These TV tie-in novels were sometimes written before the series in question had even begun its run and were based on the original concept of the series and perhaps the first couple of scripts. As a result they sometimes have a tone that differs slightly from that of the TV series. I suspect that might be the case here. This book and Avallone’s earlier The Birds of a Feather Affair have a more serious and much less outrageous tone than the series.
The Blazing Affair makes use of one of the most overused tropes of 1960s spy fiction and spy television - someone is trying to revive the Third Reich.
It begins with an attempted assassination in the Balkans but the action then moves to South Africa. Diamonds seem to be involved. Presumably these will be used to finance this latest attempt at world domination. A lot of western agents have disappeared in this country in recent times, suggesting not only that South Africa may be the epicentre of this latest threat to world peace but also that the people involved in this conspiracy are exceptionally ruthless and well-organised.
The finger of suspicion points towards a diamond dealer, Simon Ashley.
Crack U.N.C.L.E. agents April Dancer and Mark Slate are sent to South Africa to investigate. Unfortunately their covers are blown and things get unpleasant. Being chased by guys with machetes, that sort of thing.
As you’d expect April and Mark both get captured by the bad guys and end up in some situations that are both dangerous and creepy.
There’s some reasonable suspense. There’s quite a bit of action and a few explosions along the way.
There’s lots of gadgetry. April is a walking arsenal. Even when she’s stripped down to bra and panties you can’t be sure she’s unarmed.
All the right ingredients are here and the plot is serviceable enough but it just doesn’t quite catch fire the way it should. Perhaps the problem is that the villains needed to be a bit more colourful, and perhaps it needed a more fully thought-out plan for world domination in order to give the story a greater sense of threat and urgency.
One of the things I love about the TV series is the chemistry between Stefanie Powers as April and Noel Harrison as Mark, with lots of cheeky affectionate banter. There is some of that in the novel, but not to the same degree.
More could have been made of the South African setting, and the diamond angle.
It’s all fairly chaste, even when April is half-naked. That is of course true of the TV series as well but spicing things up just a little in the novel wouldn’t have hurt.
On the whole it’s a competent enough spy thriller and reasonably enjoyable. Worth checking out if you’re a fan of the TV series.
I’ve also reviewed several other Girl from U.N.C.L.E. original novels - Michael Avallone’s The Birds of a Feather Affair (which is quite good) and Simon Latter’s The Global Globules Affair and The Golden Boats of Taradata Affair (both of which are fun and more lighthearted and with a bit more craziness).
And I’ve reviewed the Girl from U.N.C.L.E. TV series.
