It is 1973 and the US counter-intelligence agency AXE decides to escalate its attempts to thwart the heroin trade. Agent Nick Carter, aka N3, aka Killmaster, is going undercover as a Turkish opium trader with a new way of getting his uncut product into Europe and then processed to the US so that the mafia believes his story and lets him get close to their operation. "The Devil's Dozen" (1973) has an international travel caper feel to it in the first half as we tag along with Carter's scheme to get these drugs moving past all the European customs checks while also under the watchful eye of a Corsican mafia femme fatale named Vera who, of course, he has his way with.
This is the 76th installment of the Nick Carter Killmaster series and it was ghost-written by Martin Cruz Smith. Nick Carter the author is a pseudonym used by several authors writing for the series for Award Books, with Nick Carter also being the name of the protagonist character, an American version of James Bond. These stories have adult content.
Verdict: An at-times exciting tale of mid-70's action hero espionage and romance, but more often kind of a meandering plot where the main conflict is Carter trying to convince people who he really is. And I never did figure out why this was titled "The Devil's Dozen." Dozen what?
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay) movie rating if made into a movie: NC-17
A nice rewrite of an old Pulp character. Recast more in the James Bond spy mode. Good quick men's adventure read. If you are looking for some fast paced action and adventure then this is a recommended read.