The Dark Crusader — Alistair MacLean

A classic tale of espionage, secret missions and exotic locations which out-Bonds Bond, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.

Eight job advertisements.
Eight jobs. Eight specialists in modern technology required.

Eight scientists to fill them.
Applicants to be married, with no children, and prepared to travel. Highly persuasive salaries.

One criminal mastermind.
Eight positions filled. Eight scientists â€" and their wives â€" disappear. Completely.

One secret agent to stop him.
Advertisement no.9. Sydney, Australia. Fuel specialist required. Looks like a job for John Bentall…

Reviews

'A fierce whodunit set on a rocket-proving island in the Pacific. Moves at jet pace' Oxford Mail

'As satisfying a saga of death, double-dealing and cloak-and-dagger work as I've read in a long time' Books and Bookmen

About the author

Alistair MacLean, the son of a Scots minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941 he joined the Royal Navy. After the war he read English at Glasgow University and became a schoolmaster. The two and a half years he spent aboard a wartime cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his remarkably successful first novel, published in 1955. He is now recognized as one of the outstanding popular writers of the 20th century, the author of 29 worldwide bestsellers, many of which have been filmed.