Flash Point (Gilbert novel): Difference between revisions
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{{Image|Michael Gilbert Portrait - smaller.jpg|left|100px|Michael Gilbert on the back cover of [[Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens]], 1982}} | {{Image|Michael Gilbert Portrait - smaller.jpg|left|100px|Michael Gilbert on the back cover of [[Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens]], 1982}} | ||
'''Flash Point''' is a 1974 novel by the British author [[Michael Gilbert]] published in England by [[Hodder and Stoughton]] and in the United States by [[Harper & Row]]. It was Gilbert's 17th novel. The American edition has an apparent subtitle shown only on the copyright page: "A Harper Novel of Law and Lawlessness". Like a number of other works by Gilbert and his near contemporaries [[Victor Canning]] and [[Ross Thomas]], it is | '''Flash Point''' is a 1974 novel by the British author [[Michael Gilbert]] published in England by [[Hodder and Stoughton]] and in the United States by [[Harper & Row]]. It was Gilbert's 17th novel and undoubtedly written during the last days of the American [[Watergate scandal]]; although none of the events in book directly parallel those of Watergate, it begins with a banal legal matter and escalates into a government cover-up and national scandal. The American edition has an apparent subtitle shown only on the copyright page: "A Harper Novel of Law and Lawlessness". Like a number of other works by Gilbert and his near contemporaries [[Victor Canning]] and [[Ross Thomas]], it is a political thriller about the amorality and even deadly reactions of those in the highest government positions when confronted by seemingly trivial events that have blossomed uncontrollably into perceived challenges to their positions. | ||
As one of Gilbert's editors said after his death in 2006, "He's not a [[hard-boiled writer]] in the classic sense, but there is a hard edge to him, a feeling within his work that not all of society is rational, that virtue is not always rewarded.".<ref>Douglas Greene of Crippen & Landrau, quoted in ''The New York Times'', 15 February 2006</ref> Such is the case here. | As one of Gilbert's editors said after his death in 2006, "He's not a [[hard-boiled writer]] in the classic sense, but there is a hard edge to him, a feeling within his work that not all of society is rational, that virtue is not always rewarded.".<ref>Douglas Greene of Crippen & Landrau, quoted in ''The New York Times'', 15 February 2006</ref> Such is the case here. | ||
Revision as of 15:53, 21 August 2020
Flash Point is a 1974 novel by the British author Michael Gilbert published in England by Hodder and Stoughton and in the United States by Harper & Row. It was Gilbert's 17th novel and undoubtedly written during the last days of the American Watergate scandal; although none of the events in book directly parallel those of Watergate, it begins with a banal legal matter and escalates into a government cover-up and national scandal. The American edition has an apparent subtitle shown only on the copyright page: "A Harper Novel of Law and Lawlessness". Like a number of other works by Gilbert and his near contemporaries Victor Canning and Ross Thomas, it is a political thriller about the amorality and even deadly reactions of those in the highest government positions when confronted by seemingly trivial events that have blossomed uncontrollably into perceived challenges to their positions.
As one of Gilbert's editors said after his death in 2006, "He's not a hard-boiled writer in the classic sense, but there is a hard edge to him, a feeling within his work that not all of society is rational, that virtue is not always rewarded.".[1] Such is the case here.
Plot
As usual with most of Gilbert's novels, the locale is mostly London: law offices, and courts, and government offices. Although Gilbert himself was a most Establishment figure mostly writing about other Establishment figures, perhaps because of his many years of legal practice he is equally at home with other types of characters: sleazy strip-club owners, tough and semi-crooked policemen, union officials, factory workers, relentless Intelligent agents, and a wide variety of gangsters and crooks.
Reception and/or Appraisal
Newgate Callendar, the mystery critic of the New York Times, gave it a very favorable review, saying that:
Michael Gilbert's FLASH POINT (Harper & Row, $6.95) examines certain aspects of the British Parliamentary system and does not like what it sees. Gilbert, himself a lawyer, works up a situation where, in an effort to stop a legal case, the British Government steps in and subverts the basic rights of citizens. Gilbert poses big questions that carry the ethical problems straight up to the Prime Minister. The analogy to certain doings in the United States Government of recent vintage is not once mentioned, but obviously Gilbert had it on his mind. The ending of “Flash Point,” however, is a bit weak. It is as though Gilbert did not know exactly how to resolve the plot, and there is the sudden, unconvincing reversal of character of several key figures. Nevertheless a strong, well‐written book.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Douglas Greene of Crippen & Landrau, quoted in The New York Times, 15 February 2006
- ↑ The New York Times, 19 January 1975 at https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1975/01/19/76329705.html?pageNumber=251