Tanner's Twelve Swingers
Evan Tanner novel # 3

by Lawrence 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.

As a favor to his good friend, Karlis Mislovicius, Tanner agrees to go to Russia to smuggle a Latvian gymnast, Sofija Lazdinja, out of the country. He travels from New York City, across Europe, to Russia on his mission, His problem is augmented when Sofija refuses to leave without her eleven teammates. Along the way his entourage is increased by a Slav author and the young heir to the nonexistent Lithuanian throne. It takes all of Tanner's ingenuity and resourses to rescue them all.

Originally published in 1967, this fast paced story contains many Cold War references. Though filled with tongue in cheek humor, humor, Block's story also sends a message of commitment and love of freedom. This is a fun read which gives us a nostalgic glimpse of the world before the fall of the Berlin Wall.