Assignment-Quayle Question

Sam Durell #39

by Edward S. Aarons

It was a mixed alphabet soup assignment. Durell from the CIA, a man from the FBI, and two from the DIA, all working to stop a team of assassins from removing those on a list, one of whom is Sam's great love, Deirdre.

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1975

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

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 1 out of 5]

Three quarters of Quayle Question takes place in the Washington DC area and New Jersey. A boring locale. And a story that is not much better. Once more CIA agent Sam Durell faces off with what turns out to be two past adversaries, Eli Plowman, a renegade CIA agent from Assignment Sumatra, and Dr. Sinn, the satan worshipper from Assignment Ceylon. Both of those novels are excellent. Bringing back the characters from them for a rematch in the US and, later, Baja California, utterly fails. For Quayle Question not only lapses into constant cliche without any imaginative twists, it also brings back for the entire story Deirdre Padgett, Sam Durell's longtime girlfriend, a one time fashion editor now turned fellow CIA agent with Durell. Over the series of Durell books, I've come from finding Padgett annoying to disliking her. She ruins every book in which her presence looms over things. Here, it causes Durell to constantly moon about like a lovesick puppy in distress, because Dr. Sinn (a parodic name that falls to the point of being ludicrous in Quayle Factor) threatens her and even kidnaps her later. Did I mention that Deirdre is always getting kidnapped in these books? And, by the way, Deirdre just happens to be the niece of the richest man in the world whose daughter is also kidnapped by Dr. Sinn in the latter's quest to acquire a worldwide media empire. Also note that Padgett appeared in the series when it started, in 1955. Some twenty years later, Sam and Deirdre are not far off from being elderly citizens eligible for membership in AARP. But they act like they're fifteen years old.

The end of the series is coming up. Aarons only wrote three more Durell stories before he died in 1975. Let's see if there is a return to the brilliance of Sumatra and Ceylon or if Aarons was just trying to push things out before the end. Usually, in exotic settings, Aarons writes engaging adventure stories that provide a landscape for action filled, albeit simple, spy plots. But when obsessing over Deirdre the stories become flat and Sam looks silly. We'll see.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam Durell is on the trail of a crazed man who plots to take over the world's presses to gain power and influence. He has kidnapped Deborah Quayle in an attempt to force her father to sell his holdings, but the elder Quayle has vanished and can't be found. Now Deborah's position has become decidedly perilous.

Despite my love for this series, I found this entry to be rather underwhelming. It's padded out with interrogation scenes, torture and Sam thinking too much. While it's not exactly a bad book, it isn't as good as most.

[Alucard]

Havent read yet, but what a cover! A captured woman, woman in peril, the bad guy on his throne, what is going to happen here? Hmmmmm.