Frank Kane's Johnny Liddell series has always been a solid hardboiled
read, not mindblowing pulpy good, but a solid read. This novel is no
exception. Although not exceptional, it is pulpy in parts and will hold
your interest.
Here, Kane seems to mix a late sixties science fiction plot about a
wonder drug and a secret conspiracy to steal the formula with an old
style private eye tale. The parts about the wonder drug and the
conspiracy didn't work too well as a plot device, but the parts featuring
Liddell and his tough-nosed spirit and his rendevouses with sultry
female agents make the book worth reading. The novel is at its best in
the bare-knuckle fight scenes, the execution-style murder, and the repartee between Liddell and the dark haired girl in the baby doll
nightgown ( )

Frank Kane's Johnny Liddell series has always been a solid hardboiled read, not mindblowing pulpy good, but a solid read. This novel is no exception. Although not exceptional, it is pulpy in parts and will hold your interest. Here, Kane seems to mix a late sixties science fiction plot about a wonder drug and a secret conspiracy to steal the formula with an old style private eye tale. The parts about the wonder drug and the conspiracy didn't work too well as a plot device, but the parts featuring Liddell and his tough-nosed spirit and his rendevouses with sultry female agents make the book worth reading. The novel is at its best in the bare-knuckle fight scenes, the execution-style murder, and the repartee between Liddell and the dark haired girl in the baby doll nightgown. ( )

Johnny Liddell gets involved with industrial espionage when an agency's man is killed. ( )