| Nicholas Whistler is a very unlucky young man, | | | | hidden. He also wins the heart of his assistant. The |
| debt-ridden, and an easy target for someone who | | | | history is so vivid and the codes so challenging that I |
| wants to recruit him for something illegal and | | | | was immediately convinced that this was the |
| dangerous in the Cold War 60s. But Nicholas has little | | | | greatest treasure hunt novel ever written, better far |
| choice in the matter and agrees to travel to Prague | | | | than all of Indiana Jones' adventures. It also became |
| to fetch important state or technological secrets. The | | | | the benchmark for my own novel, The Cellini |
| Night of Wencelas is non-stop adventure as his simple | | | | Masterpiece, as I perfected it over the next two |
| mission becomes life-threatening and he suddenly | | | | decades.From his website I learned that he was born |
| realizes what he has become involved with. No longer | | | | in Hull, Yorkshire. He left school early to become an |
| a tourist, he is now a hunted man in an enemy city | | | | office boy at The Spectator in London. Later he |
| and must find his way to the British Embassy to | | | | joined the Keystone Press Agency. In the Second |
| make his escape.As I read the book I realized that | | | | World War he served with the Royal Naval |
| Lionel Davidson had managed to work his magic | | | | Submarine Service. In 1946, he returned to the |
| twenty years after the book was written. I eagerly | | | | Keystone Press Agency. He travelled all over Europe |
| read the Rose of Tibet and the Menorah Men in quick | | | | as a reporter. On one of these trips he got the idea |
| succession. Though I enjoyed The Rose, it didn't | | | | for his first thriller. His first book was a tremendous |
| quite have the same hold on me that Night of | | | | success and he gave up his job to become a full-time |
| Wencelas had produced. Then I started on The | | | | writer. It turtned out to be a good move. He has |
| Menorah Men. My eyes bugged. Wow! Talk about | | | | won the Gold Dagger three times: in 1960 for The |
| mind candy. I couldn't put it down.Imagine what it | | | | Night of Wenceslas, in 1966 for A long way to Shiloh |
| would be like to be a young archaeologist who is | | | | (US title The Menorah Men) and in 1978 for The |
| sudeenly and unexpectedly recruited by the | | | | Chelsea Murders (US title Murder Games)Davidson |
| government of Israel to find a treasure that was | | | | lived in Israel for a time and then returned to England. |
| thought to have been destroyed in Roman Times, | | | | In 2001 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger. |
| but may still exist hidden somewhere in the Sinai. | | | | Davidson lives and works in London.I have never had |
| Young Casper Laing is intrigued, but unconvinced. He | | | | the pleasure or opportunity of meeting this giant in |
| is even more hesitant when he realizes that Arabs | | | | the mystery field, but I do hope I will. For all of you |
| from Jordan were also hot on the trail of the artifact. | | | | who haven't had the pleasure of reading his work, I |
| His partner in the search is a beautiful young Israeli | | | | invite you to find copies. You're in for a wonderful |
| soldier who has an archaeological background. She is | | | | treat.John Anderson is a fan of Mystery/Adventure |
| also engaged to a Yemeni officer in the Israeli Army. | | | | Suspense. The Cellini Masterpiece is set on the island |
| Along the way, Laing is kidnapped, shot at, takes a | | | | of Malta and involves a secret dating to the mid |
| prolonged bath in the Dead Sea and untilmately | | | | 1500s. |
| unlocks the code to where the true Menorah was | | | | |