Feb 20

Feb 20 Campbell's Kingdom by Hammond Innes

When he inherits a parcel of land high in the Canadian Rockies, Bruce Campbell leaves London for Come Lucky, a ghost town of crushed dreams and bitter men. But as he starts to understand the legacy left by his grandfather, Bruce catches the oil bug and inflames old angers in town as he races against rival business interests in this technical, intelligent mining thriller.

Published in 1952, Campbell’s Kingdom is a slow-burner with considerable scene-building before the final action. This elaborate picture-painting is part of the pleasure of Innes’s writing - he immerses the reader in the location and this adds to the verisimilitude of the work. But he really shines during the action sequences. When the drama escalated at around page 200, I could feel the pressure in my chest.

A moment later I was climbing a fir tree that stood close against the telephone wires. I had my testing box slung round my neck. I clipped the wires on and waited, my eyes on my watch. At eleven-fifteen exactly I reached into my pack, pulled out a pair of pliers and cut both wires close by my clips. Then I lifted my receiver and wound the handle in a single long ring.

The edition pictured here includes an introduction by Andy McNab.

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