''Running Blind'' is a
first person narrative espionage thriller novel by
English author
Desmond Bagley, first published in
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
with a cover by
Norman Weaver
Norman Weaver (1913–1989) FSIAD, FZS, was an English artist and photographer who illustrated scientific texts, advertisements and postage stamps and drew book covers for action authors such as Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley. During the Sec ...
.
Plot introduction
Ex-
MI-6 spy Alan Stewart is coerced by his former masters to undertake a very simple final mission – to deliver a small parcel to a man in
Iceland. The mission should be simple for Stewart, as he happens to be fluent in
Icelandic, and has an
Icelandic girlfriend.
However, immediately things go very wrong, very quickly. Soon after arrival, he is forced to kill a
KGB agent who tried to take the package from him. When he tries to deliver the parcel, he realizes that he has been double-crossed, and that his former boss is now a
double agent. Stewart sets off on a desperate race overland across some of the world’s most rugged, desolate and dramatic scenery, pursued by the KGB, the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
, and his own people, who now think that he has become a traitor. The secret is with the mysterious parcel – and the opposition is more than willing to kill him to prevent him from discovering what that secret is.
Television series
In 1979 the
BBC aired a three part espionage thriller with the same title based on the novel, starring
Stuart Wilson,
Ragnheiður Steindórsdóttir,
George Sewell
George Sewell (31 August 19242 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films.
Early life and career
The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist, Sewell left school at the age of 14 a ...
and
Vladek Sheybal
Vladek Sheybal (born Władysław Rudolf Zbigniew Sheybal; 12 March 1923 – 16 October 1992) was a Poles, Polish character actor, singer and director of both television and Theatre director, stage productions. He was well known for his portrayal ...
, and featured among others
Ian McCulloch,
Richard Hurndall,
Ed Bishop
George Victor Bishop (11 June 1932 – 8 June 2005), known professionally as Ed Bishop or sometimes Edward Bishop, was an American actor. He was known for playing Commander Ed Straker in ''UFO'', Captain Blue in ''Captain Scarlet and the Myste ...
,
Joe Praml and
Flosi Olafsson. It was made by
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...
and largely filmed on location in Iceland.
BFI.org
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External links
Crime Time review of Desmond Bagley
References
1970 British novels
British spy novels
Novels by Desmond Bagley
Novels set in Iceland
William Collins, Sons books
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