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THE RESTLESS FRONTIER by Duncan MacNeil

THE RESTLESS FRONTIER

By

Pub Date: Feb. 15th, 1979
Publisher: St. Martin's

Eleventh in MacNeil's Northwest-Frontier-of-India series, featuring James Ogilvie of the 114th Queen's Own Royal Strathspreys--here in a rather less amusing but typically action-packed installment. Captain James is, of course, son of the general in command of the Northern armies, but he's striving to rise in Her Majesty's Service on his own merits. James' cousin Hector, a civilian, is now also in Nowshera cantonment (three miles from the Khyber Pass) and has with him a beauteous young wife, Angela. But, following a regimental celebration, she's kidnapped by four Afridi tribesmen who ride off with her to Waziristan--where she is to be held by Murrum Khan until Hector rules on a boundary dispute in the Khan's favor. . . or else. The armies ride out after Murrum Khan while James leads another force that is cut to ribbons by Indian madman Razjah Shah, Murrum Khan's rival: James is taken prisoner and suspended over a pit of vipers to get him to talk (while Angela--over at the Khan's--is kept in a pool with a raging 30-foot crocodile separated from her by a net). lames decides to lead Razjah's troops against the Murrum, rescues Angela, and loses her again, but by novel's end both are safe and perhaps headed toward marriage--since Hector is dead, along with beheaded Razjah and about-to-be-executed Murrum. Harumscarum through the burning hills, and quite colorful regimentalia.