The Bad Step

by Mark Derby

After sixteen years, secret agent Largo Martindale was quitting the world's most dangerous game: the hunting of human beings. But when he walked into the Rock Hotel and saw Solway, he knew that the game was not yet over. It would never be over until one of them was dead.

Solway had sworn to kill Largo Martindale. This time Martindale, a hunter of men, would be the hunted. He had everything to lose: his home, the beautiful woman he loved so passionately, his life!

186 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jim Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be put off by what seems like a trite, awkward title. The title is entirely relevant but it certainly doesn't resonate or inspire confidence. It has always struck me that Mark Derby's publisher didn't serve him well; the covers of his books are trashy and garish, the titles (except for Sun in the Hunter's Eyes) uninspiring.
This one should appeal to anyone with an appreciation of high adventure and life-or-death struggles set in exotic locales. Our protagonist here is a man pursued by an implacable, murderous enemy intent upon destroying him and everything he loves. As with most of Derby's stories, this one is set primarily in the far east, at a time of political turmoil and social unrest.
The combination of a gripping story, vividly drawn characters and skillfully executed prose in this, as in most of Derby's books, once again brings to mind "Terry and the Pirates", that wonderfully drawn cartoon series that ran in the weekend papers many years back.
First-rate entertainment!