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Matt Helm #9
The Devastators
On a lonely heath in northern Scotland they recovered the body of the third agent sent to complete a tricky mission. He had died from bubonic plague. Somewhere on the moors was a half-crazed scientific genius who could kill millions, and it was Helm's job to get him, with the help of a beautiful American operative and a deadly Russian one. PRAISE FOR DONALD HAMILTON "Helm is a genuinely tough and tough-minded protagonist... your reading diet lacks essential vitamins if you overlook him." NEW YORK TIMES "The top-ranking American secret agent fare. Good writing, slick plotting and stimulating characters." BOOK WEEK "Matt Helm is as credible a man of violence as has ever figured in the fiction of intrigue." NEW YORK SUNDAY TIMES
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1965
38 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Donald Hamilton
101 books107 followersDonald Hamilton was a U.S. writer of novels, short stories, and non-fiction about the outdoors. His novels consist mostly of paperback originals, principally spy fiction but also crime fiction and Westerns such as The Big Country. He is best known for his long-running Matt Helm series (1960-1993), which chronicles the adventures of an undercover counter-agent/assassin working for a secret American government agency.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
Hamilton began his writing career in 1946, fiction magazines like Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel Date With Darkness was published in 1947; over the next forty-six years he published a total of thirty-eight novels. Most of his early novels whether suspense, spy, and western published between 1954 and 1960, were typical paperback originals of the era: fast-moving tales in paperbacks with lurid covers. Several classic western movies, The Big Country and The Violent Men, were adapted from two of his western novels.
The Matt Helm series, published by Gold Medal Books, which began with Death of a Citizen in 1960 and ran for 27 books, ending in 1993 with The Damagers, was more substantial.
Helm, a wartime agent in a secret agency that specialized in the assassination of Nazis, is drawn back into a post-war world of espionage and assassination after fifteen years as a civilian. He narrates his adventures in a brisk, matter-of-fact tone with an occasional undertone of deadpan humor. He describes gunfights, knife fights, torture, and (off-stage) sexual conquests with a carefully maintained professional detachment, like a pathologist dictating an autopsy report or a police officer describing an investigation. Over the course of the series, this detachment comes to define Helm's character. He is a professional doing a job; the job is killing people.
Hamilton was a skilled outdoorsman and hunter who wrote non-fiction articles for outdoor magazines and published a book-length collection of them. For several years he lived on his own yacht, then relocated to Sweden where he resided until his death in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 25, 2016
Look, this is not great literature. The 5 stars is (are? I was thinking "5 star rating" which is singular...but it doesn't sound right.)for enjoyability(spell check doesn't think that's a word)/interest. I do hesitate to use the word enjoy when it comes to our occasionally cold blooded hero but the book drew me in. Human foible I suppose.
Here Matt has been sent to "dispatch" a....well that would be telling and I don't want to do spoilers. Suffice it to say Matt's job is not to arrest the person or persons involved but to, shall we say "remove them from play".
Up front people these are Cold War books. They are NOT politically correct. If James Bond has a license to kill he could still take lessons from Matt .
I have mentioned why I missed these books and I'm sort of burning through them now. Excellent action reads. Not much for emotional depth and angst, somewhat escapist but all in all excellent reads if they are what you're looking for. Nice when you're just burned out and need something fast moving and interesting.
Recommended.
Here Matt has been sent to "dispatch" a....well that would be telling and I don't want to do spoilers. Suffice it to say Matt's job is not to arrest the person or persons involved but to, shall we say "remove them from play".
Up front people these are Cold War books. They are NOT politically correct. If James Bond has a license to kill he could still take lessons from Matt .
I have mentioned why I missed these books and I'm sort of burning through them now. Excellent action reads. Not much for emotional depth and angst, somewhat escapist but all in all excellent reads if they are what you're looking for. Nice when you're just burned out and need something fast moving and interesting.
Recommended.
May 2, 2018
Very well read by Stefan Rudnicki & produced by SkyBoat Media. He really made another great adventure for Matt Helm pop. He talks tough, but has a softer side - usually. Sometimes, not so much, & that's the best part. It was fun to visit Scotland with him & meet Vadya again. She's a perfect match for Helm.
I was a bit surprised at the mention of a tactical nuke in this book, originally published in 1965. I thought those came a decade or so later.
This is book 9 of the series. Skyboat Media has book 10, The Betrayers. I bought it the other day & will get to it soon. Can't wait even though I've read this series in paperback multiple times. It's almost fresh again as audio books.
I was a bit surprised at the mention of a tactical nuke in this book, originally published in 1965. I thought those came a decade or so later.
This is book 9 of the series. Skyboat Media has book 10, The Betrayers. I bought it the other day & will get to it soon. Can't wait even though I've read this series in paperback multiple times. It's almost fresh again as audio books.
October 23, 2014
Helm goes to London & then up to the Scottish Highlands in search of a scientist who is developing diseases. As usual, plenty of action & Helm is at his logical best in this one nicely compared to a very civilized British agent. We also get to meet Vadya, Helm's Russian counterpart, again.
Helm's cold logic is one of the things I like best about these books. Our hero is sent to out to do an assignment. They're not handed out for fun, but because they are very important & he gets the job done without regard for sentiment, usually. This is very well illustrated in this book when one agent says, "I couldn't shoot her in cold blood." Helm asks exasperatedly, "What does temperature have to do with it?"
The characters & scenery are well drawn, the action is all very logical without extraneous nifty devices. The time is the mid-60s & Helm is in his early to mid-40's.
Helm's age is a guess. He's supposed to be 36 in the 2d book, which would put his birthday about 1922 or 3. In other books, he mentions attending college & working for a newspaper before the war, so that could push his age up by several years.
Great read! On to the next book, The Betrayers!
Helm's cold logic is one of the things I like best about these books. Our hero is sent to out to do an assignment. They're not handed out for fun, but because they are very important & he gets the job done without regard for sentiment, usually. This is very well illustrated in this book when one agent says, "I couldn't shoot her in cold blood." Helm asks exasperatedly, "What does temperature have to do with it?"
The characters & scenery are well drawn, the action is all very logical without extraneous nifty devices. The time is the mid-60s & Helm is in his early to mid-40's.
Helm's age is a guess. He's supposed to be 36 in the 2d book, which would put his birthday about 1922 or 3. In other books, he mentions attending college & working for a newspaper before the war, so that could push his age up by several years.
Great read! On to the next book, The Betrayers!
February 14, 2022
Looks like I am the first to review this book, post pandemic, or rather COVID craziness and government usurping our rights, but I digress. This book was probably written in the late 60's and it is uncanny how Hamilton even then recognized the potential threat to the West that was and is China. The story, as all Matt Helm stories is weak, but as previous reviewers have said, aahhh nostalgia. This one though may be worth the read just to see that even 50 years ago at least somebody was paying attention to "germ" warfare and dominion over the planet. Dr. Evil anyone?
July 21, 2017
The Devastators is the ninth book in the Matt Helm series, possibly the most realistic spy fiction out there. Helm is tough, cynical, suspicious, and a trained killer. He's part of a little known squad no one talks about that does the dirty work no one likes to talk about. Although there are twists and doublecrosses, the novel is focused on what goes on in Helm's head-- such as who can he trust and why. It details the awkwardness of agents posing as husband and wife on their honeymoon and what it's like to deal with professionals and with amateurs. Although there are mad scientist/ science fiction aspects to this story, the center of it is on Helm's experience as an agent, not on who has the fastest ray gun or super secret shoe phone. The Helm books are cynical and hardboiled and unsentimental. Helm can't always afford to be a gentleman or to ask first and shoot later. This book pits agents from four different countries against each other and takes place in the Highlands of Scotland. It also marks the return of Vadya, Helm's sexy Russian counterpoint.
December 22, 2015
The first MATT HELM adventure that slogged a bit in it's telling. Helm is sent to London and Scotland to find an American scientist who has gone rogue and using his expertise in devastating plague experiments for very bad people. However, there is too much middle section boredom going on in this one. Too many ladies for Helm to move about like chess pieces in a rather boring game.
May 21, 2021
A little more of a classic-James-Bond-saves-the-world story. 3.5 stars.
July 27, 2021
Helm is to enjoy an undercover marriage once again, on their honeymoon, under his real name. His blushing bride Claire, aka Winifred Helm (who picked that name?) is being shipped over from the Far East. Helm is taking over the mission of British agent Paul Buchanan, who was found dead on the shore near a small town called Ullapool in the north Highlands of Scotland. British reports say he died of “natural causes”. Helm is to make contact with a man which will then alert the enemy team(s) to his presence. Discovering the base of operations first, the leader named McGrow, second. Helm is to identify the target and Claire is to eliminate the target. The British are interested in this operation as well as the Russians. So much for the setup of the story. To continue the espionage in a normal manner, Winifred was kidnapped. A female enemy agent from prior dealings named Vadia showed up at the hotel bar. Madame Ling, of the Chinese Red variety, and an accomplice named Basil, are additional agents of note. Colonel Stark, of the British police, is another player. All coincidental no doubt. Dead bodies are left in Helm’s wake. Vadia and Helm head for Scotland. Everything revolves around the Black Death.
June 26, 2025
Matt Helm was Donald Hamilton’s American version of James Bond. Reading this book, you can tell the influence is there as this book, in many ways, follows the basic plot trajectory of the early Bond novels - especially “Dr. No.” Matt Helm, at least in this novel, plays an “older” spy (but, who doesn’t seem effected by age), beds multiple women, fights off multiple thugs and races against the clock to save the world from a maniacal villain who really only appears in the final act of the novel (not unlike many of the Bond books). Hamilton’s Helm is crueler than Fleming’s Bond (no easy feat given Bond’s actions and attitude in his earlier novels), willing to kill, allow to die, or torture anyone, including civilians, if it means getting the job done. And, he is also more sexist (didn’t know that was possible) than Bond. There is also a lot of 60s racism throughout this novel. But, if one can accept the novel as being of its time, and isn’t prone to immediate post hoc cancel culture, while not as strong is the Bond novels, this very much scratches the genre itch.
March 24, 2024
Matt Helm is being sent to England to take up where other agents have failed and been killed: find Dr. MacGrow and stop him from releasing a plague.
He is set up with a bride, Winnie, who is kidnapped early on. He goes off to do some genealogical research as a pretext to going to Scotland, where MacGrow has run to ground. He is attacked and saved by a British agent who is tailing him. He runs into Vadya, the Russian agent from The Ambushers. She is also after MacGrow.
There is a Chinese agent named Madame Ling and a return of Basel.
There is an underground lair in a crumbling castle on the coast in the Scottish Highlands. He is injected with the virus. Can he stop MacGrow and Ling before he succumbs as had all the previous agents given this assignment. And will he kill Vadya?
This was a good read. Reminiscent of a Bond thriller. Out of country too. Normally he is saving scientist in New Mexico.
He is set up with a bride, Winnie, who is kidnapped early on. He goes off to do some genealogical research as a pretext to going to Scotland, where MacGrow has run to ground. He is attacked and saved by a British agent who is tailing him. He runs into Vadya, the Russian agent from The Ambushers. She is also after MacGrow.
There is a Chinese agent named Madame Ling and a return of Basel.
There is an underground lair in a crumbling castle on the coast in the Scottish Highlands. He is injected with the virus. Can he stop MacGrow and Ling before he succumbs as had all the previous agents given this assignment. And will he kill Vadya?
This was a good read. Reminiscent of a Bond thriller. Out of country too. Normally he is saving scientist in New Mexico.
January 8, 2021
A particularly entertaining entry in the Matt Helm series. Matt is assigned a female agent to pose as his wife. The plan is for him to act as a stalking horse to draw out agents working for a renegade scientist who has developed a virulant strain of bubonic plague. His "wife" will pretend to be harmless until she gets a chance to kill to the scientist. But a lady Russian agent who Matt has encountered before shows up just as his "wife" is kidnapped. After several double-crosses, triple-crosses and quadruple-crosses, Matt ends up working with the Russian agent to find the scientist, though both know they will have to betray one another at some point. The climax is set in a remote Scottish castle, conveniently equipped with a self-destruct lever, where the villains are conducting experiments on humans. It's a fun, fast-moving story with a lot of unexpected plot twists.
December 16, 2017
Matt helm is sent to England on a phony honeymoon with a new wife that is really an assassin trying to find and kill a scientist unleashing biological weapons. Wrapped up in the case is an old friend and English equivalent that owes Helm for savings his life some years back and a pretty and dangerous Russian operative that he also has a history with. The Russians, Chinese, British, and Americans all have a stake in the weapon and have different motivations as what to do with it. The ending might not be altogether satisfying but the journey is still pretty entertaining. I remember the quality of the early stories being higher although I might just be feeling some fatigue having read the last 3 in a short period.
January 28, 2018
Matt Helm was the American equivalent of James Bond but without the flair and dash of the British agent. This 1965 story has an interesting plot as Helm, on his “honeymoon” as cover, has to find the location of a mad scientist manufacturing deadly strains of common diseases somewhere in Scotland. Various other agents and agencies are involved in the same hunt as the Chinese appear to be exploiting the scientist. The action is good, the relationships very dated but at least, like most 1960s spy novels, it’s commendably brief. 2.5 stars.
April 27, 2023
Not one of the best Helms, in my opinion. The fearless secret agent, who has survived the jungles of South America, complains wimpily about the dangers of the London traffic. Wow, he should try driving in Italy, or India, or Thailand... Also, this feels slightly too dependant on Bond (specifically, OHMSS), something one rarely feels about Helm. There are many flashes of trademark Hamilton wit, but the jolly good old fellow clichés and anachronisms mean, for me, that this has aged less well than most of the series.
July 14, 2020
Matt Helm is one of the most entertaining characters in spy fiction, and "The Devastators" is no exception. With a nod and a wink at James Bond, Helm has to get married (as a cover) and honeymoon in England. He's actually looking for a petulant genius who is breeding super germs. He meets a sexy Russian spy who's tried to kill him before, and an upper-class English spy whose life he's saved once already. Will either of them help or harm him? Or will the Black Death get him first?
July 22, 2022
Love all of these. This time Helm has to be on his honeymoon and looking towards Scotland, for his family tree. In reality he is looking for a US scientist who is now working for the enemy (which one?, no one knows) in coming up with a deadly plague. He is tasked to kill him no matter what ally wants him alive. An enemy agent from other books shows up and is a great character.
Highly recommended, the first person narrative is terrific and the Helm character is perfect.
Highly recommended, the first person narrative is terrific and the Helm character is perfect.
September 29, 2019
Eski bir dedektiflik romani okumak istedim sadece o devirde polisiyenin ele alimini incelemek zevkli olur diye ve bu 50 yillik kitabi okudum. Arabanin 80 mil yapmasi asiri hiz olarak anlatilmisti mesela ve ajanlar gizli silah olarak zehir ve kucuk silahlari kullandigi bir dunya keyifliydi ben boluk boluk ve uzun surede okudum ama keyif aldim
March 3, 2023
Fun, almost-sort-of-grounded spy tale. Granted, being a spy tale from 1965, there is some pretty overt racism and sexism to get around. That said, a couple of the women in the story more than hold their own against the main character, which was nice to see.
This is the first Matt Helm story I read. The character's matter-of-fact attitude is what really carries the story.
This is the first Matt Helm story I read. The character's matter-of-fact attitude is what really carries the story.
January 24, 2019
Scottish Highlands turn
This time out, it's Scotland's turn for the Helm treatment. Quite the cast of characters this time, including a deluded scientist and a lady trying to take over the world. Reminded me of the Fu Manchu books. Good stuff.
This time out, it's Scotland's turn for the Helm treatment. Quite the cast of characters this time, including a deluded scientist and a lady trying to take over the world. Reminded me of the Fu Manchu books. Good stuff.
September 27, 2021
The Devastaters
Good from cover to cover. I like the Matt Helm series and have read them on and off for years. The book is very enjoyable and easy to read. I'd recommend this any body that is into old spy novels.
Good from cover to cover. I like the Matt Helm series and have read them on and off for years. The book is very enjoyable and easy to read. I'd recommend this any body that is into old spy novels.
November 15, 2022
This was the first Helm novel that I felt was on the same level as a James Bond book. It was really quite good. I have enjoyed the other books in the series to this point but this one was a slight notch higher than the rest.
March 12, 2019
Matt Helm, always good entertaining thrillers.
November 9, 2020
Türkçe versiyonunu okudum, ismini "Ölümle Oyun" olarak çevirmişler. Kitap 1968 yılında yazıldığı için eski kalmış baya. O yüzden pek hoşuma gitmedi.
January 2, 2021
These stories are my current junk food thrillers. I can't get enough of them. A fast-paced thrill ride.
April 20, 2021
I like the dialogue,the thought process of a super agent in a crisis created by arch villains with love interest and tragedy
March 3, 2023
In this one Matt Helm, sexist as ever, branches out into racism and homophobia. But it's still entertaining, and I love Stefan Rudnicki's reading of these books.
April 13, 2025
Ersatz James Bond. Not bad, but lacks Fleming’s class and wit.
March 14, 2015
"Θανάσιμη απειλή", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.
Ένατη ιστορία της σειράς με ήρωα τον εκτελεστή Ματ Χελμ και έχω την εντύπωση ότι, ίσως, είναι η πιο αδύναμη από αυτές που έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμής, έστω και για λίγο. Όχι βέβαια ότι με απογοήτευσε ή δεν μου άρεσε, κάθε άλλο, απλά εντόπισα κάποια μικρά προβληματάκια.
Το λοιπόν, ο Ματ Χελμ καλείται ξανά να παραστήσει τον παντρεμένο με μια συνάδελφο του και υποτίθεται να περάσουν μαζί το γαμήλιο ταξίδι τους στο Λονδίνο. Όλο αυτό το θέατρο για έναν επιστήμονα που ξέφυγε από τις Αμερικάνικες υπηρεσίες και γιατί υπήρχε πιθανότητα κάποιοι να τους παρακολουθούσαν. Το θέμα είναι ότι αυτός ο επιστήμονας ασχολείται με ιούς και με σκοπό το κέρδος δεν θα το είχε σε τίποτα να διασπείρει έναν, με αποτέλεσμα τον θάνατο εκατομμυρίων αθώων ανθρώπων. Για ποιους δουλεύει ο επιστήμονας και σε ποιο συγκεκριμένο μέρος της Σκωτίας κρύβεται αυτός και οι άγνωστοι πράκτορες μιας άγνωστης χώρας;
Δεν λέω, είχε μυστήριο, αρκετή δράση και όλα τα καλούδια των ιστοριών του Ντόναλντ Χάμιλτον, αλλά νομίζω ότι κάποιες καταστάσεις και κάποιοι διάλογοι έπασχαν λίγο από αληθοφάνεια, τουλάχιστον σε σύγκριση με προηγούμενες ιστορίες με τον Ματ Χελμ. Κατά τ'άλλα ευχαριστήθηκα κατασκόπους και συνωμοσίες και η ώρα πέρασε γρήγορα και κυρίως ευχάριστα.
Ένατη ιστορία της σειράς με ήρωα τον εκτελεστή Ματ Χελμ και έχω την εντύπωση ότι, ίσως, είναι η πιο αδύναμη από αυτές που έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμής, έστω και για λίγο. Όχι βέβαια ότι με απογοήτευσε ή δεν μου άρεσε, κάθε άλλο, απλά εντόπισα κάποια μικρά προβληματάκια.
Το λοιπόν, ο Ματ Χελμ καλείται ξανά να παραστήσει τον παντρεμένο με μια συνάδελφο του και υποτίθεται να περάσουν μαζί το γαμήλιο ταξίδι τους στο Λονδίνο. Όλο αυτό το θέατρο για έναν επιστήμονα που ξέφυγε από τις Αμερικάνικες υπηρεσίες και γιατί υπήρχε πιθανότητα κάποιοι να τους παρακολουθούσαν. Το θέμα είναι ότι αυτός ο επιστήμονας ασχολείται με ιούς και με σκοπό το κέρδος δεν θα το είχε σε τίποτα να διασπείρει έναν, με αποτέλεσμα τον θάνατο εκατομμυρίων αθώων ανθρώπων. Για ποιους δουλεύει ο επιστήμονας και σε ποιο συγκεκριμένο μέρος της Σκωτίας κρύβεται αυτός και οι άγνωστοι πράκτορες μιας άγνωστης χώρας;
Δεν λέω, είχε μυστήριο, αρκετή δράση και όλα τα καλούδια των ιστοριών του Ντόναλντ Χάμιλτον, αλλά νομίζω ότι κάποιες καταστάσεις και κάποιοι διάλογοι έπασχαν λίγο από αληθοφάνεια, τουλάχιστον σε σύγκριση με προηγούμενες ιστορίες με τον Ματ Χελμ. Κατά τ'άλλα ευχαριστήθηκα κατασκόπους και συνωμοσίες και η ώρα πέρασε γρήγορα και κυρίως ευχάριστα.
June 11, 2014
Not one of my favorite Matt Helms, but it has some good moments.
Matt gets some revenge against Vadya, who tortured him with a soldering iron in an earlier book. Although Matt Helm only presents himself helpless to his enemies once in THE DEVASTATORS, he uses a Russian agent to sell him out to a Chinese agent, which is a new twist for the series.
Let's count the stats on the Matt Helm Smooth Move. Number of times Matt Helm uses himself as bait, and allows himself to be captured by the opposition (or presents himself directly to the opposition allowing the opposition to do whatever they please with him).
0 = DEATH OF A CITIZEN
1 = THE WRECKING CREW
2 = THE REMOVERS
1 = THE SILENCERS
1 = MURDERERS' ROW
3 = THE AMBUSHERS
2 = THE SHADOWERS
2 = THE RAVAGERS
1 = THE DEVASTATORS
In 9 novels that is 13 instances of the Matt Helm Maneuver.
@hg47
Matt gets some revenge against Vadya, who tortured him with a soldering iron in an earlier book. Although Matt Helm only presents himself helpless to his enemies once in THE DEVASTATORS, he uses a Russian agent to sell him out to a Chinese agent, which is a new twist for the series.
Let's count the stats on the Matt Helm Smooth Move. Number of times Matt Helm uses himself as bait, and allows himself to be captured by the opposition (or presents himself directly to the opposition allowing the opposition to do whatever they please with him).
0 = DEATH OF A CITIZEN
1 = THE WRECKING CREW
2 = THE REMOVERS
1 = THE SILENCERS
1 = MURDERERS' ROW
3 = THE AMBUSHERS
2 = THE SHADOWERS
2 = THE RAVAGERS
1 = THE DEVASTATORS
In 9 novels that is 13 instances of the Matt Helm Maneuver.
@hg47
August 16, 2014
This like all the Matt Helms are just fun reads
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews