Four years before his first Matt Helm novel, Hamilton published this very similar tale of a scientist in New Mexico working on a nuclear weapons project who is the target of a failed assassination, then has to unravel a very tangled web to figure out what is going on--and whether his own wife may not be involved. This book has so many scenes that would later be paralleled in the Helm series that, at times, I felt I had read it before. But as John Fraser says, on one of his wonderful internet pages about Hamilton and his work, Jim Gregory (the protagonist of this book) is even more rational and cold-blooded than Helm as he sets out in pursuit of the truth.

The plot, like many of Hamilton's, is a bit too implausible and has the aura of having to some extent been made up as he goes along, but it holds up much better than some of the more outrageous Helm stories. The book succeeds through its wonderful depiction of New Mexico, especially Hamilton's description of a late season snow storm, through its unquestioned authority when speaking about guns, knives, and other "manly" things, and through the compelling first person narration. It suffers through its somewhat patronizing depiction of its female characters--though that is a bit less of a problem here than in later books. And it entertains through Hamilton's typical judgments about everything from automatic transmissions to cocktail bar decor.

If you are a fan of Hamilton, but haven't ventured into his earlier books, you'll definitely want to read this one. And even if you aren't a fan yet, you may become one after reading this 1950s period piece about atomic paranoia. ( )