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Flint's Law

by Paul Eddy

Flint's Law is the second book in the 'Flint' series begun by author Paul Eddy. It's a decided improvement on his first novel, although Mr. Eddy hasn't quite shed all the traces of his work with non-fiction, which is a whole different thing. Paul Eddy has collaborated with a number of other people to publish at least six non-fiction books before tackling the difficult fiction genre on his own. Flint and Flint's Law are both intriguing novels, and the only negative comment I'll make is that Mr. Eddy still tends to confuse the reader with too many focuses of attention. It's not until the latter half of the book that we're allowed to follow the action completely – even though enough hints are given in the beginning.

Grace Flint is an undercover operative for a British spy organization, and the novel opens with her in the United States watching Operation Pentecost go horribly wrong and one of the federal operatives murdered. From there on, Flint is obsessed with catching the people who caused the murder, and then she discovers that someone very close to her isn't what he's pretended to be.

Flint's Law is a story reiterating the silences and secrecy behind every national covert organization – even within our own country, for example, the FBI and CIA are famous for not sharing their information – often with disastrous results. Add to this the fact that every undercover group has grown toward little respect for human life (unless, of course, it's one of their own) and you have the background for Flint's Law. Grace Flint is herself an enigma: Beautiful, unbelievably tough, a 'loose canon' obeying only her own laws and intuitive direction, Flint is adept at disguise because she's also a consummate actress. Grace Flint has learned every aspect of deception and never fails to take advantage of them all.

Since I'm already aware of the lack of enthusiastic cooperation between our own spy organizations in the United States and the resultant problems caused by jealous secrecy, I do get a little tired of books like Mr. Eddy's promulgating those facts. That's not to say that a large number of readers won't enjoy them. His protagonist alone commands attention, and Paul Eddy has outdone himself in creating a riveting character in Grace Flint. But so far, Flint and Flint's Law are not really murder mysteries or mysteries at all – since the reader is made well aware very early on of where the blame lies. There are assuredly murders; some of them frightening, there's plenty of blood and gore and even some torture – but the only mystery is how and when the 'bad guys' are brought to justice – and unfortunately, even though this is supposedly fiction, it's too close to the truth in that (since they're all operatives of undercover organizations) they get away with it.

Flint's Law is an absorbing read. Once you adapt to the shifting viewpoints and settle on following Flint herself, you'll see that in addition to being a feisty, hard-boiled female, she also has a very sympathetic side and a very difficult background. The sub-plot concerning her father is melded seamlessly into the main focus, and it's not until nearly the final pages of the novel that we learn what actually happened to him.

Paul Eddy's prose is good, his characters all-too-real, and his plots as twisted and complex as you can get. But let's place his work in the Adventure category. Flint's Law isn't a mystery.

Alan Paul Curtis

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