Hammer to Fall

The Joe Wilderness Series, Book 3

By: John Lawton

Narrated by: Lewis Hancock

It’s London, the Swinging '60s, and by all rights, MI6 spy Joe Wilderness should be having as good a time as James Bond. But alas, his postings are more grim than glamorous. Luckily, Wilderness has a knack for doing well for himself even in the most unpromising postings - though this has gotten him into hot water in the past.

A coffee-smuggling gig in divided Berlin was a steady money-maker, but things went pear-shaped when he had to smuggle a spy back to the KGB instead. In the wake of what became an embarrassing disaster for MI6, Wilderness is reprimanded with a posting to remote Northern Finland, under the guise of a cultural exchange program to promote Britain abroad. Bored by his work, with nothing to spy on, Wilderness finds another way to make money - this time by smuggling vodka across the rather porous border into the USSR. He strikes a deal with his old KGB pal Kostya, who explains to him there is - no joke - a vodka shortage in the Soviet Union, following a grain famine caused by Khrushchev’s new agricultural policies.

But there is something fishy about why Kostya has suddenly turned up in Finland, and MI6 intelligence from London points to a connection to the mining of cobalt in the region - a critical component in the casing of the atomic bomb. Wilderness' posting is getting more interesting by the minute, but more dangerous too.

Moving from the no-man’s-land of Cold War Finland to the wild days of the Prague Spring, and populated by old friends (including Inspector Troy) and old enemies alike, Hammer to Fall is a gripping tale of deception and skulduggery, of art and politics - a gripping story of the always riveting life of the British spy.

©2020 John Lawton (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Another great John Lawton listen

I loved having Troy back - this was a home coming of many of Lawtons most memorable characters This was one of my favorites Showed many of them in more depth

I hope there’s a follow up!

I thought this was the last in this series. Now I sure hope this isn’t the way everything is left. If so, leave it to a producer to do a cruel thing like that. Please tell me there’s a #4 in the works.

There is no plot

I was disappointed with this book. I've enjoyed others by the same author but this one meanders all over the place and spends huge amounts of time in idle conversation. Nothing really happens and I am 8 hours into listening to it. Time to give up.

I love these books

This series is great. It's really fun to travel with Wilderness and see what his next adventure is! This last one is a cliff hanger so I hope there will be another book!

Problem with audio

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