Gerry Travis

Louis Trimble, writing as Gerry Travis, penned this pulp-era spy thriller. It is amazing how many pulp novels of the late fifties focused on the fall of Batista's Cuba and the Cold War era struggles over the revolution that would succeed in Cuba. This one takes place in a small resort town on the Gulf Coast of Mexico where some Soviet-led persons are hoarding gold to finance the Cuban revolution. Paul Knox is a secret agent, working ostensibly for a private global corporation which seems to a thin cover for the CIA, is out to find a missing agent, the fortune in gold, and stop the Soviet allies before Cuba falls. This is a terrific novel, filled with the laidback corrupt Mexican resort, the plotting, counter-plotting of the different groups, both private and governmental influenced who are out to outfox each other to the gold. The characters are well drawn including showgirls, secret agents, private operatives, and more. Despite having a minimal of actual action, the story moves very quickly and is quite engrossing. This may be the best of Trimble's spy stories.
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