Robert W Chambers

In Secret (Illustrated) Robert W Chambers

Written by one of the writers: "While World War I is raging away, Kay McKay is leisurely hiking through the Swiss Alps when he stumbles upon a secret operation of those dreaded Germans. Alas, he is captured and held prisoner before he can alert the outside world. He's tortured, abused and turned into an alcoholic in an attempt to make him spill his guts. Kay manages to escape (don't ask, he just does) and makes it to America. Because why would he go to Britain or France which are right there when America is thousands of miles away? He's hooked up with secret agent Evelyn Erith. After she helps cure him of his alcoholism (!) the pair are assigned to return to Switzerland and discover just what exactly those Horrible Huns are up to. The pace of the story is steady and there's plenty of action, and of course romance, with a huge dollop of patriotism. In fact, I could easily see this book as an early prototype for the James Bond-esque thrillers to come. I find it ironic, though, that all through the book we're constantly reminded how those granny-raping, baby-eating, puppy-killing Bosches are Evil Incarnate. Yet in the final act, what the Allies do to stop the Germans would today be considered an inhumane war crime in itself.