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WALL OF SILENCE by

WALL OF SILENCE

By

Pub Date: April 25th, 1960
Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill

This book has the distinct advantage of being a true adventure, for its story -- the desperate search for millions in gold bullion stolen and hidden during World War II -- has been the subject of many adventure novels. It begins with a slickly professional account of the effect of the discovery of the gold by four German soldiers in Jugoslavia: one later shoots the other three in the Libyan desert. The narrative then shifts into the first person with Mr. Eton, a BBC producer, telling of his accidental involvement -- his motivation for finding the gold being the solution of an intellectual problem rather than avarice. Some of the situations are provocative with menace in the best Ambler tradition. However, the book is overlong and padded with lengthy scenes and tiresome re-created dialogue. In all, it lacks the crisp style and pace of a good adventure novel, but the strong opening situation many very well help to hold the interest of a reader who is excited by the fact that this is non-fiction.