I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of Desmond Cory's other books, or classic spy novels in general, then it's likely you'll enjoy this mountain-themed adventure. Cory strikes me as a skilled writer and there's a great deal of clever wit in this tale.

However, there were elements of the novel which felt un-polished. Given that Cory died several years ago and the book was published more recently, I was left with the impression that someone has dug up a draft novel and released it without further editing. Sadly, they also skipped some formatting and proof-reading courtesies. The first half of the book failed to pull me in, and I was puzzled by some of the main character's actions and motivations, including bringing his female companion on the 'mission' and his choice of team when he decides to tackle the mountain.

That said, things really pick up around the half-way mark with a clever and surprising link to real-life European history. The ascent of the mountain, and what follows, is nothing short of gripping and the last few chapters were genuine page-turners.

If this genre is your cup of tea, by all means give this book a try and know that the second half is stronger than the first. Overall, however, I suspect this is not Cory's best work. ( )

This was my first time with Johnny Fedora and, for that matter, with his creator Desmond Cory. Perhaps because I had no prior knowledge of Johnny Fedora and his past exploits, it took me a little while to get into both the story and the writing style of the book, but once I'd settled in I quickly became hooked. It's a spy novel, set around 1950 when all things war and Nazi were still very much ongoing concerns. I find the comparisons to James Bond made by so many other reviewers unnecessary - other than the involvement of British Intelligence there's really no comparison, and several decades separate their exploits and their adversaries. So, forget James Bond and just enjoy a fast moving spy thriller with a nice dash of humour thrown in. In particular when the story gets to the mountainside, be ready for a riveting, exciting read with enough twists, action and odd characters to keep you intrigued and involved. In short, if you like spy adventures and the (for us) historic setting then buy it and start reading. For myself, I will track down and buy the earlier Johnny Fedora stories now so I know the backstory I was missing with this one. Recommended. ( )