Assignment Budapest

Sam Durell #5

by Edward S. Aarons, Robert McGinnis (Illustrato)

An Hungarian scientist working in the U.S. on an important government project has disappeared and is feared to have been forcibly returned to Hungary. When Durell's boss decides to handle the case, he leaves Durell in charge.

Genres: Fiction, Espionage

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

AKA Paul Ayres, Edward Ronns.

Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 - June 16, 1975) was an American writer, author of more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1962. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous articles for detective magazines such as Detective Story Magazine and Scarab.

Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Reviews

[Gary Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another action-packed and entertaining Sam Durell adventure. I have been reading them in publication order and would recommend it because there is a strong continuity in these early novels. For example, the subplot about the Communist takeover of Hungary in the preceding book, Assignment: Stella Marni, carries over into this book. Stella Marni herself even appears briefly.

The strongest thread of continuity is Sam's romance with Deirdre Padgett, introduced in the very first novel of the series. "Dee," as Sam calls her, plays too big a role in this novel, dragging the story down into turgid romance at times. I don't care for Deirdre and this book only verified my feelings of contempt. Deirdre will never be stoic and reasonable like Sidonie, who understood the life of a spy and was prepared for and accepted the worst when it happened. This is proven out by Sam's actions in a very suspenseful scene with Hungarian assassin Bela Korvuth. The hand-wringing and angst wallowing that followed in that event's wake drove me to drop a star from my usual four-star ratings for this series.

The first half of this novel is set stateside, then Sam and Ilona--his partner in this assignment--jet abroad to Austria, then sneak into Communist-controlled Hungary. Aarons is such a strong writer that I could vividly picture the bleakness of Gyor and Budapest. The book is well researched and can provide an education on the Cold War, which sadly is receding in the memories and awareness of the younger generations (and those who don't learn from history . . . ). Why Budapest? (1) to find and return to the U.S. Dr. Tragy, a Hungarian who escaped to America then returned to Hungary in a quixotic quest to rescue his family on his own, and (2) to rescue Sam's boss, Dickinson McFee, who was captured by the Commies and is being pumped full of truth serum. Both these assignments are time sensitive and Aaron keeps the suspense at a fever pitch. He also introduces new and interesting characters, none of whom are cardboard cutouts created to fulfill a purpose and forward the plot. You get to know them and grow attached to them, which is a dangerous thing to do in a book such as this.

The climactic scene is described so well that it unfolded in my mind like a movie. The book is only 160 pages, but these old 1950s/'60s paperbacks packed a lot of small print onto each page. An excellent book and a worthy addition to the series, which at this early stage was just building up a head of steam. Aarons' enthusiasm for his characters and for the story shine through and create just the experience readers of spy-fiction crave. I'm already eager to start the next one. These novels are like Lay's Potato Chips. . .

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue my subtle quest to bring to light once again, this spy series from the 1950s-60s featuring Sam Durell, a Cajun and son of the last riverboat gambler, and also an agent for the super-secret K Division of the CIA. A contemporary of James Bond, these Sam Durell books were very popular when they were published but have since faded out to the point that now very few readers, even those who fancy themselves spy fiction aficionados, have ever heard of these books or their author. That’s a shame for there are quite a few of them (more than 40) and nearly always worth the price of admission.

This 5th book finds Sam Durell the object of an elite assassin from Hungary. Seems Sam has proven too much a thorn in their side so he needs to be eliminated. The plot reminds me a lot of the James Bond novel, From Russia With Love, which, coincidentally, I read just recently. This novel takes place amidst the aftermath of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and the scenes of Budapest (especially Buda) are colorful indeed. Similarly to Bond novels, Sam Durell novels include a lot of spy craft, adventurous action scenes and the obligatory damsel in distress (who often turns out to be less in distress than we are at first led to believe). But unlike Bond, I find these books more "realistic", less over-the-top. I can picture myself in Sam's shoes far more easily than in Bond's.

As I’ve mentioned before, these books do not necessarily need to be read in publication order. There are recurring characters but if you first meet them in book #5, book #20, or book #1, it really makes no difference. Just be aware that the final 6 books in the series (starting with 1976’s “Assignment – Sheba”) were ghost written after Edward Aaron’s death and reportedly quite inferior to the rest.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assignment Budapest is an example of why you should read these Sam Durrell novels in chronological order. It picks right up where Stella Marni, the preceding book, left off. The backdrop is the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Stella Marni is now in prison, and Sam Durrell must deal with Hungarian communist agents who have infiltrated into the US on an assassination mission. What makes this a bit more interesting than usual, is that Durrell tracks down Korvuth, the killer, and his associates, but Korvuth escapes and Sam becomes allied with with one of the assassination team members, Ilona. She has turned against the Hungarian regime, and she now, about 40 percent through the book, goes with Durrell into Hungary to rescue a scientist and his family as well as the CIA supervisor, Dickenson MacFee. This is an action novel through and through. Aarons just doesn't let up. The sense of being in post revolutionary Budapest, once again under the Russians' thumb, carries through the latter half. Aarons understands the one great rule of genre fiction: always advance the story; don't linger and sidetrack yourself. That is the reason his works seem to average around 160 to 170 pages. And one final thought emerges as well. It is clear to me that Aarons and Sam Durrell are a Cold War liberals, people in the likeness of Henry "Scoop" Jackson, strong on defense as well as issues pertaining to civil rights and civil liberties, often tinged with a bit of socialism that balanced with advocacy of the US presence internationally, such as in the Vietnam War.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Sam Durell adventure, this one set just after the Soviets drastically put down the uprising in Hungary. Sam has to enter the country in a rescue attempt - but in this maze of informers, double-agents and betrayal, who can he trust? Very atmospheric, and a lot of fun.

[John Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Hungarian agents have slipped into the US. Bela Korvuth is an assassin. He has two targets: Sam Durell and someone yet to be identified.

Durell survives the assassination attempt and is helped by Ilona, one of the Hungarian agents. He learns his boss has gone to Hungary in the hope of rescuing a kidnapped Hungarian scientist.

Up to this point, it is very slow going. Durell asks Ilona to help him rescue his boss. She is extremely reluctant feeling she will be captured and put to death, but she agrees.

They slip into Hungary from Austria, and the action picks up. Durell plans to recuse the scientist as well as his boss in a land where he does not speak the language.

Durell is a Cajun, not a suave international jet-setter. He has a code. He sets a goal for himself and sets about accomplishing it. He does not analyze everything and everyone, as Matt Helm does. He wonders about whether to trust someone and usually gambles on them, to be pleased or shocked later on. The scenes in Buda are not so much descriptive as they are psychological. The people are broken after the Russian invasion.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very slow moving at first. It is not until the last quarter of the book that it comes alive. The finish is terrific but you have to slog through a lot of stuff to get there. Durrell must go to Budapest to return a scientist and his family to the U.S. Not much happens until they try to break out. Recommended only to 50's spy fans.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c1957: FWFTB Durrell, assassin, scientist, Russia, revolution. "The war that Durell fought was not one that rang with bugles or trembled to the beat of drums. It was dark and silent, fought with nerve and skill; the war of espionage; and it’s battlefield was only too often the dirty streets and black slum alleys of far-away corners of the troubled world.”