Friendly Enemy

The Enemy by Desmond Bagley

"Smashing New Thriller" and "International Bestseller!" So read the cover blurbs read on Desmond Bagley's The Enemy. Unfortunately, while Bagley's work sold very well, he never gained the stature that others in the field did, and that is a shame because his work remains some of my favorite in the thriller field.

Bagley was a wonderful British author who died almost twenty years ago. He did not write with the grace of a John MacDonald or the twisty-turny plots of Robert Ludlum or the historical settings of a Ken Follett or Jack Higgins. What he did extremely well, however, was plot the adventures of sympathetic characters. And like the best thriller writers, Bagley was a man of many interests who stayed cutting edge.

There may not be a better example of this trend then The Enemy's focus on genetics and the dangers of mutating the human genome. That may not seem so unusual in today's world, but Bagley wrote this plot 23 years ago in 1977. Readers even get a peak at a highly unorthodox computer - a good four years before the PC was even introduced.

Like his other stories, The Enemy has a likeable British chap named Malcolm Jaggard who would be non-descript save for the fact that he is just a little different than the other characters. He is a little more self-assured, a little more skilled and a little luckier than the other characters. Bagley pulls this off with his customary taut writing and by eschewing the trappings of a James Bond-like character. Yes, Malcolm falls in love, but that is central to the story and he has more than his share of trouble with that particular relationship. How much of the 60+ year old author was in the 30-something character is impossible to say, but Bagley's characters are very much like Robert Heinlein's in their ability to convince the reader that they're another branch of the author's psyche - a road not taken, if you will. And that sense of reality makes them very fun to read about. Even the minor characters come to life under this skilled man's sharp dialogue-writing skills.

This story races along multiple tracks, but there is little time spent on tangents. Instead, the reader follows Malcolm from his covert offices to wherever the action occurs. But Bagley wisely allows Malcolm to fail at times; never enough to lose the reader's belief that the events could happen that way, but enough to show that Malcolm is fallible. There is also enough topical content in the setting to be very convincing. Unlike Ludlum, Bagley doesn't need to name each street his characters pass by nor each store they stop in front of while shadowing someone.

Of particular note in this story is the ending. I don't like spoilers so I will not share much beyond this: you will never imagine what happens. Adventure thrillers tend to end in anti-climactic fashion. Like an orchestra teasing out the next variation on a theme, Bagley builds almost to a crescendo and then falls back again, only to come back even harder at the end. This is honestly one of the few thrillers I've read when I've put down the book, looked at it on the table, and said "Wha--?"

This book serves as an excellent introduction to Bagley's work. I urge you to start with this story, though, and then work your way into Wyatt's Hurricane and The Snow Tiger. They are both pleasant stories, but lack the crisp and direct writing of this one. In a genre where overblown is a constantly irritating style, Bagley's refreshingly quick read and thought-provoking setting make this one a hidden gem.

How much of a gem? Well, I still have my first edition trade paperback. You know, the one that declared the story was an "international bestseller". The trip is worthwhile if you enjoy plot-driven thrillers or just want a quick, easy read that engages you, but doesn't become a "project" book.