The Scoreless Thai
An Evan Tanner novel, #4

by Lawence Block

Evan Tanner, Korean War veteran and secret agent, working for an unnamed agency and a boss who sends him notices scribbled on gum wrappers, is a do-gooder -75% Boy Scout, 25% James Bond- interested in hopeless causes. A head injury from shrapnel has destroyed the sleep center in his brain, so he never sleeps. He is conscious and energetically productive 24 hours a day, according to his creator, Lawrence Block.

Tanner usually works for the government, but in this case he is working for himself. His latest girl friend, singer T'pani Ngawa -half African, half American- is kidnpped in Thailand, where she is on tour with a crazy musician. Tanner departs for Thailand to find and rescue her. His rescue attempt is thwarted by a guerilla band which takes him prisoner, transporting him into the dense Thai jungle and imprisoning him in a bamboo cage perched in a tree. He is rescued by a Thai youth, who thinks Tanner can help him find his love, who will help him lose his virginity.

They are pursued through the jungle by the guerillas and by Communist soldiers who have stolen Thai royal jewelry. Not only do they risk exposure to yellow fever but they are also plunged into a war between opposing elements of the government.

This reprint of the 1968 publication gives us plenty of action with breathtaking scenes in the Thai jungle. The atmosphere is very realistically conveyed. The reader can feel the humidity and the terrain of the jungle. Block dwells on the treatment of American POW's in Vietnam with feeling.