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Sam Durell #34
Assignment Maltese Maiden
Sam Durell had crossed the infamous Madame Hung twice before, enduring agony before he escaped. He thought he had finished her off, then his boss, General McFee, was kidnapped. And with him went the heart and core of K section. It was a cr
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1972
39 people want to read
About the author
Edward S. Aarons
264 books17 followersAKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.
Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.
Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.
Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2022
Madame Hung, the renegade mercenary espionage agent, returns to the Sam Durell series for what is the third or fourth time. Once again, CIA agent Durell is aided by KGB agent Cesar Skoll and, in a shocking development, Peking's top spy, too. All three go after Hung, although some will be more trustworthy than others. Aarons has and does make it clear that, again, that the US and Soviet Union need to ally against China. Otherwise, the action is straightforward, efficient, but just ordinary by the standards of the rest of the series.
A little over half the book takes place in revolutionary Libya, with the remainder situated in Malta. Aarons usually does a splendid job when writing about North Africa or Southeast Asia. He does so, here, too. When he describes those reasons, his work is impressionistic, full of effective atmosphere. But something else occurs when he writes about Europe. Mostly, when Durell is in some European city, Aarons makes it seem as if he is describing a street map. It's odd, because I believe Aarons had more firsthand experience with Europe than North Africa or Southeast Asia. It's the case, however, that he just about always makes Europe feel dull. He does that with Malta, here.
A little over half the book takes place in revolutionary Libya, with the remainder situated in Malta. Aarons usually does a splendid job when writing about North Africa or Southeast Asia. He does so, here, too. When he describes those reasons, his work is impressionistic, full of effective atmosphere. But something else occurs when he writes about Europe. Mostly, when Durell is in some European city, Aarons makes it seem as if he is describing a street map. It's odd, because I believe Aarons had more firsthand experience with Europe than North Africa or Southeast Asia. It's the case, however, that he just about always makes Europe feel dull. He does that with Malta, here.
September 9, 2025
I found this book in a second hand bookshop in Stamford this and was drawn to it because it had Malta in the title (I swear it didn’t have anything to do with the sexy lady on the cover). I flicked through the book to check if the book was actually set in Malta or if it just alluded to this mythical island.
To my joy, a large part of this book is set in Malta — the island where I lived for 4 years myself. As a treat to myself I decided to buy the book and to indulge in a bit of melancholia.
The book starts in Libya, where the special CIA agent Sam Durell is trying to track down the Maltese Maiden (the daughter of his general). The general has recently gone missing, together with some state secrets, so he must be found. The first step is to find his secret daughter.
Sam Durell is being introduced to us in a classic secret agent from the 60’s/70/s type of way. It was so cliché that I couldn’t stop loving it:
He spoke a dozen language fluently, a score of dialects, knew international law, geopolitics, economics, history. He could kill with his hands in several different, silent ways and had done so out of necessity, with no regrets. He was a lonely man. He preferred it that way.
In Libya we are also introduced to Durell’s team and his opponents (the Russians and the Chinese secret agents). The classic enemies of the Cold War time in which the story was written. The Russians drink a lot of vodka and the asian counterparts wear ‘red Chinese robe, embroidered with heart gold thread in dragon forms and tiny figures of Mandarin gentlemen and ladies of another epoch in Chinese Empire history.’
The story is the archetype of a spy story. I’ve never read any book from this genre before, but know I feel like I’ve read them all.
What do you think of the cliché of the enemy that they were forced to work together with that one time? It’s there:
“I’ll see the prisoners first. They’re all secure?”“Charley tried them up in circus knots. I hear we caught a big one.” Keefe licked his lips. His green eyes were speculative. “A Colonel Skoll. An old buddy of yours?” “Hardly a buddy.” “You and Skoll, in Morocco, worked together, didn’t you?”
“Boom, boom, Amerikanski,” one of them said. “You are a dead man.” “Colonel Skoll.” “I told you , old friend, we would meet again.” ‘And I told you, the last time in Japan, that we are not friends.”
The classic trope of helpless women that need to be saved and a spy that cannot love longterm because it would put her in danger.
“She’s here. Somewhere nearby. I can feel it in my bones. I don’t want you in this, Dee.” “Are you talking about Madame Hung?” He nodded. “If I’d known she was involved in the job, I’d never have let you come here.” “I’ve never seen you so worried about anyone, Sam.” “I’m afraid of Madame Hung.” ‘Because of me, you mean.” “Yes.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, because it was so stereotypically a spy-novel. It’s an easy read, with adventure, action, guns, and suggestions to sex. The settings are exotic and outlandish, I can see how it would’ve been popular in the 60s and 70s. A true form of escapism.
I love the descriptions of Malta the most. You can tell that the author spend a lot of time on his descriptions of Malta. I’m almost certain that he must’ve visited, because he mentioned the two crucial things that people will mention after visiting that you won’t find in any brochure: 1) lack of trees, 2) shitty roads.
He backed quickly, drover over the bumpy open area toward the stand of first, practically the only wooded area on all of Malta.
A dark sedan came from the left, moving fast, and shot past their little Fiat, roaring ahead along the wide — and only good — road the Gozitans could boast of.
Apart from that he goes into quite a lot of detail with his descriptions and backgrounds. He lets his protagonist lecture his colleagues on Maltese history. This makes it feel as if the protagonist is a tour guide, more than a spy. I tried to find out if the author had visited Malta on a holiday prior to writing this book, but I didn’t manage to find anything about that. I did find out that the author has a degree in history, which might explain why he enjoyed adding the historic background information about Malta into the book.
All in all a really fun book to read — not despite the cliché and overused tropes, but because of it!
More from the ‘men writing women’ section:
She stood very still. Her hand holding the Beretta did not tremble. She was competent, he thought. She had probably enjoyed the best of Italian and Libyan life; she could probably swim and sail and fly a plane and skin dive and drive racing cars — and make love like a cat.
She pushed back the hood of her barracon. Under the Libyan robe, she wore a modern blouse and brief skirt. She had good breasts, good legs, a narrow waist. Her face was mall, even elfin, and her eye were enormous, wide and black, with tension moving in their depths.
She slide up behind him on the bed and put her arms around him. He felt her warm, dark-copper hair against his shoulders, smelled her perfume, sensed the silken-smooth roundness of her breasts against his back. Deirdre was the most beautiful woman in the world for him, the most desirable, the most important.”
Deirdre drew him back on the bed again. “Make love to me, Sam. Please. Now.” He shivered suddenly. “You’re cold, Sam.” ‘No.” “Let me warm you. You’re tired and cold.” He was thinking of Madame Hung, but he let her draw him back to the bed again. The moonlight touched her smooth, exquisite body. Her eyes were luminous. She smiled and touched him. “Sam?” “Yes,” he said.
He closed his eyes. Rhythm moved in soft flesh over and against him. His hands were numb above his head, and when he tried to draw them down, he couldn’t move them. He tried to jerk them free, and then realised he was strapped and padlocked, spread-eagled on a bed. The win d was open and the cool wind smelled of the Mediterranean. He heard the sound of small waves splashing on rock. He was utterly naked.
Men writing women, but with a touch of orientalist:
She was beautiful in her red Chinese robe, embroidered with heart gold thread in dragon forms and tiny figures of Mandarin gentlemen and ladies of another epoch in Chinese Empire history. The high collar did not detract from her long throat. Her black hair was carefully coiffed, coiled high upon her fine head, accenting the odd pallor of her oval face, which had been made up with powder until her features looked like a mask, serene, smiling, confident, but hardly mobile. It was impossible to guess her age. And yet, Durell though, nothing could hide the vicious cruelty that emanated from her like a tangible aura. Her smile was a careful gesture, a practiced movement without meaning or depth.
To my joy, a large part of this book is set in Malta — the island where I lived for 4 years myself. As a treat to myself I decided to buy the book and to indulge in a bit of melancholia.
The book starts in Libya, where the special CIA agent Sam Durell is trying to track down the Maltese Maiden (the daughter of his general). The general has recently gone missing, together with some state secrets, so he must be found. The first step is to find his secret daughter.
Sam Durell is being introduced to us in a classic secret agent from the 60’s/70/s type of way. It was so cliché that I couldn’t stop loving it:
He spoke a dozen language fluently, a score of dialects, knew international law, geopolitics, economics, history. He could kill with his hands in several different, silent ways and had done so out of necessity, with no regrets. He was a lonely man. He preferred it that way.
In Libya we are also introduced to Durell’s team and his opponents (the Russians and the Chinese secret agents). The classic enemies of the Cold War time in which the story was written. The Russians drink a lot of vodka and the asian counterparts wear ‘red Chinese robe, embroidered with heart gold thread in dragon forms and tiny figures of Mandarin gentlemen and ladies of another epoch in Chinese Empire history.’
The story is the archetype of a spy story. I’ve never read any book from this genre before, but know I feel like I’ve read them all.
What do you think of the cliché of the enemy that they were forced to work together with that one time? It’s there:
“I’ll see the prisoners first. They’re all secure?”“Charley tried them up in circus knots. I hear we caught a big one.” Keefe licked his lips. His green eyes were speculative. “A Colonel Skoll. An old buddy of yours?” “Hardly a buddy.” “You and Skoll, in Morocco, worked together, didn’t you?”
“Boom, boom, Amerikanski,” one of them said. “You are a dead man.” “Colonel Skoll.” “I told you , old friend, we would meet again.” ‘And I told you, the last time in Japan, that we are not friends.”
The classic trope of helpless women that need to be saved and a spy that cannot love longterm because it would put her in danger.
“She’s here. Somewhere nearby. I can feel it in my bones. I don’t want you in this, Dee.” “Are you talking about Madame Hung?” He nodded. “If I’d known she was involved in the job, I’d never have let you come here.” “I’ve never seen you so worried about anyone, Sam.” “I’m afraid of Madame Hung.” ‘Because of me, you mean.” “Yes.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, because it was so stereotypically a spy-novel. It’s an easy read, with adventure, action, guns, and suggestions to sex. The settings are exotic and outlandish, I can see how it would’ve been popular in the 60s and 70s. A true form of escapism.
I love the descriptions of Malta the most. You can tell that the author spend a lot of time on his descriptions of Malta. I’m almost certain that he must’ve visited, because he mentioned the two crucial things that people will mention after visiting that you won’t find in any brochure: 1) lack of trees, 2) shitty roads.
He backed quickly, drover over the bumpy open area toward the stand of first, practically the only wooded area on all of Malta.
A dark sedan came from the left, moving fast, and shot past their little Fiat, roaring ahead along the wide — and only good — road the Gozitans could boast of.
Apart from that he goes into quite a lot of detail with his descriptions and backgrounds. He lets his protagonist lecture his colleagues on Maltese history. This makes it feel as if the protagonist is a tour guide, more than a spy. I tried to find out if the author had visited Malta on a holiday prior to writing this book, but I didn’t manage to find anything about that. I did find out that the author has a degree in history, which might explain why he enjoyed adding the historic background information about Malta into the book.
All in all a really fun book to read — not despite the cliché and overused tropes, but because of it!
More from the ‘men writing women’ section:
She stood very still. Her hand holding the Beretta did not tremble. She was competent, he thought. She had probably enjoyed the best of Italian and Libyan life; she could probably swim and sail and fly a plane and skin dive and drive racing cars — and make love like a cat.
She pushed back the hood of her barracon. Under the Libyan robe, she wore a modern blouse and brief skirt. She had good breasts, good legs, a narrow waist. Her face was mall, even elfin, and her eye were enormous, wide and black, with tension moving in their depths.
She slide up behind him on the bed and put her arms around him. He felt her warm, dark-copper hair against his shoulders, smelled her perfume, sensed the silken-smooth roundness of her breasts against his back. Deirdre was the most beautiful woman in the world for him, the most desirable, the most important.”
Deirdre drew him back on the bed again. “Make love to me, Sam. Please. Now.” He shivered suddenly. “You’re cold, Sam.” ‘No.” “Let me warm you. You’re tired and cold.” He was thinking of Madame Hung, but he let her draw him back to the bed again. The moonlight touched her smooth, exquisite body. Her eyes were luminous. She smiled and touched him. “Sam?” “Yes,” he said.
He closed his eyes. Rhythm moved in soft flesh over and against him. His hands were numb above his head, and when he tried to draw them down, he couldn’t move them. He tried to jerk them free, and then realised he was strapped and padlocked, spread-eagled on a bed. The win d was open and the cool wind smelled of the Mediterranean. He heard the sound of small waves splashing on rock. He was utterly naked.
Men writing women, but with a touch of orientalist:
She was beautiful in her red Chinese robe, embroidered with heart gold thread in dragon forms and tiny figures of Mandarin gentlemen and ladies of another epoch in Chinese Empire history. The high collar did not detract from her long throat. Her black hair was carefully coiffed, coiled high upon her fine head, accenting the odd pallor of her oval face, which had been made up with powder until her features looked like a mask, serene, smiling, confident, but hardly mobile. It was impossible to guess her age. And yet, Durell though, nothing could hide the vicious cruelty that emanated from her like a tangible aura. Her smile was a careful gesture, a practiced movement without meaning or depth.
June 24, 2020
In the late Sixties, there were two really good secret agent series of novels - the best being Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton. Second best were the Sam Durell novels by Edward S. Aarons. In this one, Durell is sent to find and recover his missing boss. He's being held by the evil Madame Hung (who Durell thought he'd killed in a previous novel). Everything is complicated because the Chinese and the Russians both also want Sam's boss - and Hung. It's a three-way race for the prize - providing Hung doesn't kill everyone first.
A fast and furious adventure story that will keep you turning the pages. Enjoy!
A fast and furious adventure story that will keep you turning the pages. Enjoy!
April 24, 2021
Edward Aarons writing gets better and better with each new Assignment.
July 25, 2015
A particularly tough case for the Cajun in this one, as his boss has vanished while apparently looking for his estranged daughter...and the complicate matters, old foe Madame Hung is involved, along with the KGB and the Chinese Black Room, with the latter two wanting Hung for themselves. All this adds up to a rough, mean assignment with twists and turns that make for a compelling story.
March 21, 2013
In my youth, I became an avid fan of the Sam Durell series. That was when I used to read all espionage stories I could get my hands on.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews