A Few Happy Returns

by David John Cook

“Who are you?”
An esteemed British Intelligence agent is on the run. Another is called back into service, but, is she acting under cover, or merely a pawn in a very dangerous game?

"Whose side are you on?”
The agents' trusted friends and colleagues - part of the answer, or part of an evil cabal which plans to destroy all they hold dear?

“A Few Happy Returns” tells a tale of old friends reunited, new comrades and enemies, prisoners, scientists, spies and private eyes. Revealing a web of conspiracies entangling agents, imposters, thieves, kings, knights, a baron and a saint; it is a story about shattered lives, betrayal, loss, retribution, escape and freedom.

288 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was originally thinking I'd give this book four or, better yet, four and a half stars if I could. But after thinking about it and realizing that I was sorry I had finished the book so quickly, I went back and gave it five stars. Of course, it's not great literature. It's not Dickens or Austin or Walter Scott. But it is an incredible amount of fun, particularly for those of us who remember all the classic British (and one American) spy shows from the 60s. Ingeniously interwoven stories and Mr. Cook gets all the characters down pat and does a fine job juggling all the stories. There is quite a bit of time spent on the explanation of everything towards the end of the book but that's just a quibble and there are still one or two fine and solidly done scenes before the finale. Frankly, it felt like spending time with old friends and being back in a time period where, more often than not, the good guys won. And, again, the interweaving of characters from different series was just wonderfully put together,

I was reminded of Alan Moore's much more involved and darker League of Extraordinary Gentleman (in which one of the major character's in Mr. Cook's book becomes a very important character in The Black Dossier and the final series of Moore's books).

One I'll no doubt read again. The perfect book for the week before Christmas. Bravo for Mr. Cook for taking the time to write such a book.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would resoundingly ring for the fans of the old 1960's British TV spy shows (The Avengers, The Prisoner, The Saint, etc.) for it is a story that throws all of them together to rescue perhaps one of their own. Those familiar with the TV show characters will recognize names, speech patterns, characteristics and thought patterns of these beloved heroes. In that way, the author has given loving tribute to those who lit his world and imagination all those years ago, and right up to the present.

The bonus, and yes there is one, is if one is not familiar with these characters like the diehard fans above, the author has also written this to be read stand-alone so inside knowledge is not necessary to enjoy the story. I am peripherally familiar with the IDEA of one or two of the shows, so sometimes a TV character would enter my mind when reading about them in this book. But I am mostly NOT familiar with the characters, yet I was not hung up anywhere in the storyline because of my lack of knowledge. It was a fun and easy read for me.