THE PLOT:
Callan is seeing double. At the optometrist, he sees two doctors, two desks, and two eye charts - though he does find some compensation in also seeing two of the office's pretty nurse. The doctor gives him eyedrops to restore his vision, but it's a temporary solution: To permanently correct it, he will need surgery. If he doesn't get it, he will go blind.
The timing couldn't be worse. When he arrives at The Section, Hunter tells him point blank that he has sold him out to the Russians. In exchange for a top agent who was discovered by the KGB, Hunter has granted permission for the Russians to kill him. Three assassins are on their way, and Hunter is leaving him helpless: No guns, no money to buy guns. Section agents have even confiscated his model soldiers.
With just a little over twenty pounds to his name, Callan finds himself on the streets of London, left to wait for his three executioners. But he doesn't intend to go down easily...
CHARACTERS:
Callan: Offered up as a sacrificial lamb, he's left to rely on his abilities and, perhaps even more importantly, his determination to live. He's fortunate in that the assassins only come after him one at a time. Between the problem he's having with his vision and his inability to lay claim to a gun, he would have no chance against all three. But he has long experience as a killer - a hunter, if you will - and by taking on his would-be murderers one at a time, he is able to find opportunities to seize the advantage.
Hunter: Makes the deal with the Soviets out of cold calculation. He explains that he weighed Callan vs. the other spy and determined that Callan simply had slightly less value. For all that, he arranged very specific terms. The Section won't kill Callan for the enemy, but the Section will allow the KGB agents into the country and will deny Callan a weapon to defend himself. When Callan manages to kill the first assassin, Hunter openly admires his resourcefulness, and he seems regretful that the odds remain stacked against him.
Lonely: Though most of the book is told from Callan's perspective, we do get bits that follow Lonely. The first chapter from his point of view sees him once again trying to procure a gun for his friend, only to find that all of his usual sources have been "warned off." When he's thrown out of one place in a way both "painful and undignified," Lonely reflects that "the lack of dignity he could live with," but not so much the pain. He waits on another source, ruminating that he is "used to waiting for the attention of more important people. It was a part of life." For all his supposed cowardice, he refuses to let Callan warn him off him. "What kind of a mate would I be if I ran away now?"
Meres: One element that separates book Callan from TV show Callan is the relationship with Meres. In the show, the two were wary and often adversarial, but even in the first season there was respect, which bordered on being a bizarre sort of "not-friendship" by the end of the second season. Not here. Meres is portrayed as a snake, his feelings for Callan limited to malicious envy. He still suggests Hunter break the deal with the Soviets once their agent is returned, but that seems mostly borne from self-interest, in case he's ever in a similar situation.
OFTEN LESS INTERESTING THAN THE TELEVISION SERIES:
James Mitchell's first Callan novel was A Red File for Callan. This was adapted into the series' pilot, A Magnum for Schneider and was adapted again into the 1974 film, Callan - which is why I'm skipping it for the time being. I've already watched two versions of Callan's reluctant cat-and-mouse game with Schneider in as many years. It's a good story, but at the moment I'm not much interested in experiencing a third version of it.
I'm instead starting my look at the Callan novels with Russian Roulette, which was released one year after the end of the television series. And... honestly, in a lot of ways, I find it to be less interesting than the series. The deeper themes and layered characters are mostly discarded in favor of a straightforward action thriller. Callan and (particularly) Lonely still come across strongly, but Meres has been flattened into two dimensions. Never mind being less interesting than Anthony Valentine's television portrayal - This Meres isn't even as layered as Cross!
The story also starts from a premise I have difficulty accepting. I have no trouble believing Hunter selling out Callan for the right prize - but he wouldn't do so carelessly. Hunter dedicates the full might of The Section to making sure Callan can't even the odds, meaning that other agents know what's happening. As Meres points out, sacrificing one of their own is neither a morale builder nor a way to inspire loyalty.
The last part of the book offers up a couple of reveals. I'll avoid spoilers, except to say that both plot turns are telegraphed far too heavily to actually surprise.
LEAN AND EFFICIENT:
For all the flaws, which I think were fixable, I still enjoyed Russian Roulette. Taken as a lean, efficient little thriller, it's a good read. The story may be simple, but it wastes no time. It starts right out the gate, first introducing Callan's double vision and then Hunter's deal with the Russians, and it builds straight on from there.
James Mitchell's writing style is much like Callan himself: plain and blunt. There are no flowery descriptions. Physical settings are established quickly, with only the detail needed to allow for easy visualization. Scenes between characters are dominated by dialogue and action, with the prose kept as succinct as possible.
The Callan/Lonely material is unsurprisingly the most interesting part of the book, and Mitchell's writing is at its best when focusing on this. Scenes from Callan's perspective don't linger on emotion at all: He observes his surroundings and plans what he will do. Lonely's scenes fold in a sense of the man's weakness compared to most of the people he deals with, and the character's mix of fear and acceptance of his lot in life seeps into the descriptions during his scenes.
It's this aspect of the book that leaves me hopeful that some of James Mitchell's other Callan novels will rise above being just expendable "good reads."
OVERALL:
I would not rank Russian Roulette alongside the best episodes of the television series. Aside from the Callan/Lonely material, very little of the show's complexity makes it into this story. This is no moody rumination on Cold War politics, abuses of power, or the psychological impact of violence on those who perpetrate it. It's just a straight-up thriller.
The thing is... It's a rather good straight-up thriller. It zips along, and there's some cleverness in the ways Callan deals with his would-be assassins. All told, I think this would have made for a pretty good movie.
If nothing else, it's certainly a better continuation for the characters than 1982's Wet Job.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Novel: A Red File for Callan (not yet reviewed)
Next Novel: Death and Bright Water
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