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Drake - The Man With Nobody's Face #6
Operation Drumfire
Operation Dan J. Operation Fawcett Gold Medal FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped. Published by Fawcett Gold Medal Books, 1972. 12mo. Paperback. Code of T2541 on cover and spine. Book is very good. Covers have some light shelf wear. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 349810 Pulp Paperbacks We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1972
22 people want to read
About the author
Dan J. Marlowe
87 books37 followersaka Albert Avellano, Jaime Sandaval, Gar Wilson (house name)
Dan J. Marlowe was a middle-aged businessman who, in the personal turmoil after the death of his wife of many years, decided to abandon his old life. He started writing, and his first novel was published when he was 45.
Marlowe's most famous book and his best-known character arrived from Fawcett Gold Medal Books in 1962 ("The Name of the Game Is Death").
Dan J. Marlowe was a middle-aged businessman who, in the personal turmoil after the death of his wife of many years, decided to abandon his old life. He started writing, and his first novel was published when he was 45.
Marlowe's most famous book and his best-known character arrived from Fawcett Gold Medal Books in 1962 ("The Name of the Game Is Death").
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2026
This was pretty good. I never expected Dan J Marlowe to write a conspiratorial political thriller involving secretive government organizations and Black Panthers. It is rich in detail and characterization.
Operation Drumfire begins with Earl Drake and his girl Hazel, a pilot, flying their Cessna on a real cloudy evening to Ely, Nevada. This tense scene in which Hazel navigates the clouds and reaches their destination is well written and hooked me in. A sex scene at their ranch follows, after which they are paid a visit by Erickson, a spooky government agent for whom Earl has done some dirty work and can never refuse. Erickson shows them a film of a robbery at a horse race by a bunch of black gangsters. He informs them about the possible involvement of a secretive government organization with the black gangsters. When the patriotic Hazel agrees to help Erickson, Earl is forced to pitch in with his girl.
It is not the kind of book I would normally read. But this was action packed. Though I liked it better when Earl Drake was a small town bank thief. Fans of Shibumi and Ninja may give this a try.
Operation Drumfire begins with Earl Drake and his girl Hazel, a pilot, flying their Cessna on a real cloudy evening to Ely, Nevada. This tense scene in which Hazel navigates the clouds and reaches their destination is well written and hooked me in. A sex scene at their ranch follows, after which they are paid a visit by Erickson, a spooky government agent for whom Earl has done some dirty work and can never refuse. Erickson shows them a film of a robbery at a horse race by a bunch of black gangsters. He informs them about the possible involvement of a secretive government organization with the black gangsters. When the patriotic Hazel agrees to help Erickson, Earl is forced to pitch in with his girl.
It is not the kind of book I would normally read. But this was action packed. Though I liked it better when Earl Drake was a small town bank thief. Fans of Shibumi and Ninja may give this a try.
December 25, 2015
"Μέτρα τα βήματά σου, τρελέ", εκδόσεις Άγκυρα.
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Τον Ιανουάριο ήταν η τελευταία φορά που διάβασα ιστορία με ήρωα τον Ερλ Ντρέικ (και γενικά βιβλίο του Νταν Τζ. Μάρλοου), και η αλήθεια είναι ότι μου έλειψε ο βρόμικος κόσμος του συγγραφέα. Το βιβλίο αυτό είναι το έκτο της σειράς με ήρωα τον πρώην ληστή τραπεζών και νυν ανεπίσημο κατάσκοπο Ερλ Ντρέικ και, λίγο-πολύ, προσφέρει την ίδια ψυχαγωγία με τα προηγούμενα βιβλία της σειράς (εκτός ίσως των δυο πρώτων που είναι σε πολύ ανώτερο επίπεδο ποιότητας).
Αυτή την φορά ο "φιλαράκος" του Ντρέικ και πράκτορας της κυβέρνησης Καρλ Έρικσον θα μπλέξει τον πρωταγωνιστή μας και την αγαπημένη του κοκκινομάλλα Χέιζελ σε μια βρόμικη ιστορία στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο, με κάποιους φανατικούς μαύρους ακτιβιστές, τους Μαύρους Ιππότες, οι οποίοι είναι έτοιμοι να πραγματοποιήσουν ένα τρομοκρατικό χτύπημα, χρησιμοποιώντας πληροφορίες από ένα κρατικό ίδρυμα, το ΙΑΑ, που είναι ειδικό σε μελέτες και αναλύσεις γύρω από την ασφάλεια της χώρας. Οι πρωταγωνιστές μας θα αναμιχθούν στον κόσμο του Ιδρύματος, θα μπλέξουν και με κάτι ιπποδρομίες, με την πίεση του χρόνου να είναι ένας επιπλέον αντίπαλος.
Η εξέλιξη της πλοκής μου φάνηκε κάπως αργή σε ορισμένα σημεία, ενώ και η δράση δεν ήταν πολλή, μόνο προς το τέλος έγινε ένας μικρός χαμός. Σίγουρα πέρασα καλά, ευχαριστήθηκα δεκαετία του '70, έλλειψη πολιτικής ορθότητας, παλπ γραφή και βρόμικους χαρακτήρες, δεν θα το πρότεινα όμως σε μη φανατικούς της σειράς. Το κακό είναι ότι δεν βλέπω να έχει μεταφραστεί το έβδομο της σειράς, σε αντίθεση με τα υπόλοιπα τέσσερα που ευτυχώς έχουν μεταφραστεί. Θα το υποστώ...
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Τον Ιανουάριο ήταν η τελευταία φορά που διάβασα ιστορία με ήρωα τον Ερλ Ντρέικ (και γενικά βιβλίο του Νταν Τζ. Μάρλοου), και η αλήθεια είναι ότι μου έλειψε ο βρόμικος κόσμος του συγγραφέα. Το βιβλίο αυτό είναι το έκτο της σειράς με ήρωα τον πρώην ληστή τραπεζών και νυν ανεπίσημο κατάσκοπο Ερλ Ντρέικ και, λίγο-πολύ, προσφέρει την ίδια ψυχαγωγία με τα προηγούμενα βιβλία της σειράς (εκτός ίσως των δυο πρώτων που είναι σε πολύ ανώτερο επίπεδο ποιότητας).
Αυτή την φορά ο "φιλαράκος" του Ντρέικ και πράκτορας της κυβέρνησης Καρλ Έρικσον θα μπλέξει τον πρωταγωνιστή μας και την αγαπημένη του κοκκινομάλλα Χέιζελ σε μια βρόμικη ιστορία στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο, με κάποιους φανατικούς μαύρους ακτιβιστές, τους Μαύρους Ιππότες, οι οποίοι είναι έτοιμοι να πραγματοποιήσουν ένα τρομοκρατικό χτύπημα, χρησιμοποιώντας πληροφορίες από ένα κρατικό ίδρυμα, το ΙΑΑ, που είναι ειδικό σε μελέτες και αναλύσεις γύρω από την ασφάλεια της χώρας. Οι πρωταγωνιστές μας θα αναμιχθούν στον κόσμο του Ιδρύματος, θα μπλέξουν και με κάτι ιπποδρομίες, με την πίεση του χρόνου να είναι ένας επιπλέον αντίπαλος.
Η εξέλιξη της πλοκής μου φάνηκε κάπως αργή σε ορισμένα σημεία, ενώ και η δράση δεν ήταν πολλή, μόνο προς το τέλος έγινε ένας μικρός χαμός. Σίγουρα πέρασα καλά, ευχαριστήθηκα δεκαετία του '70, έλλειψη πολιτικής ορθότητας, παλπ γραφή και βρόμικους χαρακτήρες, δεν θα το πρότεινα όμως σε μη φανατικούς της σειράς. Το κακό είναι ότι δεν βλέπω να έχει μεταφραστεί το έβδομο της σειράς, σε αντίθεση με τα υπόλοιπα τέσσερα που ευτυχώς έχουν μεταφραστεί. Θα το υποστώ...
December 4, 2023
Every once in a while, I like to pick up an old pulp paperback to just experience something interesting and different, and in that regard this one didn’t disappoint. It’s not good, per se. It’s way too concerned with the technical aspects of aviation and guns. Every couple pages there was something that plucked at my modern sensibilities and made me go “whoa, right, this is the 70s”. The plotting is not tight , and there’s not nearly as much action as the back cover implied. As book 8 in a series (apparently), it threw a lot of crazy sounding exposition my way about the previous installments, and multiple times the main character is referred to as “Drake, the man with nobody’s face”, but I’m still not sure what that even means.
Despite all that, I found all its weirdness, insensitivity, and badness fascinating. I read it fairly quickly, enjoyed (?) it, and would even probably pick up another of these down the road.
But still, let me emphasize: not good
Despite all that, I found all its weirdness, insensitivity, and badness fascinating. I read it fairly quickly, enjoyed (?) it, and would even probably pick up another of these down the road.
But still, let me emphasize: not good
June 2, 2017
Operation Drumfire is the sixth novel in the generally top-notch Earl Drake series. Drake was originally a bank robber and his capture and escape from custody in the first two novels of this series are some of the toughest, grittiest, most hardboiled stuff you will find anywhere. Drake, in making his escape got burned in a fire and lost his face and hair. Subsequently, he became Earl Drake, the man with nobody's face. Later novels in the series paired him with a six foot tall redheaded Dynamo, Hazel Andrews, his romantic interest, who owns a ranch in Nevada where they spend time between missions. Missions?? Well, later novels also link Drake with a secret government agent Karl who sometimes needs unofficial help so that he can have plausible deniability.
Although generally a top men's adventure series, this particular selection is a bit slow in getting rolling and disjointed. It lacks the punch that most of the Drake novels have. Don't make this your first Or your last Drake novel. Read some of the others.
This novel takes us back to the early seventies as the flower power and peace love and understanding of the sixties gives way to violence and anger. It's the San Francisco Bay Area and the Black Panthers ( or fictional equivalent) are up to something. There's a mysterious set of shenanigans at a racetrack and Karl calls in a reluctant Drake and Hazel to desk with it. This book also marks the return of Candy Kane from Drake's Bahamian adventure.
Although generally a top men's adventure series, this particular selection is a bit slow in getting rolling and disjointed. It lacks the punch that most of the Drake novels have. Don't make this your first Or your last Drake novel. Read some of the others.
This novel takes us back to the early seventies as the flower power and peace love and understanding of the sixties gives way to violence and anger. It's the San Francisco Bay Area and the Black Panthers ( or fictional equivalent) are up to something. There's a mysterious set of shenanigans at a racetrack and Karl calls in a reluctant Drake and Hazel to desk with it. This book also marks the return of Candy Kane from Drake's Bahamian adventure.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews