Into the Volcano -- Forrest DeVoe, Jr.

Back in the 1960s, I read spy novels by the trailer load. Recently I've been reading some newer ones and having quite a good time. Into the Volcano was just right for me because it's set in 1962, the time when I was reading so heavily in the field.

It's got just about everything you could ask for: a private espionage firm known as The Consultancy, a woman whose martial arts skills make Mrs. Peel's pale in comparison; a stalwart hero who can take torture as well as anyone, exotic locations, a super-villain with a billion-dollar lair in a dormant volcano, and so on. The action never lets up, and the action's fine. I believe the sequel is about to be published, and I'm sure I'll be reading that one, too.

Forrest DeVoe, Jr., is a pen name used by Max Phillips, one of the founders of Hard Case Crime and the author of Fade to Blonde, a fine book in the Hard Case line. Both that one and this one are highly recommended. Check 'em out.