug blows up his boat after escaping from custody. Turns out the whole thing is a setup. Doug is hardly retired, and his daughter is suspected of being an agent for a nefaiours exposive expert who adopts aliases relating a religious theme, e.g. Aloysius Pastor. Alfred Minister, and Alan Priest.. Matt's job is to "succomb" to Amy's (Doug's daughter) blandishments in order to track down Alfred Minister who is suspected of wanted to destroy a disarmament conference.
The action becomes almost "Bondian" without the gimmicks as Matt proceeds to save the world from nuclear disaster while bedding the attractive opposition. Still, Hamilton has created a very likeable hero who understands that what he does is often amoral but contextual.
Matt Helm, his hero, works for a shady government agency performing tasks that would never be officially sanctioned, e.g. assassinations, etc. There job is to keep track of bad guys taking them out when necessary.
Doug, another agent and old friend of Matt, is in jail for having some marihuana on his boat. Doug is ostensibly in retirement and close to death with assorted medical problems. Matt is asked to help Doug's daughter reconcile with her father. Together they watch as Doug blows up his boat after escaping from custody. Turns out the whole thing is a setup. Doug is hardly retired, and his daughter is suspected of being an agent for a nefaiours exposive expert who adopts aliases relating a religious theme, e.g. Aloysius Pastor. Alfred Minister, and Alan Priest.. Matt's job is to "succomb" to Amy's (Doug's daughter) blandishments in order to track down Alfred Minister who is suspected of wanted to destroy a disarmament conference.
The action becomes almost "Bondian" without the gimmicks as Matt proceeds to save the world from nuclear disaster while bedding the attractive opposition. Still, Hamilton has created a very likeable hero who understands that what he does is often amoral but contextual.
September 5, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to everyone.
May 3, 2020
Matt Helms and I learned more about sailing than either us of wanted to.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews