THE EYE OF THE TIGER
by Wilbur Smith
Doubleday, 1975
Rating: A
It’s been at least 45 years since I last read this excellent thriller, but with the recent passing of the author, I was curious if my opinion of it would change with the passage of time. It didn’t.
The setting is St. Mary’s Island in the Indian Ocean, where we find Harry Fletcher, former thief, now plying his trade as a mostly-honest charter skipper of a big-game fishing boat. But when the times get financially tough, he does make occasional “night smuggling runs” to supplement his income.
His latest charter proves most challenging. He is hired by a couple of British toughs to help them explore the shores of an uninhabited island. They are soon joined by a naive young man from England who is an expert diver. He soon discovers something in his dives that causes the two thugs to become lethal. The young diver is murdered and Harry is seriously wounded. And you know how dangerous a wounded animal can be. Harry manages to turn the tables on the other two and nearly dies before he reaches landfall.
Once nursed back to health, Harry starts researching what was found underwater and that research takes him to London where he meets up with the young diver’s sister, Sherry North, and they form a bond.
Together they go in search of a treasure of untold value. But there are still bad forces lurking in the background. Lots of danger and action ensue. And a lot of surprises – not all of them good. There are also many underwater scenes with a lot of natural dangers depicted for those who like to snorkel and scuba dive.
This is one of the novels that got me hooked on action thrillers. It holds up very well, despite the fact that Harry is portrayed as something of a male chauvinist at times. At one point when he is musing about settling down with Sherry, he comments about being tired of cooking and cleaning house. That would not go over well with today’s woman.
If you are a fan of action thrillers and haven’t read THE EYE OF THE TIGER, you should get a hold of a copy.