GREGORY KEEN

Gregory Keen is an agent with MI-5.

With the imposing name of Gregory George Athelston Keen, the hero of this three-book series is a serious, determined former Major in the British Army, now an experienced agent in Special Service of Home Security, or MI-5 as it is more commonly known. He has been doing so for several years prior to the first recorded adventure, long enough to have established a good reputation and a confidence in his own abilities. The particular department in MI-5 for which he works is known to one and all as "Crossbow".

Little of his background is mentioned, other than his being around 34 years of age, although in passing it is obvious that he had served in Military Intelligence during WWII. Somewhere along the way he gained ability in a couple of different languages and is an expert in Russian. He is single with a good eye for the ladies but not one to let a pretty leg sway him from his task.

One female with a practiced eye for men noted that he had an odd, disturbing brown face with smooth skin unblemished except for faint lines at his eyes. He possesses a wide forehead with high cheekbones. Slender in build and not particularly tall he gains attention not through his appearance but through his demeanor. One thing that both seems to enhance and detract from people's take on him is his partiality to sweaters and tweed jackets. Clearly he is not particularly worried about what others think of him.

Based on his activities, Keen is a very good detective in addition to being a trained agent. His methodical process of studying the evidence and coming to the correct conclusion is demonstrated clearly. Backing him up on his missions is the junior but still dependable Agent Coutts with whom Keen has a good relationship. Keen knows Coutts quite well and considers him his right-hand man. When Coutts is not able to back him up, Keen is not so much concerned as just annoyed. Coutts is Keen's sounding board and in that regard is irreplaceable. Coutts' proficiency with a knife is another reason Keen values him.

But Keen does not have to backed up. He can take care of himself quite well if need be and the need does arise on several occasions. Still, Keen would prefer to use his brain instead of brawn and as the people he goes up against find out, his brain is especially good.

Before 007 came on the scene, Major Keen was already protecting England by hunting down spies from other countries. The books came later so it looks like Bond beat Keen but that definitely was not the case.

The Keen books, being based on the radio serials, did not have any of the prurience that Fleming was able to put in but for spy work, they were comparable.

For spy-fi fans, this is a must. It is not only good; it is a great example of espionage fiction of the time. Keen is a man of action who finds a lot of it.

Mr. Hardy did an incredible job with this series. Following the serial episodes quite closely, they nevertheless do not read as most novelizations do, certainly because he had written both the serials and the novels. These read as solid spy adventure stories. I just wish he had put more about Keen's background in. In the serials there would not have been time but nothing prevented him from putting it in the books. Oh, well!

If you can surf the web, you might be able to get your hands on the radio episodes. They are very enjoyable and besides being very entertaining, they are a great time machine back sixty-plus years.