Deathwatch: A Novel

by Elleston Trevor

The accidental release, in Moscow, of a lethal mutant virus and a cold-war bluff of American leaders begin Earth's deathwatch, as panic, death rates, and knee-jerk decisions increase

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Author has published other books under the names: Adam Hall, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Trevor Dudley-Smith, Roger Fitzalan, Howard North, Simon Rattray, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith, Lesley Stone.

Author Trevor Dudley-Smith was born in Kent, England on February 17, 1920. He attended Yardley Court Preparatory School and Sevenoaks School. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer. After the war, he started writing full-time. He lived in Spain and France before moving to the United States and settling in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1946 he used the pseudonym Elleston Trevor for a non-mystery book, and later made it his legal name. He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Adam Hall, Simon Rattray, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Roger Fitzalan, Howard North, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith, and Lesley Stone. Even though he wrote thrillers, mysteries, plays, juvenile novels, and short stories, his best-known works are The Flight of the Phoenix written as Elleston Trevor and the series about British secret agent Quiller written as Adam Hall. In 1965, he received the Edgar Allan Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America and the French Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for The Quiller Memorandum. This book was made into a 1967 movie starring George Segal and Alec Guinness. He died of cancer on July 21, 1995.

Reviews

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time reading this book; it's too close to home at the moment. Part of the book deals with an epidemic in the US--in this instance, engineered by the other side. Unfortunately, the book is also dated. So many things that are different because the technology of today didn't exist yet, because the USSR was still in existence, and because our President still commanded loyalty from the majority of our people. As a result, the plot would no longer work, I hope. What happens when the Russians acidentally create a bacilli that cannot be killed by antibiotics. that kills within three days and then becomes inactive? They plan to use it on the American people. I think it may be worth reading to other people, if only to see what could happen. Recommended provisionally.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read since the timing was the cold war in the 80's

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than expected for a discarded library book. A wannabe Russian ruler comes up with a plan to wipe out the US with a biological weapon.

[Bent Andreassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite intense thriller. Recommended, Elleston Trevor also wrote under the pen name Adam Hall (the Quiller novels).