Book review – Show me a hero – Patrick Alexander

Playboy Paperbacks, New York 1981.

The book describes a battle situation between the English government and citizens whether they are miners or thieves. The government wants everyone to work and be productive and the miners strikes should be scattered. The police though overreacted wanting to please the Home Secretary’s wish to end the strike and they kill six miners. The policeman who ordered the killings is transferred immediately to the wild of North Scotland where a few Nationalist there do not count against the government. The Downing Street wanted to bury this incident and the man in charge came with new tactics such as to rubber bullets only. The situation holds place in England but the atmosphere looks more to Russia where no one should never ask any improvements at work and no one should have any voice against the government.

Meanwhile a batch of thieves trying to steel a bank which is a studying example for its safety. They need a crane driver so as to lift the massive amount of gold and a thermal lance burner to safe cut the concrete. The bank is monitored by video but the burglars know the brother of the man who works in the bank and can set off the video for half an hour as a technical failure problem. This man has an issue with his mortgage and to the spirit of the book that means a certain yes to the operation. They are looking for three more pros and two amateurs but not intellectuals because they don’t believe in their imagination. The book is degrading certainly any moral values with thieves count nothing else but only dirty money and the lives of the miners thrown at the altar of necessary daily production. The scenes of the book are moving fast and the feelings of constant trouble or chaos pass continuously to the reader. 

Quotes from the book.

In my book a politician rates less than a pimp.

Strikes are illegal and I want this one crushed.

It was never difficult to find men to do a little killing.

Weak men never admit they are in the wrong especially when they know they are.

But even a talented liar runs out of excuses.