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| The front cover of the book! I believe that's a little wooden Churchill! |
Well huckleberry hell! You'd better sit down, cos I'm about to tell you about 'The Final Run', which is precisely that!
When it comes to googling this title, this book is strangely overlooked on the majority of the internet. Odd. So I'm here to give a little insight as to what exactly this book is.
Published in 1983, 'The Final Run' is sort of an alternate reality, an alternate universe to the one in which we know to be true. Historical fiction would probably the best way to classify this book. I'll let you read the inside flap of the dust jacket:
"Marcus Ronay, ex-British agent, prematurely retired after a professional miscalculation during the Spanish Civil War, is a man without an occupation, without a future. Until, that is, the cataclysmic events which shake Europe in the summer of 1940. As the great German military machine thrusts inexorably through Belgium, compelling the Expeditionary Force to retreat towards the Dunkirk beaches, it is Ronay who conceives a plan to buy precious time for the British.
What if the Germans were made to think that Britain was ready to make peace? What if the Fuhrer were offered a tempting deal which would give him the supremacy he sought in Europe and allow the Third Reich to rival America and Russia in might? And what if Churchill himself appeared to be making the deal?
It is Ronay's task to put on the daring charade, to find the puppets and to pull the strings: he must set the scene in Spain where he has the beautiful Donna Maria and faithful Gomez to help him. His mission is unlike any other carried out by an undercover agent; it is reckless, eccentric, a desperate gamble - and the lives of three hundred thousand men depend on its success. The code name of the operation is 'The Final Run'."
At first, I did not think this book would be as full of thrills and chills as it actually was! As I continued to read, there were so many elements in this novel that thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly, surprised me. There are costumes, actors, serious gay characters, Americans, even! Ha! And not to mention the violence. It's half a bloodbath! There's just enough murder. Just enough. And some of it actually made me physically wince, in public, just envisioning it. Tommy's command of the English language continues to be extremely effective. His word choice is generally simple, yet, when strung together, the words carry so much meaning.
It is also worth mentioning that there are some rather - ahem - adult scenes. These are brief and few, but reader discretion is advised.
Now, you might think I only like this book because Tommy wrote it. Well, yes, if someone else wrote it, I doubt I would've sought it out like I did (I got it secondhand on amazon.com)
My favourite character finally showed up on page 117 of this 224-page novel, in the form of a young American named Harvey Teckner, who was always quick to exclaim 'huckleberry hell'! I'd be lying if I told you I haven't worked that phrase into my own vocabulary. Soon after his introduction, Harvey disappeared from the action for a little while, and I thought it unlikely for him to return... Alas, I was wrong! Quite wrong.
I'd love to tell you more, but I'm really quite afraid of spoiling the ending for you. But! I will say this:
Consider who wrote this book. Consider his whimsical, spritely persona. Now look at what he's capable of writing!
Not everyone is what they seem at first glance!
'The Final Run'... 5 out of 5 stars!
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| The back cover, which includes Tommy's handsome mug. You'd better believe I paraded around proudly with this bad lad in my arms! |
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