The Stone Leopard (Ulverscroft Large Print)

Rating:
Summary: One of the better spy thrillers of the 1970s
Review: A top-notch espionage mystery very typical of Colin Forbes, whose plots keep one guessing until the very end as to the answers and outcomes of well-crafted characters. Set and written in 1975, an original idea is the focus for THE STONE LEOPARD. France is about to change its political leanings from NATO to Warsaw Pact. Guy Florian, the new French President lashes out at the 'Americanisation' of Europe and pledges loyalty to the eastern bloc. The French defence minister Alain Blanc is planning to oust him from power, but as Marc Grelle, the Prefect of Police in Paris investigates, he discovers something far more dangerous is afoot. A hostile naval task force reaches the Mediterranean, heading towards France and Spain. What is the significance of the LEOPARD, a World War 2 Resistance leader rumoured dead but still apparently alive? Inside all of this, Grelle discovers a conspiracy worse than Florian's political leanings which could destabilise Europe as we know it. The climax detonates well as events race to their final conclusion. If you can track down a copy, this is well worth the read.