The Wrecking Crew

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The Matt Helm series of spy novels were written by author Donald Hamilton as an American answer to Ian Fleming's James Bond books. In 1960's The Wrecking Crew, Hamilton's 2nd Matt Helm story, Helm is back in the fold after a 15-year layoff, back to work for a secret dirty tricks outfit run by a ruthless man called Mac. Mac sends Helm to Norway to take out a mysterious enemy agent called Caselius, an agent so good that nobody even knows what he looks like. Posing as a professional photographer, Helm soon finds his hands tied with "do not take action" orders. As Helm attempts to complete his mission, the double crosses are many, and no one can be trusted. Matt Helm is about as far away from James Bond as it gets. Helm is the more believable agent of the two, a tough S.O.B.who will kill at the drop of a hat if it will aid his mission. While The Wrecking Crew is far from my favorite Matt Helm novel, I still find it as enjoyable as I did when I first discovered the series as a young teen. I've probably read it around twenty or so times, and as I realized yesterday, I'll never tire of reading the books. If all you know of Matt Helm are the corny (yet entertaining) Dean Martin films, Hamilton's novels might throw you for a loop. These things are violent, and, to me, more realistic. The books are difficult to find, but well worth the read if you do come across one.