Assignment Suicide

Sam Durell #3

by Edward S. Aarons

Deep in the Soviet Union, a member of the Politburo has a mad plan to launch one of the first ICBM's that country has. Known only as Comrade Z, this mysterious leader has marked May Day as the date the missile will head towards the U.S. unless Durell can stop him.

Genres: Espionage, Fiction, Mystery, Action

160 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assignment Suicide, published in 1956, was the second or third Sam Durell espionage novel, taking our secret agent by parachute into the heart of the Soviet Union to track down the suspected first ICBM. It’s a fast paced, action packed novel that has Durell on the run from the minute he lands till the bitter end, playing cat and mouse with MVD agents who have no humor. Luckily, Durell finds allies, loyal to Mother Russia, but not to having mutually assured destruction in the hands of the next Stalin.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been told that it does not matter in what order these books are read. They are all stand-alone stories and so I took a risk and skipped number 2 (I don't have a copy of that one) and went right to number 3. It seems fine to do so. Even book number one didn't seem like the first in a series.

In this one, CIA operative Sam Durell parachutes into Russia to help prevent a rogue member of the Politburo, known as "Comrade Z", from launching one of Russia's first ICBMs toward the US. Sam Durell has a mere handful of days to stop this event which will happen on May Day. The book was first published in 1958 and it is interesting to see the perspectives between the US and Russia at that time. Also of interest is the similarities to Ian Fleming's Bond books which first began appearing in 1952.

This novel was much as I expected. Lots of spy action without much spy craft. There is the usual good guys and bad guys and the occasional misconstrued identity. And, of course, there is the obligatory Bond, er Durell girl. The mystery part surrounds the identity of just who is Comrade Z. There is a nice climax at the end to wrap up the story.

I enjoyed the first two Sam Durell books I've read so will keep on with them. They are quick reads so serve well as a break between weightier material.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting his first Sam Durrell story overseas, Edward Aarons made a dramatic choice. The action takes place in and around Moscow, in the Soviet Union. That must have seemed exotic to American readers in 1956, during the height of the Cold War, when Assigment Suicide was first published. Then, Aarons took what must have been another challenging step. He made a group of Soviet loyalists sympathetic, including a secret policeman. Taking place in the aftermath of Stalin, Aarons wrote a spy novel about sane people in two countries coming together to pursue peace. He had to have had some grief for doing so.

Still, the story is mainly about action. Not any real study of character or psychology, as Aarons sometimes does. Just a fairly decent suspenseful story. Aside from one small conversation that indirectly discussed the alienation of labor, the only idea in the novel is: peace. Alas, my personal preference for stories set in Russia is not all that great. Mention Russia, and all I see is gloom, clouds, and snow, a prejudice I can't get over. So, this is not my favorite Sam Durrell story.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#3 in the Sam Durell (Assignment-) series. This 1956 series entry by Edward S. Aarons is a period piece set in the Cold War Soviet Union. CIA agent Sam Durel is sent on a suicide mission to stop a war. The Russians have a new missle capable of reaching 5,000 miles and a power mad member (Comrade Z.) of their missle development team wants to launch it at the U.S. An underground group, though not trusting Americans, wants to foil Comrade Z. An interesting, short novel, with some twists at the denouement.

Information has reached the CIA that a powerful Russian is seeking to become a new Stalin. Starting with a night parachute drop outside Leningrad, Sam meets up with underground people, then quickly moves on to Moscow. Every step he takes seems to be taken also by Russian secret police led by Lt. Kharkov.. To escape the police and carry out his mission he is forced to move on to the middle of an off-limits missle base. He is really a prisoner of the underground group, as America is a hated enemy, and the assassination plan is a suicide mission in which none will survive.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I've enjoyed the Sam Durell books. Certainly a product of its time, it is not as fanciful as the Bond series and yet not as gritty as the Matt Helm books, it seems to fall somewhere in between. As a fan of all three I can recommend them each. I look forward to the next book in the series. Pick these up if you are a fan of the spy/espionage genre.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Durell is back in action - parachuted into Russia at the height of the Cold War to try and prevent a mad Russian from starting World War 3. He's teamed up with a group of Russian dissidents who have their own plans for Sam... Another fast-paced and exciting story with lots of twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing right to the end.

[Lew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an OK spy novel from the mid-fifties.

[Rob Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Sam Durell spy adventure. This was my 3rd. They've all been pretty good.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1956, not 1958, as the entry says. Aarons is not trying to imitate James Bond, because he predates him. I love these Sam Durell CIA novels because they are short and are filled with action. The enemy in the books written in the 50's was Russia. Later books included China and the Vietnamese as the enemy. Durell is no panty-waist worrying about whether his liquor is shaken or stirred, he drinks straight up bourbon. Like Bond he always gets the woman, but unlike Bond he has one true love, Diedre, waiting at home for him. Not to be taken seriously, but a fun read. Recommended to action/spy fans.

[The Murderist · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: A fascinating and extremely topical glimpse into the American perception of what life was like in Soviet Russia shortly after Stalin died. The lack of political correctness can be highly amusing. The plot is sturdy and strives to be low key and realistic.

The Bad: Mr. Aarons is trying his damnedest to imitate Mr. Fleming, with only limited success. Certain elements of the narrative rely too much on coincidence or characters willfully ignoring important details. The book is neither good enough to rave about, nor bad enough to foist upon all my friends.

[James Conder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the Sam Durell series has Sam parachuting into Moscow. Again a great read, with everything going wrong and Sam on the run with a group of Soviet rebels. If I have a complaint, it's that it seem like every Durell book I've read so far has at least on "Dead Meat Thompson" character in it, and this one seem to be the most extraneous.

[Toffolotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah! Brutal installment from the Durell series! Fresh, original, unpredictable. And I would say intense, really.