In Matthew Helm's world, there is no time for quibbles over what's
best to do or what the consequences are. If someone plans to kill you,
you had best take care of them first. We have our land where freedom
rings because people like Helm do the dirty work that has to be done.
Realistic, unsentimental, and the best spy fiction ever written, the
Helm series has an aura of realness and authenticity about it. From the
complications between men and women to the choices that have to be
made in a split second, this series has always strived to be realistic.
The Vanishers is one of the later books in the series. It takes place in
Maryland, Sweden, and Finland and the plot shifts quite a bit as the
story progresses. There are subplots about double agents and
peacenik protestors and counts and countesses and kidnappers.
Amidst it all there's a civil war in the Agency and Helm never knows
who is friend or who is foe.
It just missed being a great book but, for me, the plot was a bit too
diffused and unfocused and the action seemed a little slow at least as
compared to other books in the series. If you haven't read Helm
before, perhaps not the best one to start with. Overall, though, a solid,
compelling story well worth reading ( )

I didn't like this book as much as the others the first time I read it. I think I took it too seriously. Actually, there was quite a bit of subtle humor in it that made it a great read on two levels; a good adventure story & the other was subtly poking fun at itself & the series or even genre as a whole.

Again, some older characters make their way into the story. Helm has been to Scandinavia before & we are reminded of it, which lends some depth to the story. Hamilton's eye caught many of the changes that took place in the 20 odd years since Helm's first visit & that was interesting. Other characters also make an appearance, some quite unexpected &, while the story depicted by the back cover description is technically correct, that's not the main thrust of the story. We're also given a deeper glimpse into another area of the organization that Helm works for, which I found quite interesting.

Another great read by Hamilton. On to [b:The Demolishers|1085485|The Demolishers (Matt Helm, #24)|Donald Hamilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1248435688s/1085485.jpg|1072256]!
(We're getting close to the end of the series!) ( )

Not a bad Helm--or should I say Hjelm, as this one is set mostly in Sweden and has a prolonged excursion into the Helm family tree. A thematic successor to the other Helms that are set in Sweden. Good stuff, but not top-rate Helm. ( )