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The Destroyer #78
Blue Smoke and Mirrors
Remo must tear himself away from a luscious beauty and Chiun from a fascination with the supernatural in order to track the robber of radioactive secrets who manages to make entrance into a top-secret nuclear missile facility a piece of cake
- GenresAdventure
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 3, 1989
About the author
Warren Murphy
296 books125 followersWarren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.
Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.
His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.
He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.
He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.
Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.
His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.
He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.
He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 16, 2024
Rating 3.5
Unusual story really for the series, Sinanju goes up against some stolen tech that allows the wearer to walk through solid objects.
The interplay between Chiun, Remo and smith I thought was very good.
The ending of the story was quite dark though, unless setting up a sequel (as with the multiple returns of the rogue ai) but don’t remember if it does.
Entertaining entry in the series those worth picking up.
Unusual story really for the series, Sinanju goes up against some stolen tech that allows the wearer to walk through solid objects.
The interplay between Chiun, Remo and smith I thought was very good.
The ending of the story was quite dark though, unless setting up a sequel (as with the multiple returns of the rogue ai) but don’t remember if it does.
Entertaining entry in the series those worth picking up.
July 3, 2017
His name was Remo, and all he wanted was to enjoy a Saturday-afternoon ballgame.
Another lighthearted entry in the Destroyer series, Blue Smoke and Mirrors revolves around the rather silly premise of a vibration suit that allows the wearer to walk through walls - among other things - being utilized by Russian spies to steal military technology. There's a lot of humor throughout the book, including lengthy dialogues between Remo and Chiun about baseball, a thinly-veiled Dan Quayle joke, a kleptomaniac Russian spy, and the standard big-breasted military intelligence officer who ends up tagging along for the ride. As a matter of fact, while there isn't enough to actually scream copycat, there are several elements in Blue Smoke and Mirrors - female military sidekick, bogus technology, lighthearted presentation - that might remind the reader of the Remo Williams film from a few years previous. Like Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, this is definitely a PG-13 version of the boys from Folcroft.
Other than that, it's all just an upbeat caper. No mystical visions, no dark brooding, and no body count, although in the end Chiun does apologize to Smith for the latter. Ghostwritten by Will Murray, Blue Smoke and Mirrors is a fun, easy read driven by character-based humor rather than over-the-top violence. This might annoy some fans of the series, but for others it will be a welcome change of pace.
On an interesting side note, the Russian spy in this one does a trick with a telephone that comes up again later in the Matrix franchise.
Another lighthearted entry in the Destroyer series, Blue Smoke and Mirrors revolves around the rather silly premise of a vibration suit that allows the wearer to walk through walls - among other things - being utilized by Russian spies to steal military technology. There's a lot of humor throughout the book, including lengthy dialogues between Remo and Chiun about baseball, a thinly-veiled Dan Quayle joke, a kleptomaniac Russian spy, and the standard big-breasted military intelligence officer who ends up tagging along for the ride. As a matter of fact, while there isn't enough to actually scream copycat, there are several elements in Blue Smoke and Mirrors - female military sidekick, bogus technology, lighthearted presentation - that might remind the reader of the Remo Williams film from a few years previous. Like Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, this is definitely a PG-13 version of the boys from Folcroft.
Other than that, it's all just an upbeat caper. No mystical visions, no dark brooding, and no body count, although in the end Chiun does apologize to Smith for the latter. Ghostwritten by Will Murray, Blue Smoke and Mirrors is a fun, easy read driven by character-based humor rather than over-the-top violence. This might annoy some fans of the series, but for others it will be a welcome change of pace.
On an interesting side note, the Russian spy in this one does a trick with a telephone that comes up again later in the Matrix franchise.
June 19, 2024
Someone has figured out how to make a man completely invisible and is using him to steal missile parts from the U.S. Smith suspects the Soviets. Chiun thinks it’s a ghost. The biggest clue appears to be that in addition to missile parts, the thief also likes blue jeans.
This wasn’t the best of the Destroyer novels, but it was a unique problem—no small feat after seventy-seven other volumes. Remo and Chiun get teamed up with the requisite beautiful female to track down the thief. She actually figures out quite a bit about CURE in the meantime, but it doesn’t appear to really matter.
The ending did have a slightly creepy note to it.
This wasn’t the best of the Destroyer novels, but it was a unique problem—no small feat after seventy-seven other volumes. Remo and Chiun get teamed up with the requisite beautiful female to track down the thief. She actually figures out quite a bit about CURE in the meantime, but it doesn’t appear to really matter.
The ending did have a slightly creepy note to it.
February 15, 2016
One of the big men's adventure series from the 70's than ran an impressive 145 books. The series while an adventure/action story is also full of satire toward much of the mainstream fads and icons of the time. An interesting main character and the sarcastic mentor makes this a funny action/adventure read. Military secrets are being stolen under the strictest of security. It seems that the thief, whoever he is, can turn invisible, walk through thick walls, and even transport himself over phone lines. Unless CURE can find out who he is and stop him, no secret the government has will ever be safe again. Recommended
November 27, 2009
An old enemy comes back to mess with U.S.A./U.S.S.R. relations and Remo and Chuin come to the world's rescue.
Reads like a good cheesy spy movie.
These books are basically the guy version of paperback romances, except most of the romance has been replaced with kung-fu.
Reads like a good cheesy spy movie.
These books are basically the guy version of paperback romances, except most of the romance has been replaced with kung-fu.
May 23, 2015
love the Destroyer series
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews