The Golden Keel

This was Desmond Bagley's first book and although it is by far not his best book, it has enough to the storyline to make him an author to watch for. The story concerns the salvaging of Mussolini's gold from where it was hidden during the Second World War. The main character (Hal) is a boat designer who hears the tale of the gold from one of the men who hid the gold but has been unable to retrieve it. The adventure is the planning and execution of the retrival of the treasure. There is a strong hint of Alastair Maclean to the novel in that the storyline is very down to earth (no James Bond heroics here) and Bagley makes sure to keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Being his first novel, there are times where the story gets bogged down a little bit but on the whole, it is a good read.

I remember enjoying this story many years ago and decided recently to have another look. This was Bagley's first thriller and it starts sluggishly before picking up pace. The story takes place in the early 1960s when Cape Town boat maker Peter Halloran, freshly widowed after a drunk driver kills his wife, needs to get his mind off his woes. He remembers the crazy story a drunk soldier told him many years ago about how a ragtag bunch of prisoners and partisans in Italy managed to hijack and then hide a convoy carrying a fortune in gold and jewels during World War Two. The main principals still haven't found a way to get the gold out, so Halloran offers his help. I won't say too much more about how they try to pull off this feat, since the idea at the centre of the tale is pretty clever, but the book features the usual fights, gunfire, violence and love interest you'd expect from such escapist literature. What I like about the Golden Keel is that it's tightly written, plausible, interesting, and doesn't abuse the trust of the reader. You're never faced with a ludicrous plot twist or development so unlikely that you lose interest. I read most of his books and must say I recall liking this one the most.