“Phoenix pulled the big black garbage bag over the victim’s head.”
The Salzburg Connection | Nick Carter | Scobie Malone
In this week’s newsletter I look at the film, The Salzburg Connection, based on Helen MacInnes’ novel of the same name, and thumb through Operation Snake—an entry in the Nick Carter series, and The Easy Sin, featuring Scobie Malone.
Film Review: The Salzburg Connection (1974)
Director: Lee H. Katzin
Starring: Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus-Maria Brandauer, Karen Jensen, Joe Maross, Wolfgang Preiss, Udo Kier
Music: Bronislaw Kaper
Based of the novel by Helen MacInnes
If Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery, then surely Helen MacInnes is the queen of espionage stories. The Salzburg Connection is based on her novel of the same name.
The film begins with a photographer named Bryant developing shots of Lake Finstersee, then cleverly cuts to him erupting out of the water in a wet suit. In his hand he has a rope. At the other end of the rope is a heavy iron chest. He drags the chest to shore and places it in a knapsack. What he doesn’t realise is that he is being watched by two men hidden in an old World War II Nazi bunker on the opposite shore. As he turns, he catches a sunlight glint from the telescope lens – and realises he is in trouble. He quickly runs off with his haul. But it isn’t long before two men catch up with him (however, by this stage he has hidden the chest). The two men question him about the trunk, but Bryant refuses to talk. Then things get rough. Bryant is kicked backward and his head strikes a rock killing him.
The story moves to the city of Salzburg, and focuses on William Mathison (Barry Newman), a lawyer for New York publishing company, Newhart and Morris. He is walking through the streets as the church bells play. Little does he know he is being followed. He goes to Bryant’s photographic store seeking him. Bryant (as you’re aware) is not there. His wife, Anna (Anna Karina) is holding the fort with her brother, Johann (Klaus-Maria Brandauer).
Mathison explains that he is working for Newhart and Morris, and something peculiar is going on. It appears that Bryant received an advance for a photographic book about the Austrian Lakes – but the publishers have never heard of him, and did not pay the advance. Mathison, who was holidaying in Switzerland at the time, was asked if he could look into the matter. Something rather fishy is going on.
But if the publishers didn’t pay Bryant to take photos of the lake, who did? Mathison and Anna become the innocent pawns fighting, not only for their lives, but to understand what is going on around them as multiple factions all compete to acquire the chest (and the contents within).
The film starts of quite lively enough and serves up quite a few good suspenseful sequences, most notably, on a chair lift and a rather unusual car chase, after Anna had been kidnapped. But, and it’s quite deliberate on the film-makers part, the characters are ill-defined and their allegiances are never explained. This way the viewer does not know who is good or who is bad (and this is very much a film where no-one is exactly who they seem). The problem, however, with this approach, it makes it very hard to sympathize with any of the characters, and therefore care about their fate.
The Salzburg Connection is not a stinker. It is watchable, but at the end of the film, if you can explain who was working for who, then you’ve done better than me.
Book Review: Operation Snake
Author: John Messmann
Publisher: Tandem Books
Published: 1969
Series: Killmaster – Book 51
This adventure starts with Nick Carter, Agent N3 for AXE travelling in an old DC3 to Khumbu in the heart of the Himalayas. During his flight he flashes back to his mission briefing with Hawk. In Nepal, a religious leader named Ghotak—the Head of the Teeoan People and Snake Society—is planning a coup which will see the Red Chinese taking over Nepal. The Nepalese people fear Ghotak because all who have opposed him have been slain by the Yeti. Yes, the Abominable Snowman. Carter’s contact in Katmandu is Leeunghi, who is an aid to the King.
Carter lands in Khumbu and meets his first contact. He is a fellow agent named Harry Angsley. Angsley is in hospital on his deathbed. He tells Carter that he must go to the Tesi Pass, where he will be met by a guide who will take him the rest of the way. Adding to the mix is a meddlesome English reporter named Hilary Cobb. She tries to tag along with Carter, but he refuses. In response she arranges for Carter’s equipment to be stolen. Carter realises she is behind the theft and pretends to have changed his mind. She can come along after all. He will co-operate.
Cobb returns his equipment, but suddenly the fun and games are over. Carter strips her down, ties her to a chair, slaps her across the face and tweaks her nipple. Politically correct, Nick Carter aint! He tells her to go home and leaves her tied up.
Carter then begins his trek through the mountains to the Tesi Pass. Here he is met by a guide who leads Carter further up into the mountains. As they rest, the guide attacks Carter, and tries to send him flying over an ice ledge. Carter gives as good as he gets and kills the impostor. He then marches back down to the pass and meets his real guide. Her name is Khaleen, the daughter of his contact Leeunghi. Naturally she is a looker. She leads him to Katmandu and into the world of Ghotak. Ghotak isn’t happy to have Carter in his world and arranges for a trio of killer monks to take care of him. But, as you’ve guessed, Nick Carter knows how to take care of himself and gives the monks a lesson in the ways of unarmed combat.
Later that night there is a ritual being overseen by Ghotak. A ritual to honor the fertility of the Spirit of Karkotek, Lord of All Serpents. It’s at this ritual that Carter and Leeunghi intend to expose Ghotak as a charlatan. Their plan doesn’t go as planned. The ritual is more of an orgy than a religious ceremony and Khaleen gets drawn onto the stage and starts to writhe around and disrobe. Nick goes to her rescue, while Leeunghi enters into a slanging match with Ghotak. As it is one man’s word against another the Nepalese need a sign or symbol to show who’s telling the truth. The end result being that Leeunghi has to go up into the mountains. If he speaks the truth, in three days he will return safely. If Ghotak speaks the truth, then the Yeti will slay Leeunghi. Now it’s up to Nick Carter to reveal the truth and save the day.
I have mentioned previously the Nick Carter books are written by different authors, so the story telling quality can vary from one book to the next, however, I was pretty impressed with Operation Snake. It was better written than I thought it would be. It has some good, tight, descriptive passages. And as expected, it was fast paced, violent and with a healthy dose of sex thrown in. As one of the earlier titles, it is written in first person. I am fond of first-person narratives, as you feel you are making the journey with the hero, rather than just having it reported back to you. So, on this level, if you’re a Nick Carter fan, I would highly recommend this entry in the series.
A Quick Mention: The Easy Sin
Author: Jon Cleary
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: 2002
“Phoenix pulled the big black garbage bag over the victim’s head.”
The Easy Sin is book 19 in Jon Cleary’s Scobie Malone series. It reads as if it was intended to be the last in the series. There’s even an afterwards tacked on to the end. But there was one more book to come, Degrees of Connection, which was published in 2003.
In this tale Scobie Malone is called in to investigate when a housemaid is found dead in the apartment of a millionaire. It’s all part of an inept kidnap plot carried out by some dim-witted villains. In fact, the characters in this tale seem like they were drawn from one of Elmore Leonard’s dark comedy stories rather than typical Cleary.
It’s a decent enough tale, but those who like all the loose ends tied up are liable to be disappointed.
Jon Cleary passed away in 2010.
Yours in the Spirit of Adventure
That’s the end of this week’s newsletter. I hope you’ll consider subscribing, and I’ll be back in a week or so with more nonsense from inside the walls of Pentridge Prison. Until then, take care, David.
Australian adventure author, David Foster, writes under the pen names James Hopwood, A.W. Hart, and Jack Tunney. He has written seven novels, and his short fiction has been published in over 50 publications around the world.
David’s artwork has appeared in group exhibitions in Echuca, Shepparton and Bendigo. His one act play, Future Shock, was performed at Echuca Arts Centre in 1984.
