The Menacers

Matt Helm, Book 11

By: Donald Hamilton, Claire Bloom - director

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Matt Helm is puzzled. He's been sent to Mexico to investigate the sighting of a flying saucer, but Helm doesn't believe in little green men. Then his Russian opposite number is shot in her hotel, but who did it? And why are the Mexican cops acting so tough? Time to track down the redhead who called in the sighting and get to the bottom of the case.

©2014 Donald Hamilton (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Skyboat Media, Inc.

A half dozen books in and the plots feel modernish

There is still a good bit of sexism, mysogny and racism. This book adds homophobia although at the time in the sixties and until about 1992, homophobia was cooked into the intelligence community in policy and security for background reasons.

This book however delves into ufo conspiracy theories in a fresh (2022 view looking back at the late sixties) way. Even though I was born shortly after the period of this book, I’ve never before encountered this take on how ufo lore might have been used on both sides to make each other look bad politically and regionally throughout central and maybe South America too.

While the early books in this series were turned into Dean Martin comedies, I have to wonder just how much these later books which are less post war bodice rippers and more modern intrigue and even who done its… how much these later books actually got read.

Must have been some market for them to keep getting published but I’m not sure how much these plot topics received more play, recycling and development.

It feels like finding fiction maybe lost to the ages.

it's like reading a book from a black and white mo

it's like reading a book from black and white movie I love those movies just like I love this series

corny

this one was a little corny but I still liked it. one thing made me kind of sad. overall not bad

as i fight 🐱

the plot is of course odd ,with ufo s ,communist conspiracy, against the U.S.! so it's what is called a "ripping yarn" (remember that show?) but with the loss of vadya , its not my absolute favorite! still,sentiment aside,it's very good,though ,not as good as the ambushers, but 👍 enough, for a Helm fan! especially when he gets the chance to fly an airplane!priceless! (plus, the cats seem to really enjoy, sitting on my bed, and listening to all the bloodshed and mayhem! purring contentedly!!, so if it's good enough for 🐱, its good enough for me!!)

LOW POINT

Really the worst of the series, couldn't finish it. Completely unbelievable and badly designed plot, unlikeable characters and lame romantic interludes. Couldn't wait for it to end - and then realised I didn't have to wait... I think there was one other entry that I couldn't finish because the female lead was so irritating and seemed to only have one line of dialogue "Damn you Matt Helm!" but dont recall which one now.

Nine lives

No one wishes to kill Matt Helm; what a pity. This character isn’t likable in any way not even a little bit.

Little green men?

Helm is sent to The Ranch in Arizona for a mental and physical checkup. After passing with flying colors, Mexico is his next stop. A telephone call from Mac outlined his next mission. Pricilla Decker will be his contact in Guadalajara. Helm is to bring a woman named O’Leary out of Mexico. This woman has observed something quite important to those in Los Alamos. Other nations are also interested in what she observed, and there may be “hindrances” in bringing her out. No matter what, O’Leary must not fall into enemy hands. Do you understand, Eric? So much for the setup of the story. Once in his hotel, Helm changed into trunks and went out to the beach. Of all people, Vadia appeared on the beach with Helm. Vadia is always an intriguing mixture of sex and danger. Helm has suspicions of the O’Leary briefing and in particular, his orders to kill her if necessary. With circumstances in that quarter going awry, Helm is switched to another similar mission escorting a female photojournalist doing a story on UFO sightings in Mexico. The Top Secret story revolves around UFO sightings and whether the U.S. Air Forces is hiding experimental aircraft. Helm winds up in the middle between orders, conscience, and the people he’s watching/escorting. Compared to the previous volumes, this wasn’t a very exciting story. Definitely not one of my favorite Matt Helm novels.