Passport to Peril

Classic Crime Library, Book 15

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: P.J. Morgan

A thriller loaded with international intrigue from mystery master Lawrence Block.

Struggling folksinger Ellen Cameron can't believe her luck. Not only is the State Department sponsoring her trip to West Berlin, but her agent has arranged for her to tour Ireland. It's just the break she needs. And better yet, she's meeting the friendliest and most interesting people on her trip, from a kind priest on the plane to a handsome American studying abroad.

But things - and people - aren't always what they seem, and her European adventure could turn out to be the type of international affair she never imagined.

Author's note: This book was originally published by Lancer Books under the pen name Anne Campbell Clarke, a pseudonym I never used before or since. I'd been engaged to write a romantic espionage novel in the tradition of Helen MacInnes, and chose Ireland as a setting, being familiar with the countryside and with the folk music. I had a good time writing it, but, of course, that's no guarantee you'll have a good time listening to it. But I certainly hope you do.

©1967, 2016, 2020 Lawrence Block (P)2020 Lawrence Block

Another side to Lawrence Block

I think I've read all of the books that Lawrence Block has published over the years. But this one still surprised me. A sweet tale you almost hope was a documentary.

Excellent

Going to Germany to perform, a young folksinger, then in Ireland there is murder. A touch of romance along the way, and the music of folk song. Good audio added to this light romantic thriller with good narration. Given audio for my voluntary review

Great fun for fans of classic suspense

One of the fun things about older books is that trip down memory lane. Imagine a time when the US State Department might send someone across the pond to perform at a music festival... Of course, our girl is going to find a lot more than a hunky Irish guy and a few new songs for the album. I won't post spoilers but I suggest you listen carefully to the songs she collects. You may get some foreshadowing...

I received a free review copy from the author but a review was not required.

Very enjoyable

This is a great classic crime caper, and I love Lawrence Block. My only criticism is that the story was too improbable in places.

A Wonderful Light Thriller

In Passport to Peril we meet Ellen, a musician, who is headed to Berlin to perform in a music festival, but on the way she decides to take side trips through Ireland on the way. She soon discovers pubs where her music is appreciated, and where she hears learns local songs. Add to that a budding romance with a local named David, all is wonderful.

Passport to Peril is a wonderful surprising adventure. If it suffers is only that it is marked as a romance. It is a mystery adventure with a touch of romance which wonderfully serves as a way of developing the characters and moving the plot.

In this story, author Block creates a great sense of place; in pubs, and through songs. The pacing of the novel is just right; a perfectly slow beginning with entertaining and “page turning” progression.

Through the writing and narration from the talented PJ Morgan there remains throughout the tale enough tension, enough surprise to make me feel as if I was reading the script for a Hitchcock film.

The innocent Ellen becomes escapee, and later a suspect. Even when the reader feels the story is resolved the question remains, is it? Is everyone who they seem to be? Does one of the local songs she learned contain a clue that can save her?

All of this makes Passport to Peril an engaging and thrilling read.

Fun genre-bender

This combination thriller/romance is full of local color and interesting characterizations, as a folk singer gets involved in international intrigue on a trip to Ireland. Along the way, she gets to sing, be menaced, and fall in love. It's a swell package with full-throated narration and, yes, even believable a cappella folk singing by P.J. Morgan. Any fan of Lawrence Block knows he's got "thriller" covered, but the ingenue with a tough hide he's created in Ellen Cameron is unusual even for him. This early Block is well worth the listen.

A great listen

Lawrence Block’s decision to make available his early works has been a blessing. Passport to Peril is a stand-alone thriller from the 1960s wherein a young American folk singer tours Ireland en route to Berlin for its national music festival. Along the way she finds the possibility of love and friendship and a reality of smuggling, murder, and distrust. The first half or so details her, Ellen Cameron’s, time in Ireland as a tourist looking for traditional music, which Block fills with Irish history and folk lyrics (sung by Ms. Morgan) before kicking the reader at the knees as Ellen discovers herself a patsy in an attempt to smuggle microfilm across borders and realizes she cannot trust those who she has come to love. What started as a leisurely trip through Ireland’s pubs and history — for both Ellen and the reader — leads seemingly effortlessly to a fast paced engrossing thriller. PJ Morgan’s reliably solid narration makes for a fantastic listen in yet another winner in Block’s outstanding Classic Crime Library.