Blair is relishing an expensespaid holiday in the Italian Dolomites, where he plans to finish his film script.
All goes wrong, however, when he stumbles on the location of a hoard of buried Nazi gold, From then on, he faces a terrifying race for his life from a group of murderous criminals, Ook dit boek heb ik in de Dolomieten gelezen, Je ziet het verhaal zo voor je in de bergen, ook al speelt het zich af in de winter en was ik er in de zomer.
A fun thriller in the atmospheric setting of a ski hut at the top of a cable car.
Snow, shooting, skiing and Nazi gold, Post WWII, lost nazi gold, only handful people in a lodge cut from civilisation and everyone has a past history with the others, gripping enough.
I love how Joe remains inconspicuous of the tension throughout novel, In that setting , a fast paced adventure and angled towards making a decent Hollywood action script, Googled after that thought and there is a movie called Snowbound
The Dolomite mountains in Italy
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for thisthriller/suspense novel, set in the mountains of Italy in the postWWII era, . . so its a safe bet that there will be a bunch of Nazis menacing our hero, British journalist Neil Blair, recently released demobbed from the army, is having a hard time finding a decent job.
He happens to run into his former superior officer, Engles, who offers him a job ostensibly writing a film script in an isolated ski chalet in the Dolomites, but Blairs real job is to keep his eyes open and report anything unusual.
If a usable script comes out of the trip too, so much the better,
Turns out theres an awful lot to report, Something valuable is stashed up in those mountains in or near the chalet, and there are several different players who will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.
The Lonely Skier shows its age sometimes, with stereotypical characters, But the thriller parts are generally done well, with the exception of a scene or two that I found too hard to swallow.
Still, theres a really hairraising chase in the snowy, foggy mountains that I wont soon forget, and a solid ending with a good twist.
Group read with the Retro Reads group! To be honest it's been years since I read any Hammond Innes.
. . that was in my teenage years and I think the book was called 'the blue ice' or something.
. . it may have been O, K it may even be that I need to reread it as maybe back then well wartime or post war time espionage books weren't really my thing.
I'm honesty they aren't now neither, . well inasmuch as I don't read lots of them, . seeing this slender book at a charity shop however I thought it's paucity in size would make it worthy of my time even if terrible as I wouldn't have wasted too much time.
. . luckily as a bonus I found a good book,
To give a synopsis kind of recalls a Agatha Christie type all in the mansion house whodunit yarn which would be unfair.
. . this is only because a chalet with a few interrelated characters with pasts generally overlapping is where the action takes place.
. . plus there's the fact that for a time those characters are trapped together as the narrative continues, . . that may sound a spoiler but in honesty the cover of the book above is a far bigger one!!
It's a book involving Nazi's, treasure and the great outdoors.
. . amongst many other elements. . I will have to redress the fact I haven't read much Innes since my brief teenage read as this was a robust and compelling thriller.
It's been a while since I read a mystery or thriller novel, and I ended up with this book quite at randomfrom a lending library on the side of the road.
It did not disappoint! His descriptions of the Dolomites and the scenery are excellent and make you very much want to travel there.
The plot and style of narrative is entertaining, Enjoyed and recommended! I noticed this in a Vintage Classics edition in Waterstones recently, with an introduction by former MIhead honcho Stella Rimington, and picked it up on impulse.
I read most of the Innes canon in my mid to late teens: during the same period, I happily binged on Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley.
I reread the MacLean output last year, and on the basis of reacquainting myself with The Lonely Skier I might undertake an Innes retrospective in.
The Lonely Skier boasts much of the Innes formula: a narrator who isnt necessarily the protagonist, a couple of big set pieces that pit man against the elements, and an evocative sense of place.
The isolated setting, festering skulduggery, pressure cooker environment and cast of nefarious characters all out for themselves, the whole thing playing out as a snowstorm batters at their precarious bit of shelter, made me wonder if Tarantino didnt have the novel in mind or its almost forgotten film version, Snowbound in mind when he sat down to write The Hateful Eight.
This was like a boys adventure story, The writing is very different from modern books, it was published in, The sentences are short and there is no development of the characters, The plot is unbelievable, it would not work, It was a solid.in my opinion so
I rounded up tostars, The writing style and the story itself are reflective of a British author and postWorld War II Europe respectively.
The intrigue surrounding a haul of Nazi gold that was hidden away in the Italian Dolomites brings together a predictable yet interesting array of characters at a small ski lodge a former British army officer and his former intelligenceofficer Captain.
. . both posing as a movie script writer and a movie director, an Italian prostitute, a Greek national/Nazi agent, a British Army deserter, a Sicilian gangster and a British movie camerman.
The book was first written inand is reflective of the period and was written as it might be spoken in England at the time so for me, it was mildly difficult to read for me.
The story followed a moderately predictable line but was interesting and well written with little/no gaps in the writing whilst giving me enough details so I felt very connected to the story and characters.
BOTTOM LINE: It was a nice read with a good story I liked it, Reread. Нелош, но забравим трилър. Идеята с нацисткото съкровище е била актуална за времето си, но в наши дни е доста изтъркана. Героите са от една страна любопитни, а от друга не твърде убедителни. Книжката е подходяща за губене на времето, но нищо повече. Hammond Innes' breakthrough novel captures the fears and uncertainty of the immediate postwar years, It also highlights the opportunities that someone like its protagonist, Neil Blair, could see right over the horizon.
Until then, however, former Nazi agents, wouldbe mafiosos, filmmakers poised between the bright lights of the cinema and the twilight of former espionage careers, and vengeful courtesans make for an intimate group of plotters seeking to uncover a wartime cache of Nazi gold.
It's all just as wonderful as it sounds, Clearly influenced by Eric Ambler, here, Innes creates a claustrophobic setting amidst the rugged landscape of the Italian Dolomites.
Avalanches, blizzards, and the cold check the aspirations of everyone at every turn, Already, Innes has begun to incorporate the formula that would generate so much success in subsequent booksa not too out of the ordinary man suddenly taken from his gentle surroundings and made to face the scheming of deadly enemies and the fierceness of natural forces.
A few minor flaws: in places the story is repetitive, even the very same words and sentences reappearing just a few pages later in the telling of things.
And Innes, early on, had an obsession with his characters "slithering" and "whilsting" through their adventures, Otherwise, The Lonely Skier is a nicely plotted story, whose pace increases almost as quickly as the accumulation of snow and ice that traps the visitors in the remote mountain hut that holds all that gold.
. I had never read this thriller author before, but was intrigued by the post World War II plot premise involving Nazi gold hidden at an Italian ski lodge.
Our hero is Neil Blair, a down on his luck former soldier in London looking for work.
He runs into his former commanding officer, Engles, who has become a very successful film director, and offers Neil a job as a screenwriter.
Neil is thrilled with the offer, but Engles is rather shy on details of the project but Neil is desperate, and soon on his way to the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, where the film is supposed to be shot.
Engles was rather mysterious about the job, saying he already had a script, just telling Neil to keep an eye on whatever happens and keep him informed he has to finish up another film, and will join him in Italy as soon as possible.
Right away I mistrusted Engles as a character, he seemed quite shifty and pompous, I wasnt sure how I felt about Neil I understood his desperation for work, and he knew Engles was not a very likable guy, indeed, hard on subordinates sounded like a real jerk to me, but they had gotten along during the war, and he seemed to think this could be a good opportunity to break into writing.
So, Neil heads off to Italy meet some interesting people, and attends an auction for the ski hut he is staying at.
He is assured by a local power broker and hotelier bidding on the chalet, that the deal is all cut and dried, he will walk away with the property, turn it into a luxury ski destination.
But in a very exciting and tense scene, unknown and unexpected parties starting a bidding war, Something is up at the very basic chalet that several people seem to want!
Another very exciting scene happens on the slopes, as a villain attempts to lose Neil in the snow by the time he realizes what is happening and how how much danger he is in, its almost too late.
The snow is falling heavily, he is alone and trapped and exhausted and has a deadly journey ahead of him.
This was a very gripping and terrifying scene, and very well done,
I started getting frustrated, however, with some of the behaviors of the several of the characters in the last few chapters of the book stiff upper lips aside, it just seemed nonsensical.
No spoilers, but I skimmed to the end, For the most part it was an exciting postwar thriller, and Im glad I read this newtome author with the Retro Reads group.
It's July, outside the sun is shining and the temperatures are high, . . so what better topic to read about than freezing winds and glistering snow It was somehow refreshing, even though the story itself was nothing special.
Nazi gold, dark secrets, unexpected murders we've seen all these things before, Overall, definitely not a bad book, but not a unique one either, I registered a book at BookCrossing, com!
sitelink BookCrossing. com/journal/ This was my first Innes book amp it quite definitely won't be my last!
Post World War Two, exsoldier amp exjournalist Neil Blair is down on his luck.
A chance meeting with another former soldier in London sees him travelling to Cortina to write a film script.
It all sounds too good to be true amp it is!
I liked Neil amp there were parts of the story I found genuinely thrilling, such as the ski run from hell.
I did used to ski very badly and the narrative perfectly captured the out of control feeling of being on a ski slope that was just too hard for you amp I never had anyone wishing me harm! There was also one funny amp quite bizarre scene which I won't spoil for other readers.
And the ending was well done and I could see it working well on film,
But some things were a bit too implausible for me in particular anything to do with photographer, Joe.
A few parts dragged surprising in such a short book,
But the best parts show a writer who can have you on the edge of your chair.
I own another five Innes titles amp I look forward to reading them,
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sitelink com/view/carolshess .