John Hunter wrote a number of titles for publishers Fleetway/Amalgamated during the immediate post-war period. His output included a number of westerns, but I suspect he is better remembered for his Sexton Blake Library titles.

This was a period when the SBL was far from thriving. Post-war economy measures meant the magazine was reduced in size to 64 pages, and the writers, many being veterans of the `Golden Age` of Blake-between-the-wars were maybe not all the hot property they had been in the past.

Nonetheless, this lively tale from Hunter is an accomplished and engrossing piece of work.

It actually tells two stories, one concerning an Englishman on the run for a crime he did not commit, the other a Spanish financier wishing to make himself scarce in light of crimes he quite clearly did commit.

The two arrive at a plan that should solve both men`s problems, but little do they know that a petty criminal turned blackmailer has realised the situation and plans to turn it to his advantage.

Sexton Blake and assistant Tinkr are hired to solve one case and stumble upon the other.

This could so easily have become a confusing mess, but Hunter`s telling of two tales is masterful, especially given the limited space available.

His attempts to characterise foreigners maybe a little gauche - noticeable in some of his other works as well - but are far from offensive or distasteful. His Blake may seem a little anonymous, but it hardly detracts from the story.

On reading this, you may wonder if it was not originally intended as a Blake story. It`s said a number of writers turned proposed novels of their own into Blakes on finding themselves strapped for cash - Jack Trevor Story admitted that he had done this regularly - and this may be a case in point.

Hunter is not considered the most collectable of Blake writers, meaning you can pick up his post-war Blakes very cheaply indeed. I recommend you do so. ( )