Tony Hawkin, Apache Indian and manager of the book and print shop in
Washington's National Gallery, is recruited as an art expert by the F.B.I. A
priceless daVinci painting, thought to be destroyed in the war, has surfaced
in Mexico. Hawkin is to go there and ascertain whether the painting is
genuine, and try to obtain it.
The death of his Mexican connection plunges Hawkin into increasingly bizarre
adventures with Israeli, Italian, German and U.S agencies who want to get
their hands on the painting.
Dedication: To Anthony Burgess, Gratitudinously
New York: Doubleday, 1972, 180pp., hbk. Cover: Carl Berkowitz.
New York: Walter J. Black (Detective Book Club), 1972, hbk. Part of an omnibus containing Lame Dog Murder by John Creasey, and Avery's Future by William M. Green.
New York: Manor Books, 1975, 180pp., ISBN: 0-532-12254-2, pbk.
New York: Tor, September 1987, 256pp., ISBN: 0-8125-0444-5, pbk. Reprinted September 1987.
The New York Times Book Review, 15th October 1972,
p.42. Review by Newgate Callendar.
" ... [Contains] one of the great lines. The hero ... is enjoying an
Italian meal in a restaurant in Acapulco. Suddenly he finds his head lying
on the table. 'They've ... they've drugged the spaghetti!' With this one
nice stroke, Harrison puts into perspective the absurdity of so many spy
stories ... The result is an entertaining spoof ... The plot is something
to do with a rediscovered painting by da Vinci, but forget it. You won't be
able to follow the plot. Nobody will be able to follow the plot. But you
should have a lot of fun with Harrison's humor and, in some sections,
deadly satire addressed to the American bureaucracy."
Tony Hawkin Series