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THE MAIN CHANCE
by Colin Forbes
Simon and Schuster, November 2005
304 pages
17.99GBP
ISBN: 0743275861


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

I told a friend I had the new Colin Forbes to review. "Oh," she said. "Which English southern county does it start and finish in, which European mountain do they end up on partway through, and have they got mobile phones and computers yet?"

I can't fault her summary at all, and the answer is a thinly-disguised Hampshire; Belgium; yes and no. And believe me when I say that the presence of mobile phones is a significant move into the 21st century for one of thriller writing's dinosaurs.

I think I've discovered the trick to reviewing a Colin Forbes book. Read it when you're feeling relaxed and laid-back, and don't take it in the least seriously. You need to know that his dialogue is laughable, characterisation heavy-handed to paper-thin, and the intricacies of point of view are clearly beyond him. So the fact that our intrepid spies won't use computers in case, heavens to Betsy, someone hacks into them is the least of the anomalies.

So yes, THE MAIN CHANCE fits into Forbes's writing by numbers. It starts when spy boss Tweed (no first name) and his team of stereotypes are summoned to mysterious Hengistbury Manor in The Forest, home of Main Chance, the most powerful private bank in Europe (which also doesn't use computers . . .)

Its boss, Bella Main, tells Tweed that she has turned down a huge offer from sinister Armenian Calouste Gulbenkian to take over the bank. Within days Bella is found murdered.

And then the gallivanting starts as Tweed and Co rush round southern England, nip over to Belgium for a bout of fisticuffs up a mountain, then end up back where they started. And, as usual, a rabbit is pulled out of a hat -- this time in the shape of a revelation dating back to 1912 -- to tie proceedings up with a neat bow.

What can I say . . . This is Forbes's 32nd novel and if you've read any of the others, you'll know what's in store. If you haven't, don't bother unless you go for train wrecks. THE MAIN CHANCE is absolute tosh, but bizarrely addictive if you happen to be in the mood.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, October 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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