Margin for Terror

Johnny Liddell #32

by Frank Kane

"Margin for Terror" is a heart-pounding thriller that plunges readers into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between a brilliant terrorist mastermind and an elite counterterrorism unit. Set against the backdrop of bustling international cities and remote hideouts, the novel follows Special Agent Sarah Clarke as she races against time to thwart a series of meticulously planned attacks that threaten global security. As Sarah uncovers clues that lead her deeper into the terrorist network, she must navigate through a web of deception, danger, and political intrigue to unravel the mastermind's ultimate plan. With its pulse-pounding action and relentless suspense, "Margin for Terror" explores themes of courage, sacrifice, and the moral complexities of combating terrorism in a modern world where every decision could mean life or death.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Frank Kane, Brooklyn-born and a lifetime New Yorker, worked for many years in journalism and corporate public relations before shifting to fiction writing. At the time he was selling crime stories to the pulps he was also sustaining a career writing scripts for such radio shows as Gangbusters and The Shadow.

In addition to the Johnny Liddells, Kane wrote several suspense novels, some softcore erotica, and (under the pen name of Frank Boyd) "Johnny Staccato", a Gold Medal original paperback based on the short-lived noir television series, starring John Cassavetes, about a Greenwich Village bebop pianist turned private detective.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margin For Terror, first published in 1967, was the final Johnny Liddell novel ( some 30 novels plus two anthologies) after twenty years and, in fact, the last novel Kane put out, a year before he passed away. This is a solid, action-packed detective novel. In it, Kane focuses on a story of a boxer being forced to take a fall and what happens when he refuses to go along with the mob's play. It feels much more like a mid fifties pulp than a late sixties paperback. Kane does a bit of a twist on the mob-boxing story and has Liddell involved trying to find the right thing and attempting to stay one step ahead of the mob thugs.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as pulps go this one was pretty good and definately left me wanting to read more of this genre and era. Funny, because I previously read a different Frank Kane/Johnny Liddel book and was unmoved. It was a fun, quick read. Gotta hit the used book stores for more!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good pulp novel. Fast-paced, nice plot and plot twists, good characters. The dialogue could have used some more snappiness, but the climax was great and it was just lurid and violent enough to keep things interesting. I'm looking forward to reading another one of these Liddell stories.