This has a good plot which keeps you guessing until the end. There isn't much too the characters, but it's a good old-fashioned adventure. ( )

The 2nd of the Max Stafford adventures, once again Alix Hendrix is in trouble. A strange american has arrived on her doorstep with an odd tale and she doesn't quite know what to do. Max is in need of a holiday again and so agrees to look inot the matter which takes him out to Kenya.

It turns out that an old Belgium man has died and let her husband part of a large fortune. The rest goes to an unkown cousin and a small agricultural research facility in Kenya. An odd stipulation includes the proviso that all recipients must spend some time working at the facility. Meanwhile the other cousin has been found by Gunnerson Associates - a known rival to Max's own organisation. With the help of some friends of his butler ex-marine Curtis who didn't appear in the previous book it all slowly begins to make sense. Max starts to get suspicious about the political leanings of his new friends though.

It's short sharp and fun, as pretty much all of Bagley's work is. There are as usual no more than passing references to any women at all, and other than Max no-one gets any kind of rounded characterisation, but then in this quick read adventure stories it isn't really necessary. The plot hangs together pretty well without too many reliances on major co-incidences.

80's fun adventure. ( )