Title: Achaladair: The Devil is on Our Doorstep
Author: William S. Young
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 978-1-7283-8429-0
Pages: 304
Genre: Adventure
Reviewer: Jason Lulos

Read Book Review

Achaladair: The Devil is on Our Doorstep is an exciting, fast-paced spy thriller set in the beautiful area of Ardnamurchan on the west coast of Scotland. This novel is packed with everything that makes a spy thriller a page-turner: double agents, dangerous liaisons, stealth missions in the middle of the night, and a ragtag group of special agents who work together to thwart threats from Russian agents. This tale is set in April of 1962, a mere six months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, putting readers right in the middle of the Cold War Era.

In London, agents Frank Mulholland and Tom Sommerville are finishing up paperwork from their latest assignment when they get word to report to the picturesque land of Ardnamurchan to investigate a downed Russian submarine. Having been to this area before, they are no strangers to the locals and the surrounding landscapes. Frank and Tom arrive at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel and are greeted with open arms, particularly by their respective significant others: Carol and Emma who work at the hotel. The romantic reunions of Frank and Carol, along with Tom and Emma, amidst the lush landscape of Western Scotland paint the scene of an idyllic love story. But that story soon turns into a series of difficult missions involving Russian spies and IRA gunrunners. While Frank and Tom are aided by the higher-ups in London, the real help comes from Scottish locals: constables, a wise-cracking helicopter pilot named Tommy, and a remarkably resourceful ground team headed by the stalwart Big John B. Aitken.

This is certainly a spy thriller, but it also has the feeling of noir fiction. While Frank is dedicated to Carol, he is constantly confronted with gorgeous females who may or may not be on his side. He and Tom are constantly playing the role of detectives as they go about their mission while trying to figure out who is a double agent and who is not. While Frank is certainly the hero of the story, his local Scottish sidekicks sometimes steal the show with their sarcastic wits and rugged determinism to successfully complete the mission.

Achaladair is a non-stop adventure story. The Cold War setting creates a bit of realism, but this is a straight up action movie in novel form. There is a nice balance with natural landscapes and love stories versus the danger and violent missions. The novel is well written and for all these reasons, it is a good old-fashioned action-packed adventure. William S. Young creates an atmosphere of constant tension where every decision carries life-or-death consequences. Readers who love spy adventures will find this novel, as well as Young’s other Achaladiar books, to be a nuclear-fueled, fun read.