Honourable Intentions

Honour #4

by Gavin Lyall

As a young naval officer, King George V kept a mistress in Portsmouth. In 1914 an American anarchist is about to be extradited, until he claims he is the King's son -- and heir to the throne. Charged with the investigation, Captains Ranklin and O'Gilroy discover there is no smoke without gunfire.

Genres: Espionage, Mystery

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Gavin was born and educated in Birmingham. For two years he served as a RAF pilot before going up to Cambridge, where he edited Varsity, the university newspaper. After working for Picture Post, the Sunday Graphic and the BBC, he began his first novel, The Wrong Side of the Sky, published in 1961. After four years as Air Correspondent to the Sunday Times, he resigned to write books full time. He was married to the well-known journalist Katherine Whitehorn and they lived in London with their children.

Lyall won the British Crime Writers' Association's Silver Dagger award in both 1964 and 1965. In 1966-67 he was Chairman of the British Crime Writers Association. He was not a prolific author, attributing his slow pace to obsession with technical accuracy. According to a British newspaper, “he spent many nights in his kitchen at Primrose Hill, north London, experimenting to see if one could, in fact, cast bullets from lead melted in a saucepan, or whether the muzzle flash of a revolver fired across a saucer of petrol really would ignite a fire”.

He eventually published the results of his research in a series of pamphlets for the Crime Writers' Association in the 1970s. Lyall signed a contract in 1964 by the investments group Booker similar to one they had signed with Ian Fleming. In return for a lump payment of £25,000 and an annual salary, they and Lyall subsequently split his royalties, 51-49.

Up to the publication in 1975 of Judas Country, Lyall's work falls into two groups. The aviation thrillers (The Wrong Side Of The Sky, The Most Dangerous Game, Shooting Script, and Judas Country), and what might be called "Euro-thrillers" revolving around international crime in Europe (Midnight Plus One, Venus With Pistol, and Blame The Dead).

All these books were written in the first person, with a sardonic style reminiscent of the "hard-boiled private-eye" genre. Despite the commercial success of his work, Lyall began to feel that he was falling into a predictable pattern, and abandoned both his earlier genres, and the first-person narrative, for his “Harry Maxim" series of espionage thrillers beginning with The Secret Servant published in 1980. This book, originally developed for a proposed BBC TV Series, featured Major Harry Maxim, an SAS officer assigned as a security adviser to 10 Downing Street, and was followed by three sequels with the same central cast of characters.

In the 1990s Lyall changed literary direction once again, and wrote four semi-historical thrillers about the fledgling British secret service in the years leading up to World War I.

Gavin Lyall died of cancer in 2003.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable spy story set just before WWI but actually published in 1999. You’d swear it was written in the time of Eric Ambler. Everything seems historically accurate. Unfortunately this is the last of Lyall’s books. I’m new to his adventure and spy stories and am now having trouble locating another at a reasonable price, sigh.

Here, the central character is part of the newly formed Secret Service Bureau, the predecessor of MI5 & MI6. The group is headed by “the commander” or “C”. An American has turned up who claims to be the illegitimate son of George V. Reputation and anarchists lead the story to France.

All the usual ambiguities of espionage come into play—patriotism, willingness to kill, side-stepping the law, you name it. Both plot and characters are excellent and rather sarcastic humor fits perfectly.

[Caroline Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final part of Gavin Lyall's Honour series but if, like me you have missed reading the first three books, don't worry as it works very well as a stand alone novel. I love really good espionage novels and with Gavin Lyall that is exactly what you get. Set in 1914, the story starts with a French-American anarchist residing in Brixton Prison, who may or may not be the illegitimate son of the King of England, his girlfriend is kidnapped, murder and mayhem follow and the reader enjoys a thoroughly satisfying, well written novel.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and am looking forward to reading the previous three novels - Spy's Honour, Flight from Honour and All Honourable Men. Sadly Gavin Lyall died in 2003 so there won't be any other books in the series, luckily he left behind other titles in the thriller genre so all is not lost for the new reader. Recommended for fans of John Buchan, John Le Carre et al.

[Deborah Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on our bookshelves - my husband had bought it a while ago - and was immediately hooked. Although I've come in late to the adventures of secret service agents Matthew Ranklin and Conall O'Gilroy (this is the third in the series) it was easy to pick up what had happened to bring them into the 'great game'. The book is set in early 1914 when Europe teeters on the brink of war, and the secret service is in its infancy. The story deals with the need to protect the honour of the King, who is accused of having an illegitimate son. Apparently all of the books in the 'Honour' series deal with the issue of 'What is honour?' Lyall does so here in an thought-provoking manner, and it's also a rollicking good read. I've ordered the first in the series and will now start their adventures from the beginning.

[David Provan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, Lyall's good.

Unlike whoever wrote the blurb. The characters are just real people throughout, even though he has to tie himself in knots to get them all in the right place at the right time. See the Turkish book.
I only wish the series had continued a few months more, into WW1.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different to Venus With Pistol and Wrong Side of the Sky. Had a hard time following.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyall is a vastly under appreciated British thriller/ action adventure/spy writer of the mid to latter part of the 20 th century, right up there with Deighton, LeCarre, Fleming and others. And his knowledge of history was outstanding. This novel, one of the books in the Hnourable spy trilogy set during the First World War crystallizes his talent. Literate, exciting, historically accurate and fun to read. Highly recommend.