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Consequence Of Fear
Some accidents must happen..."Depite Hiroshima and Nagasaki nobody knows what present-day nuclear explosions will do. And if you know, then by God you've got a massive advantage."In 1956 a major nuclear explosion shook the southern Urals, killing hundreds, possibly thousands of Russians and devastating an enormous industrial area. It could have been an accident. But was it? In Ted Allbeury's latest nail-biter one man holds the final piece to a jigsaw of terrifying proportions.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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About the author
Ted Allbeury
148Ìýbooks42Ìýfollowers1917 - 2005. Also wrote under the pseudonyms Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly.
Ted Allbeury was a lieutenant-colonel in the Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later a successful executive in the fields of marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one highly-praised general novel, THE CHOICE, and a short story collection, OTHER KINDS OF TREASON. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died on 4th December 2005.
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Ted Allbeury was a lieutenant-colonel in the Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later a successful executive in the fields of marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one highly-praised general novel, THE CHOICE, and a short story collection, OTHER KINDS OF TREASON. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died on 4th December 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 11, 2017
Having enjoyed the late British thriller writer Ted Allbeury's recently reprinted The Twentieth Day Of January, I've been on the hunt for some of his other work. One of those books I came across was this one, a 1979 thriller I bought after hearing Allbeury himself discussing it in his 1979 appearance on the long-running BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs appearance and found the premise, notionally regarding a 1950s nuclear explosion that *might* have been done deliberately by the Soviets on their own people, rather intriguing. What I read, though immensely readable, wasn't quite what I expected
Based on the premise and cover art, one might have expected Consequence Of Fear to be set in the 1940s and 1950s with it perhaps leading up to the explosion itself. Instead, Allbeury took a very different track with this tale. The novel kicks off in the 1940s during the Second World War and then moved forward to the then near-future of 1980. Instead of being about the leadup to the explosion, the novel follows former wartime British agent turned lawyer Andrew Boyle who is pressed back into service by British intelligence when one of his wartime contacts comes forward with information about the event. As a result, the novel feels lack the punch it might have had otherwise.
There are also some minor issues with the plot as well. Some of the plotting feels a little too convenient in terms of Boyle's movements which sees him traveling behind the old Iron Curtain with perhaps too much ease under the circumstances. Further is the slight problem that the novel was set in the then-future and uses the Moscow Olympics as a backdrop but, of course, Allbeury had no idea the US would boycott which undermines his plot a bit in retrospect.
That being said, it's an immensely readable book. Allbeury crafts a good page-turner with a combination of deft prose that keeps one wondering what will happen next. As a result, and despite the fact that it perhaps doesn't have quite the dramatic punch it might have had if it had been period set, it does move along at a cracking pace though it is quite heavy in terms of dialogue in places with pages at a time with no descriptions at all. It's a page-turner though not as strong of one as it could have been.
While it may not be Allbeury's best, Consequence of Fear is still a good read. It's a good little Cold War thriller, running a mere 190 pages, that tells a story that is interesting though not as strong as it might have been. For anyone wanting to check out more of Allbeury's back catalog, it's worth checking out.
Based on the premise and cover art, one might have expected Consequence Of Fear to be set in the 1940s and 1950s with it perhaps leading up to the explosion itself. Instead, Allbeury took a very different track with this tale. The novel kicks off in the 1940s during the Second World War and then moved forward to the then near-future of 1980. Instead of being about the leadup to the explosion, the novel follows former wartime British agent turned lawyer Andrew Boyle who is pressed back into service by British intelligence when one of his wartime contacts comes forward with information about the event. As a result, the novel feels lack the punch it might have had otherwise.
There are also some minor issues with the plot as well. Some of the plotting feels a little too convenient in terms of Boyle's movements which sees him traveling behind the old Iron Curtain with perhaps too much ease under the circumstances. Further is the slight problem that the novel was set in the then-future and uses the Moscow Olympics as a backdrop but, of course, Allbeury had no idea the US would boycott which undermines his plot a bit in retrospect.
That being said, it's an immensely readable book. Allbeury crafts a good page-turner with a combination of deft prose that keeps one wondering what will happen next. As a result, and despite the fact that it perhaps doesn't have quite the dramatic punch it might have had if it had been period set, it does move along at a cracking pace though it is quite heavy in terms of dialogue in places with pages at a time with no descriptions at all. It's a page-turner though not as strong of one as it could have been.
While it may not be Allbeury's best, Consequence of Fear is still a good read. It's a good little Cold War thriller, running a mere 190 pages, that tells a story that is interesting though not as strong as it might have been. For anyone wanting to check out more of Allbeury's back catalog, it's worth checking out.
September 9, 2019
There's not an ounce of fat on this ice cool spy thriller. After a brutal WW2 opening we jump to 1979 (year of publication) where a would-be defector offers evidence of a Russian nuclear explosion in Chelyabinsk in 1956. For anyone who watched the TV drama "Chernobyl", this rings all too true. Our re!uctant "hero" is a British barrister brought onboard thanks to his wartime link to the defector.
I found the plot thought provoking and refreshingly straightforward for the genre. It's a character study of a repressed man who's paid a high price for his notions of honour and service. The passages on the Russian mindset are convincing and still highly relevant. The authentic tradecraft details were undoubtedly informed by the author's personal experiences in WW2 and the Cold War.
Unfortunately I found the ending abrupt and bleak for my taste. I felt a bit shortchanged but will return to this under-rated author's work again soon.
I found the plot thought provoking and refreshingly straightforward for the genre. It's a character study of a repressed man who's paid a high price for his notions of honour and service. The passages on the Russian mindset are convincing and still highly relevant. The authentic tradecraft details were undoubtedly informed by the author's personal experiences in WW2 and the Cold War.
Unfortunately I found the ending abrupt and bleak for my taste. I felt a bit shortchanged but will return to this under-rated author's work again soon.
April 4, 2023
Gripping, fast paced and believable. Espionage in the raw is often ugly but exciting. Allbeury at his best.
April 21, 2019
A taunt psychological thriller, give me a break! This one and the "Alpha List', were pretty awful, actually. Readers should probably stay away from any of Allbeury's psychological thrillers because they weren't his best work. Written along time ago, they were not believable with a wowser (not good) of an ending!!! The wall that separated Germany has long gone and the Soviet Union has fallen and has become Russia with only its' satellite states remaining. Communism has retreated with Eastern Europe confined to the likes of Bulgaria, the Ukraine, Romania, Belarus and some satellite states east of Turkey. One Star.
Ted Allbeury wrote a staggering 42 novels and wrote under two other pen names ~ Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly as well. Here are 28 read’s from Allbeury, all rated accordingly:
THE GOOD (Four to Five Stars): ‘The Lantern Network�, ’Shadow of a Doubt�, ’A Wilderness of Mirrors', 'A Time Without Shadows' aka 'The Rules of the Game', 'The Only Good German' aka ‘Mission Berlin�, 'The Dangerous Edge', ‘Palomino Blonde� aka 'Omega- minus', 'The Lonely Margins', ’The Crossing' aka ‘The Berlin Exchange�, 'Seeds of Treason', 'Other Kinds of Treason', 'Special Forces' aka 'Moscow Quadrille', the feel good, 'The Girl From Addis', 'Pay Any Price' and the rather exceptional, and this person's favourite, 'The Line-Crosser' (published in 1993).
THE AVERAGE (Two or Three Stars): 'Show Me a Hero', 'No Place to Hide' aka ‘Hostage�, ‘The Reckoning�, ’The Twentieth Day of January� a.k.a. ‘Cold Tactics�, 'The Reaper' aka 'The Stalking Angel' and ‘Deep Purple�. He also wrote, ’The Choice' which is not espionage and this reader thought (even though it was critically acclaimed) not a good one.
THE UGLY (One or two stars): It’s, however, probably best to stay away from: ‘Aid and Comfort�, ‘The Assets' aka “Due Process�, 'The Secret Whispers�, 'The Alpha List', ’Consequences of Fear' aka ‘Smokescreen� and ’The Spirit of Liberty'.
Ted Allbeury wrote a staggering 42 novels and wrote under two other pen names ~ Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly as well. Here are 28 read’s from Allbeury, all rated accordingly:
THE GOOD (Four to Five Stars): ‘The Lantern Network�, ’Shadow of a Doubt�, ’A Wilderness of Mirrors', 'A Time Without Shadows' aka 'The Rules of the Game', 'The Only Good German' aka ‘Mission Berlin�, 'The Dangerous Edge', ‘Palomino Blonde� aka 'Omega- minus', 'The Lonely Margins', ’The Crossing' aka ‘The Berlin Exchange�, 'Seeds of Treason', 'Other Kinds of Treason', 'Special Forces' aka 'Moscow Quadrille', the feel good, 'The Girl From Addis', 'Pay Any Price' and the rather exceptional, and this person's favourite, 'The Line-Crosser' (published in 1993).
THE AVERAGE (Two or Three Stars): 'Show Me a Hero', 'No Place to Hide' aka ‘Hostage�, ‘The Reckoning�, ’The Twentieth Day of January� a.k.a. ‘Cold Tactics�, 'The Reaper' aka 'The Stalking Angel' and ‘Deep Purple�. He also wrote, ’The Choice' which is not espionage and this reader thought (even though it was critically acclaimed) not a good one.
THE UGLY (One or two stars): It’s, however, probably best to stay away from: ‘Aid and Comfort�, ‘The Assets' aka “Due Process�, 'The Secret Whispers�, 'The Alpha List', ’Consequences of Fear' aka ‘Smokescreen� and ’The Spirit of Liberty'.
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