Third book in the Shaft series is Tidyman's adaptation of his own screenplay. Released hot on the heels of the hardback publication of SHAFT AMONG THE JEWS, this continues the author's strong run before he would become bored with the series and see it degenerate into something more formulaic. This is probably the fastest paced of the opening trio with shorter punchier chapters. Many of the characters from the original book are brought back, although a notable exception is Anderozzi. The book is probably closer to the original screenplay then the resultant movie, The extended chase finale seen in Parks' film is here contained to the car chase. The book does expand the plot by introducing important characters not seen in the movie. ( )