The Rio Casino Intrigue

Hugh North #17

by F. Van Wyck Mason

Hugh North must find stop a coup in Brazil, scheduled during Carnaval, and with no clues. Lots of intrigue, a poisoning, and plenty of excitement.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

aka Geoffrey Coffin, Frank W. Mason, Ward Weaver

Francis Van Wyck Mason (November 11, 1901 – August 28, 1978, Bermuda) was an American historian and novelist. He had a long and prolific career as a writer spanning 50 years and including 65 published novels.

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius]

For some time, I've been trying to acquire an (affordable) copy of this pivotal novel in the Hugh North series. Pivotal, because this is the book in the series that altered F. Van Wyck Mason's Hugh North stories from murder mysteries to tales of espionage and spying. Hitherto, the series had all carried the word "murder(s)" in the title. The change to "intrigue" apparently was meant to hold for subsequent works, as the page opposite the title states it is "A Major North Intrigue Novel." As it happened, only one other book would contain Intrigue in its title, that being the 1963 Zanzibar Intrigue. Others would take on words specific to the places and nature of international espionage North worked within.

And even with this novel, Van Wyck Mason doesn't make a clean break with the murder mystery as his centerpiece. That's because the uncovering of an Axis spy network in Brazil hinges on discovering the reason behind the murder of a Brazilian businessman who had until that time been affiliated with Brazilian fascists. The novel was published in 1941, before the United States entered the war (it takes place during Rio's carnival), and at the center of things are German designs to engender a Brazilian Putsch that will install a German Gauleiter over the South American country. The other Axis allies are involved. But they include Italian second-guessers who regret their alliance with Germany, and honorable Japanese who also see the folly of falling into a German treaty that will only lead to their defeat. Obviously, Van Wyck Mason would have second doubts about Japanese honor come the month of December of that year.

The pivotal nature of the shift to espionage from murder mystery is further important because I've come to believe that Ian Fleming essentially stole his idea of James Bond from Mason's Hugh North. Fleming merely replaced North, the US Army Intelligence officer, with Bond, who holds the Royal Navy rank of commander after his service in World War II and is now in MI6. Locations cross the globe for both agents, in exotic locales, with beautiful femme fatales, high society and diplomatic settings, as well as both men's appreciation for fine tobacco and liquor. North of course began his adventures in 1930, whereas Bond didn't appear on the scene until 1953. Plenty of time for Fleming to find "inspiration" for his work.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent pre-WWII espionage tale. Hugh North must find and stop a coup in Brazil, scheduled during Carnaval, and with no clues. Lots of intrigue, a poisoning, and plenty of excitement.