Summer Reading: No Politics, Lessons or Studying - Just Read for Fun

Summer Reading: No Politics, Lessons or Studying - Seymour Hersh in The New York Times has written about secret plans of the Central Intelligence Agency to establish and train teams of agents who would be entering foreign countries for the purpose of killing al Qaeda leaders, followers and sympathizers. The proposed program, started in 2001 following the attack on the World Trade Center, was "officially" terminated in 2009 according to statements by the present director of the agency, Leon Panetta. The existence of the teams of assassins was, on orders of the then vice-president, kept secret from the senators and representatives charged by law to "oversee" intelligence covert operations. It is, as of this time, unclear if the program ever became operational; subsequent investigations and inquiries may clarify this -- or maybe not.

All of this is prologue to a discussion of a series of 27 paperback novels written by Donald Hamilton featuring the character, Matt Helm, code name Eric. In November, 2006, I posted suggestions to jumpstart a teen or young adult's enthusiasm for reading. During the 1950's, and continuing for the next several years, a genre of mystery-spy books became popular. I was, and still am, a great fan of the tales spun by the late John MacDonald (the Travis McGee stories), Ian Fleming (James Bond) and Donald Hamilton (Matt Helm). There are some common threads in these characters and protagonists, some clear distinctions; but most important, they all provide mighty fine reading - escapist, certainly, but that is not a bar to enjoying good stories.

Travis McGee is a "salvage consultant" living aboard a 52' houseboat moored at Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. He is not a government employee or private investigator, as usual in this type of story demands. He earns a living by recovering property for victims of immoral, if not illegal, and retaining half of what is recovered. McGee also has been known to act motivated by revenge, or a desire to punish folks he feels worthy of his dislike. McGee also had an active sex life; one of his favorite pursuits was to take emotionally wounded ladies on a week-long sail and proceed to have sex until she recovered, usually quite completely.

An interesting addendum to the Travis McGee novels is the 2004 novel by Peter Hansen. All of the McGee books had a title that included a color. At the time of his death, John MacDonald was working on another McGee story, this one was said to have "black" as the color. Mr. Hansen, as a tribute to MacDonald, has written, The Black Book, which is available on-line at no cost. [ http://peterhansensblackbook.blogspot.com/]

John MacDonald, through his Travis McGee stories and in several other books, anticipated the subsequent books by Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Les Standiford and a few others who wrote extensively about Florida and its overdevelopment and squandering of natural beauty and resources. (Someday I intend to write about the Mouse who devoured Orlando.)

The first Travis McGee book (The Deep Blue Good-by) was published in 1960, two years after Ian Fleming's Casino Royale introduced James Bond to America. (The first Bond story was written six years previously but was not distributed in this country.) James Bond, unlike Travis McGee, is a government employee, an officer in Great Britain's Secret Intelligence Survive (also known as MI6). He has the designation and code name of 007, the first two digits indicating an official license to kill the bad guys.

The story of the "00" section is worthy of a post by itself. The Fleming novels never made quite clear of the scope and meaning of the "license to kill". While the Bond books written by others after Fleming's death and the endless (and profitable) motion pictures featuring the James Bond character, discuss a greatly expanded 00 section, the original novels mention 008 (Bill), 0011 (missing?) and fleeting references to 006 and 009.

While most Americans are familiar with Commander Bond, through the ubiquitous movies, fewer have experienced the best of them all - Matt Helm.

Like James Bond, Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm is licensed to kill; even more, that is his job description, which brings us back to my initial comments and remarks.

First, if familiarity with the Matt Helm series and character is based on the appalling Dean Martin movies or the short-lived 1975 television series then one has a very false impression. The first of 27 paperback novels by Donald Hamilton, Death of a Citizen, published in 1960, introduced Matt Helm, codename Eric, who was employed by an unnamed United States ultra-secret organization. That initial book introduces Helm living peaceably in New Mexico as a photographer and free-lance journalist.

Helm, it turned out, served in an agency in World War II that made the OSS look like choir boys. But Helm, married, with three children, hadn't thought of those days until an operative from the old days shows up at a cocktail party in Sante Fe. After many turns and twists, Helm is brought back into his former life and he is again working for the agency and its head, Mac. Helm's job, pure and simple is to assassinate people who are a threat to this country. On the way, he and Hamilton convince the reader that it is only the bad guys that get hurt, but Helm is not averse to causing some gratuitous and collateral damage.

One incident brings to mind the cynicism of the Matt Helm character. Helm is driving, in Mexico if it matters, when he has to avoid a collision with some young men who are driving irrationally and carelessly. One of the passengers in the other vehicle makes the mistake of gesturing with his extended middle finger. Helm takes time from his assigned duties to provide an educational experience; he cuts the finger off, noting that the former owner of the digit hadn't indicated that he knew what to do with it anyway. Tough Love; has any of us not thought of this?

Some of the books mentioned in this article, especially the Matt Helm novels, are likely hard to find and are out of print. It make require a bit of searching in unused book stores or on-line, but it will, I guaranty, be rewarding and a whole bunch of fun.

And, after all, isn't that the purpose of summer reading?