I have a confession to make – I wanted very much to like ‘Kolymsky Heights’ by Lionel Davidson. I love thrillers, especially those set in cold places, and particularly where they feature espionage in Russia. This book seemed to promise it all, from an enigmatic cover, an intriguing place-name title, a back cover blurb talking about “an underground Russian research station”, and a massive front cover endorsement from Philip Pullman.
I should have remembered that front cover endorsements are usually meaningless, and the more strident they are, the less likely I am to be impressed by the book.
For what positions itself as a Cold War ‘esque thriller, the story plods along for at least the first half as a rather dull travel tale. It was important for Davidson to find a realistic way to get his western protagonist close to this secret location, but that journey was not the heart of this story, and I nearly gave up on the book twice because of it.
Then, towards the closing third of the book, the stakes are really raised, the action hots up, and I finished reading the story in one sitting. The book then unfortunately petered out into more boring ‘tell don’t show’ at the end, with a fast wrap up of plot lines that we could have enjoyed if Davidson had expanded on them.
I’m glad I read the closing third of the book, because it was moderately exciting and enjoyable. But that closure was not a good payoff for all of the preceding slog. Whatever Thrillers it is that Pullman has read before, I suggest that he’s been looking in the wrong place.
My suggestions for much better reads are:
‘Ice Station’ by Matthew Reilly
‘Gorky Park’ by Martin Cruz Smith
‘Red Storm Rising’ or ‘The Hunt for Red October’ by Tom Clancy
‘Firefox’ by Craig Thomas
