Devil's Dozen

Killmaster #76

by Nick Carter

Nick Carter is on the toughest assignment of his career. Infiltrate the American Mafia, destroy their drug routes and the men who run them.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Nick Carter is a house pseudonym used by Award, Ace, and later Jove, publishing for the series Nick Carter who later graduated to a special agent for the Killmaster novels, a series of 261+ spy adventures published from 1964 until late 1990s.

A great number of writers have written under the pen-name over the years, beginning in September 1886 when Nick Carter first appeared in the 'New York Weekly' in a 13-week serial, entitled 'The Old Detective's Pupil; or, The Mysterious Crime of Madison Square'.

The Nick Carter character was originally conceived by Ormond G. Smith, the son of one of the founders of Street & Smith, and realized by John R. Coryell.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is 1973 and the US counter-intelligence agency AXE decides to escalate its attempts to thwart the heroin trade. Agent Nick Carter, aka N3, aka Killmaster, is going undercover as a Turkish opium trader with a new way of getting his uncut product into Europe and then processed to the US so that the mafia believes his story and lets him get close to their operation. "The Devil's Dozen" (1973) has an international travel caper feel to it in the first half as we tag along with Carter's scheme to get these drugs moving past all the European customs checks while also under the watchful eye of a Corsican mafia femme fatale named Vera who, of course, he has his way with.

This is the 76th installment of the Nick Carter Killmaster series and it was ghost-written by Martin Cruz Smith. Nick Carter the author is a pseudonym used by several authors writing for the series for Award Books, with Nick Carter also being the name of the protagonist character, an American version of James Bond. These stories have adult content.

Verdict: An at-times exciting tale of mid-70's action hero espionage and romance, but more often kind of a meandering plot where the main conflict is Carter trying to convince people who he really is. And I never did figure out why this was titled "The Devil's Dozen." Dozen what?

Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: NC-17

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice rewrite of an old Pulp character. Recast more in the James Bond spy mode. Good quick men's adventure read. If you are looking for some fast paced action and adventure then this is a recommended read.