A fairly diverting thriller for fans of auto racing. The story begins with world-famous Formula 1 driver Johnny Harlow being involved in a fiery, horrific crash that claims the life of a fellow driver and cripples the daughter of his team's owner when she is hit by flying debris. Rumours then start flying that Harlow has lost his nerve -- he's seen drinking to excess when before he would never touch alcohol, he spends more time alone and is just generally unpleasant. He is also convinced that there is some more sinister explanation for the accident and for some of the other unusual occurrences that have been happening on the track. But is this just bravado or paranoia on his part, or is it true?For the first half of the book the reader constantly changes their opinion of Johnny. One page he's a drunken idiot and not deserving of sympathy, then the next he is very much put-upon and deserves to succeed. Very much an anti-hero. But once the second half really gets into gear (sorry! all car-related puns in this review will likely be intended), he becomes more of a cartoon action hero type. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, and indeed it's a lot of fun if you like that sort of thing. At least he does stuff, which is more than I can say for the owner's daughter, Mary, who spends the entire book crying and saying "Oh, Johnny!" She added very little to the book and I would have been far happier had she been written out entirely.The best parts of the book were the technical descriptions of the cars (especially in that crash at the beginning, horrific as it was), the sheer craziness of the hijinks at the end, and MacLean's characteristic dry-witted, clever narration. Recommended more for F1 fans who also happen to like MacLean's work and have tried something else by him already.
Formula 1 racing is something we look forward to watching. In this book, Mr. MacLean gives us an insight into what goes on behind the scenes in this emperor of sports. How a Champion driver is driven to enacting the role of an alcoholic to find out who is the betrayer in his team. Wherever there is a lot of money involved in sports these irregularities are bound to happen. But how can a race driver function when he has no trust on the supporting team. Really a ver pertinent question.The Ace Formula I driver in this book finds his own means to defeat the efforts of the one individual in his team who would otherwise have managed to drive him out of the Formula I circuit.An interesting book, written in the inimitable style of AM, quite worth reading while traveling, I suppose! But not for serious readers like me who spend upto 6 hours a day in reading anything that is at hand!
Do You like book The Way To Dusty Death (1990)?
Nowhere near MacLean's best, but it's another childhood favourite of mine. In this book, AM takes his formula to the world of motorsport. Anyone with a passing knowledge of motorsport will probably spot a few errors here and there, but it's part of the charm. And one could argue that Grand Prix cars should have brake lights! It's an easy-reading adventure story with the usual AM twists and characters (heavy-drinkers, baddies, ever-present 'Mary'), and it's not too long. If there are any teenaged motorsport enthusiasts reading this review, this book is for you.Objectively, I guess this is a 3 star book. But I'm going to give it 4..!Actually I'd really like to read it again!
—Geoff Nolan
