THE BLUE PAVILION

From the first sub rosa whispers of le Pavillon Bleu we know that our boy Jim is going to wind up there. But Jim is quite respectable, even though he is on holiday in Paris with his true love Imogene having told his wife that business called. Jim is also an individualist, one can hardly picture him getting mixed up with the ""entertainments"" of the Pavilion where they sell ""bootleg passion at a high price."" Well, Mr. Buchan certainly uses a devious route to finally get him there. Business does follow Jim to France and there is much ado about financial intrigues and a meeting with a Czar of industry. Tentatively involved in this are some of Jim's old acquaintances, in particular Simon Fisher who represents everything that Jim despises-- the phoniness, the frustrations of his past life. (Jim really wants to shuck up public relations and become a writer.) It develops that Fisher has become seriously involved with the underground operating the Pavilion and it also follows that Jim learns of an up-coming expose that is supposed to cause a Profumo type scandal. So as a kind of final act of catharsis that will obliterate the old life, Jim decides to help Fisher out and ends up at the final extravaganza at the Pavilion. Well, Mr. Buchan is as shocked as our hero, obviously regarding the whole things as unprintable...practically. It's readably, reasonably, written but too much ade about nothing.