What do you think?
Rate this book
Delta Connection
The first killing occurs in Constantza, the Romanian seaport on the Black Sea, but the next death happens a world away. At the heart of this thriller is the search for a missing woman - Vikki, the beautiful, adopted daughter of a dissident journalist.
437 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
1 person is currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Hammond Innes
104 books107 followersRalph Hammond Innes was an English novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books.He was awarded a C.B.E. (Commander, Order of the British Empire) in 1978. The World Mystery Convention honoured Innes with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon XXIV awards in Omaha, Nebraska, Oct, 1993.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 4, 2020
The first part of the book is set in Romania. The story is integrated together with historic events that took place in the country during December 1989 that led to the Romanian peoples violent revolt that toppled the Ceausescu regime from power. Until this point the story is quite realistic and has all the elements and potential of a good thriller. I will not outline the plot as this has been already covered in other reviews.
The second part of the story takes place in Pakistan and more precisely to the remote mountains of northwestern Pakistan near the Afghanistan border. Here is were the story "goes down the drain" and becomes unrealistic and tedious leading up to an anticlimax ending.
Hammond Innes is one of my favourite authors and I've read many of his books that are very good, however this is definitely not one of them. I rate it on average 3 stars (4 stars for the first part of the book and 2 stars for the second part).
The second part of the story takes place in Pakistan and more precisely to the remote mountains of northwestern Pakistan near the Afghanistan border. Here is were the story "goes down the drain" and becomes unrealistic and tedious leading up to an anticlimax ending.
Hammond Innes is one of my favourite authors and I've read many of his books that are very good, however this is definitely not one of them. I rate it on average 3 stars (4 stars for the first part of the book and 2 stars for the second part).
November 2, 2018
Terrible read - so very slow!
January 29, 2019
Bought for my husband who enjoys Innes books. He finished it in two days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadly this is the last book Audible so will now have to look for another author. Narration is good
August 23, 2019
Evocative writing style that I appreciated. I wanted to like this book. However, several elements just didn't connect with me.
July 31, 2024
Disjointed and difficult to follow. The last of Hammond Innes books. Showing its age.
July 22, 2024
Everything I want in a Hammond Innes novel was in Delta Connection. Epic scope, stretching from Romania to Istanbul and on to Karachi and the Pamir Plateau in Tajikistan. Interesting characters who change because of their experiences. And some breathtaking adventure treks in the highest mountains on earth. The title is a bit off. It refers to the Danube delta in Romania. But it made me keep thinking of a Chuck Norris movie. Nothing is off otherwise. This was Innes's last work before he died in 1998. And it seems to me he went out on top.
With his Everyman protagonist being led into international intrigue, spies, corporate sabotage, and murder, more than anything else this, like many an Innes novel, reminds me of Eric Ambler, especially the Ambler of the 1930s and 1940s. Here, Paul Cartwright finds himself in the immediate surroundings of the Romanian revolution of 1989. As Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, are captured and executed (I remember seeing and hearing the gasp of the Romanian reporter as the Ceausescus were brought out before the cameras; the footage was supplied worldwide), Paul flees Romania with a vagabond girl, Anamarie. They finally separate in Istanbul but are brought back together when Paul and his guide into Tajikistan, Laun, are brought into a "Lost World" of descendants of Vikings who secreted themselves away in a remote valley and under ground cave network--still acquiring modern technology nonetheless. It may sound outlandish, but as Innes presents it, it's altogether plausible.
As usual, Innes writes in a way that gradually involves you in events. And I like that Connection at 437 pages is a longish work. I knew that this was the last Innes novel for me to get to, so I was determined to take my time and enjoy it. I couldn't. I felt compelled to go on and on over the matter of a day or two and finish it.
With his Everyman protagonist being led into international intrigue, spies, corporate sabotage, and murder, more than anything else this, like many an Innes novel, reminds me of Eric Ambler, especially the Ambler of the 1930s and 1940s. Here, Paul Cartwright finds himself in the immediate surroundings of the Romanian revolution of 1989. As Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, are captured and executed (I remember seeing and hearing the gasp of the Romanian reporter as the Ceausescus were brought out before the cameras; the footage was supplied worldwide), Paul flees Romania with a vagabond girl, Anamarie. They finally separate in Istanbul but are brought back together when Paul and his guide into Tajikistan, Laun, are brought into a "Lost World" of descendants of Vikings who secreted themselves away in a remote valley and under ground cave network--still acquiring modern technology nonetheless. It may sound outlandish, but as Innes presents it, it's altogether plausible.
As usual, Innes writes in a way that gradually involves you in events. And I like that Connection at 437 pages is a longish work. I knew that this was the last Innes novel for me to get to, so I was determined to take my time and enjoy it. I couldn't. I felt compelled to go on and on over the matter of a day or two and finish it.
August 25, 2013
Great book! Full of suspense and mystery!
June 6, 2011
The pace was so slow.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews