Number 55- The King of Satan's Eyes- Geoffrey Marsh

This is the first book I've read by Geoffrey Marsh.  It is however, probably the sixty somethingth book I've read by this writer.

That is just a slightly confusing way of saying that Geoffrey Marsh is a pen name for one of my favourite writers- in this case Charles L Grant- and this is the first book of his under this pen name that I've read.

Grant's pen names are all water related, Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Mark Rivers and Timothy Boggs. I have yet to source books from those last two pen names. 

Back to this one...

This is the first of the Lincoln Blackthorne series. Lincoln Blackthorne is an adventurer unsuccessfully trying to live a quiet life in a sleepy midwestern town.

These are tongue in cheek adventure novels in which many a buckler is swashed. (I actually googled to see which way round that should be. If you see someone claiming to buckle swashes, they're wrong... ) It's not as funny as the Lionel Fenn Kent Montana books, but is equally outrageous.

Lincoln is relaxing in his tailor shop when he's suddenly attacked by villains with a machine gun. He escapes and is tasked by a local collector of rare objects to find the eponymous King of Satan's Eyes. The King is a playing card from a mystical pack that was scattered many moons prior. Anyone who gains who whole deck of cards can apparently live forever. For reasons. Linc's taskmaster of course has all the cards but this one and needs to complete the set.

It's all quite silly and good fun with half a dozen villains popping up, a chase across South America and the Highlands of Scotland, femme fatales who may or may not be treacherous, and many scrapes with death including falling from planes and close encounters with big cats.  It's vaguely confusing.  I never quite understood how the playing cards were so powerful, but the characters chasing after it did (with the exception of Lincoln who remained pleasantly baffled throughout). 

It's not Grant's greatest work but was a fun and undemanding read. And that cover is just mad. I get the feeling that someone gave Charlie a really bad title and bet him he couldn't make a story out of it.

This character and his scrapes would actually make for a good film or tv franchise. I'd watch it anyway .