Showing results by author "James Leasor" in All Categories

When Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, it was a devastating blow to the Allies, the British Empire and signalled a significant turning point in history. It was the greatest defeat for Britain since Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in the American War of Independence. Its impact was arguably even greater. James Leasor’s story begins as far back as the early nineteenth century, with imperialism and the settlement founded by Sir Stamford Raffles. He charts the years leading up to Singapore’s defeat and the realisation that the West was not invincible. Written just over ...

'An all action thriller' Daily Mail Only months before, Anthony Carter's hopes of a promising military career had been shattered overnight. Now he is an out-of-work swimming instructor with nothing before him but the prospect of a chilly Portuguese winter. So Mr Serrafino's offer of employment comes as a lifeline. Carter is to supervise the team of tough German divers who will be raising gold bullion from a sunken treasure ship. But Mr Serrafino may not be quite the respectable businessman he appears to be... And the ship of gold may prove to be a cargo of lethally dangerous fool's gold...

The bawdy, wise-cracking owner of Aristo Autos is offered two immaculate vintage Rolls straight out of a collector’s dream: one is a tourer, the other an Alpine. The cars, and Aristo, get in on a shady film deal which leads to a trip to Corsica with the imperturbable Dr Jason Love - Somerset GP and part-time secret agent - his supercharged Cord and the infinitely desirable Victoria – and to the cut and thrust of violent international skulduggery. “An entertaining and fast moving adventure” Daily Express 'It's all great fun and games, with plenty of revs.' Evening Standard ' . . . a ...

‘Super suspense and, as usual, Love finds a way.’ Daily Express ‘Bullets buzz like a beehive kicked by Bobby Charlton’ Sunday Mirror ‘Action is driven along at a furious pace from the moment the doctor sets foot in Damascus… a quite ferocious climax. Unputdownable.’ Sheffield Morning Telegraph ‘Thriller rating: High’ The Sun Dr Love’s fourth supersonic adventure. Dr Jason Love is going to attend a medical conference in Damascus and one of his patients asks him to find out how his daughter died in a car accident on the outskirts of Syria’s capital. But all is not as it ...

'Devoured at a sitting... racy, pungent and swift' The Sunday Times 'Number one thriller on my list... sexy and racy' Sunday Mirror THEY DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THAT ANY MORE introduces the earthy and likeable proprietor of Aristo Autos who deals in vintage cars - not forgetting Sara, supercharged with sexual promise, who whets his curiosity and rouses his interest. ln the process of becoming a reluctant hero, he spins across France, Spain and Switzerland, on the track of a rare Mercedes too badly wanted by too many dangerous men. . . 'A racy tale ... the hero spends most of his time trying ...

‘A good story, crisply told’ – New York Times Franz von Werra was the only German prisoner of war to escape and return to Germany after being captured by the Allies. An incredibly charismatic, inventive and self-confident man, he was a Luftwaffe ace shot down in the Battle of Britain. The One that Got Away tells the full and exciting story of his two daring escapes in England and his third and successful escape: a leap from the window of a prisoners' train in Canada. Enduring snow and frostbite, he crossed into the then neutral United States. James Leasor's book is based on von ...

‘Fans of Dr Jason Love will take special delight in this cliff-hanger’ Daily Express ‘Not only the best story about Jason Love but one of the most superbly action-crammed tales of the year’ Birmingham Evening Mail 'A runaway success story' Daily Mirror Dr Jason Love’s sixth case history of suspense. Attempted political assassination in the cauldron of Beirut, sees the doctor cum secret agent in a cliff-hanging mission to the Middle Eastern drug belt.

‘This is a battle piece of the finest kind, detailed, authentic and largely written from original documents. Mr. Leasor has a formidable gift of narrative. Never has this story of hate, violence, courage and cowardice been better told.’ Cecil Woodham-Smith, New York Times ‘An excellent book’ Baltimore Sun ‘An exciting account of this crucial event’ Los Angeles Times ‘Retells extremely well the story of the siege of Delhi’ The Observer ‘A fascinating book’ NewsdayA year after the Crimean War ended, an uprising broke out in India which was to have equal impact on the ...

Dr Jason Love is a middle-aged medical practitioner content with his life in rural Somerset, where he has relocated after the Second World War. However, the promise of a rare sports car tempts him into a seemingly insignificant rendezvous for MI6 that will change his quiet country life forever. Reluctant hero of a series of international best sellers by James Leasor, Dr Love’s first outing sees him thrust into a thrilling world of secrets, spies and intrigue.

'Breathes life into figures of history' The Sunday Times 'A truly great book' Liverpool Daily Post'Once in a while, a book comes along that grabs you by the throat, shakes you, and won't let go until you have read through to the last page.' Hal Burton, Newsday 'Follow the Drum is superb reading entertainment' Best Sellers India, in the mid-nineteenth century, was virtually run by a British commercial concern, the Honourable East India Company, whose directors would pay tribute to one Indian ruler and then depose another in their efforts to maintain their balance sheet of power and profit. ...

New York Times 'Mr. Leasor’s book is truth far more engrossing than fiction… A gem of World War II history.' Daily Mirror 'One of the most decisive actions in World War II was fought by fourteen out-of-conditions middle-aged men sailing in a steam barge...' Filmed as The Sea Wolves, this is the story of the undercover exploit of a territorial unit. The Germans had a secret transmitter on one of their ships in the neutral harbour of Goa. Its purpose was to guide the U-boats against Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean. There seemed no way for the British to infringe Goa’s Portuguese ...

James Leasor's two preceding books in his chronicle of the Far East a century and half ago - FOLLOW THE DRUM and MANDARIN-GOLD were acclaimed by critics on both sides of the Atlantic. THE CHINESE WIDOW is their equal. It combines the ferocious force of the Dutch mercenaries who seek to destroy Gunn's plan; the pathos of a young woman left alone to rule a fierce and rebellious people; the gawky humour of Gunn's partner, the rough, raw Scot MacPherson; the mysterious yet efficacious practice of Chinese medicine, handed on through thousands of years... When doctors in England pronounced his ...

'Fast-moving... a nice seedy atmosphere' SUNDAY EXPRESS Max Cornell had survived the Katyn massacre and the Russian camps. Now he wanted a new life - and the money to enjoy it - in England. And the price of a passport was three years’ work for British Intelligence, running the Russian codenamed Butcher. Asimir Vasarov, once camp commandant at Katyn, became Stalin's closest aide - a man whose political loyalty was assured and whose power was unlimited. But the successful British businessman and the man from the shadows of the Kremlin share more than memories of the past. In the post-war ...

‘Highly absorbing account of the corruption of an individual during a particularly sordid era of British imperial history,’ The Sunday Times ‘James Leasor switches to the China Sea more than a century ago, and with pace and ingenuity tells, in novel form, how the China coast was forced to open up its riches to Englishmen, in face of the Emperor's justified hostility’ Evening Standard ‘In the nasty story of opium - European and American traders made fortunes taking the forbidden dope into nineteenth century China, and this novel tells the story of their deadly arrangements and of ...

Passport to Oblivion is the first case book of Dr. Jason Love . . . country doctor turned secret agent. “Heir Apparent to the golden throne of Bond” The Sunday Times “Splendid sit-up-all-night-to-finish fun.” Sunday TelegraphMulti-million selling, published in 19 languages around the world and filmed as Where the Spies Are starring David Niven. 'As K pushed his way through the glass doors of the Park Hotel, he realized instinctively why the two stumpy men were waiting by the reception desk. They had come to kill him. ...' Who was K - and why should anyone kill him? Who was the ...

The senseless slaughter of 40,000 in the retreat from Kabul sees just two survivors: Scottish physician Douglas Kintyre and the orphan baby he brings safely into the world at the expense of its mother's life. Named Benjamin Fanfare Bannerman, because his birth coincides with a desperate bugle call to arms, the boy is unofficially adopted by Kintyre and spends his early life in India, where he learns the language and grows to love that mystical land and its people. After some years, Kintyre returns to Scotland and takes the boy with him. But the doctor's dour spinster housekeeper takes an ...

‘A remarkable tale, either the man should have been court-martialled - or he should have received instant promotion and a decoration.’ Winston Churchill This is a true and inspiring story of triumph over incredible adversity. A Royal Marine who, having been wounded in the early stages of the Japanese invasion of Burma in WW2, undertakes a long and solitary march through the length of country to escape the advancing enemy. He then has to find his way across India and back to Britain to report for duty in Plymouth. On his journey William Doyle has many encounters and adventures and helps ...

“A volunteer was urgently required for a secret assignment of the highest priority. He must be of non-Jewish appearance, speak German perfectly, and preferably have a German or Austrian background. A good knowledge of French on a conversational level was also desirable. ...This man would be required to work in dangerous circumstances, totally on his own.” James Leasor first heard of The Unknown Warrior's unique assignment from Major General Sir Leslie Hollis, KCB, KBE, Senior Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet and Chiefs of Staff Committee. Some years later, when more had ...

'A superb example of thriller writing at its best' - Sunday Express 'Third of Dr Love's supercharged adventures... It starts in the sunshine of the Bahamas, swings rapidly by way of a brunette corpse into Mexico, and winds up in the yacht of a megalomaniac ex-Nazi... Action: non-stop: Tension: nail-biting' - Daily Express 'His ingenuity and daring are as marked as ever' - Birmingham Post When a German submarine mysteriously disappears on a NATO exercise in the North Sea, and a beautiful girl was brutally murdered in the Bahamas, there at first seemed little connection between the two events...

Seven short stories featuring Dr Jason Love, the country doctor, old car lover and sometime spy in which he solves cases in Giglio off Italy, Praia da Luz in Portugal, Amsterdam, the Highlands, Spain, England and at home in Stogumber in Somerset. Travelling in his famous supercharged Cord again and again battles a range of villains in his efforts to crack a myriad of mysteries.