Mambo

Frank Pagan #3

by Campbell Armstrong

Inspector Frank Pagan of Scotland Yard seeks out a deranged terrorist who intends to hijack a cruise missle and blow up Cuba

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

545 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

aka Thomas Altman, Campbell Black, Jeffrey Campbell (with Jeffrey Caine), Thomas Weldon

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Campbell Armstrong got a degree in philosophy before taking a position teaching creating writing. After his excellent series about counterterrorism expert Frank Pagan, Mr. Armstrong has written several compelling novels of crime and life in his native Glasgow.

Reviews

[henrys-axe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has not been too long since I discovered the novels of Campbell Armstrong. So far, I've taken well to all of those I have read. Mambo proved to be a mixed bag. Although there is a fairly preposterous story-line, Armstrong was a good enough author to keep the reader rapt Despite quite a few technical errors and the sappy/sloppy soap-opera love triangle (could be totally eliminated or been presented in a more realistic manner) I stayed with it. Again, Mr Armstrong's forceful weaving of events keeps the story alive. I believe any less talented writer would have lost the reader at several junctures in the story. His characterizations are flawless, well developed and, on the whole, appropriate. His central villain, the hateful, maniacal, twisted mercenary, Gunther Ruhr, deserves, and gets, the highest number of boos & hisses available. This particular novel has quite a few "bad guys" - readers can take their pick. This third novel in the Frank Pagan series has me wondering if Frank has a special secret formula he uses to not only stay awake, but stay alive. Just like Lider Maximo in this novel, Frank Pagan is a survivor.

[Anmol Kishore · Rating 4 out of 5]

once you start this book keep no prejudice and it will take you by surprise. The most interesting this about this book is not the plot but the characters. The characters may seem surreal but believable, and without an iota of doubt extremely intriguing.
I started this book keeping in mind that I may not be able to go beyond 100 pages, but the protagonist and the antagonist were both interesting enough to keep me hooked onto the passages.
A good read if u like some action,adventure and 'Mambo-Jumbo'

[Gouty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard hunt for the escaped terrorist thriller. Not bad, but not outstanding.

[Jean Luc Picard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long and dated.

[Jibril · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read