Pressure Point: A Special Operations Executive Novel

Al Stray is manager of the Port Credit Public Library.

Pressure Point is the author’s third novel about a British intelligence organization, the Special Operations Executive. The one connecting thread running throughout the series is Colonel Mark Sherwood, S.O.E. commander. In this as in his two previous books, Dragon Spoor (Simon & Pierre, 1978) and Final Act (Simon & Pierre, 1978), Sherwood remains on the periphery pulling invisible strings while the central character is a former S.O.E. agent now living in Canada.

Janos Illyes and his girlfriend find their dinner date atop Toronto’s CN Tower breathtaking for more than the panoramic view. A “chance” meeting with his former wartime commander and a remembered danger signal hurl the middle-aged Toronto businessman into a James Bond-type thriller. Janos, his girlfriend Georgina, son Alex, and S.O.E. agent Jane Charterhouse race the clock to unravel and neutralize the hold Dr. Vanya Balova has over key European military figures. At stake is the future of NATO and western security. Balova and her power-hungry lover, Karel Zandek, are Dr. Strangelove-type characters.

At times brutal, never dull, the action is fast-paced as it moves from Toronto to Brussels, on to Oslo, and finally to a medieval castle in Malbork, Poland. Crisp describes each locale in such detail that you feel a part of the scenery. Images of World War II come to mind when Illyes parachutes behind the Iron Curtain to rendezvous with Polish resistance-style fighters. Together they must make one final attempt to stop Colonel Zandek before he can parlay his use of medical espionage into a position of world dominance.

Jack Crisp, a former S.O.E. agent himself, has combined personal experience with adventure, romance, and large doses of suspense to create a thriller that will keep you turning the pages.