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MAX ROTH

roth_max_bk_strangle roth_max_bk_moscow roth_max_bk_damascus roth_max_bk_piraeus roth_max_bk_togo roth_max_bk_swiss roth_max_bk_meirovitz roth_max_bk_eleven roth_max_bk_kuwait
 
Full Name: Max Roth
Nationality: Israeli
Organization: ISB
Occupation Spymaster

Creator: Harry Arvay
Time Span: 1973 - 1976

ABOUT THE SERIES

Max Roth is a spymaster for the ISB.

That acronym stands for the Israeli Security Branch. Inside that country's governmental offices, of course, the 'I' was often omitted as redundant; the vital work done by this organization on behalf of the small nation was never taken as such. While other departments in the intelligence community were responsible for gathering info on a wide range of matters, the ISB is dedicated to fighting terrorist in general and the notorious Black September in specifics.

Roth is described as "short and stout, with pudgy fingers and legs that seemed to begin at the knees. Those who observed his ungainly gait, a sort of tortuous running, had long ago coined the phrase: 'Max can't walk, he dances'. Roth's face was "suffused with a permanent flush, which extended from his shining bald pate over a piggish nose, near feminine mouth, and almost hairless chin, down to his wide sagging neck". Toss in deep blue eyes which seem even larger when looking through round, metal-framed glasses with thick bifocal lenses, making his friends sometimes wonder how someone with such apparent bad eyesight could see so well as there was little that Roth did not observe; "he seemed to see, to notice everything".

Working closely with Roth and playing just as important a role in the activities of the department they both served is Colonel David Boran, a veteran of thirty years of military service, the first five of which was in the British Army before Israel got its independence. Boran was still officially part of the Army but there was no doubt he was firmly and comfortably at home with the ISB.

While there are a fair number of agents employed by and working for Roth in the ISB, two in particular appear in most of the recorded adventures: Izhak and Heidi [last named not known to me], a husband and wife team who work quite well together but who are extremely deadly and efficient when on their own, especially Heidi who is fearless as she routinely uses her German background as a guise to infiltrate groups in both Europe and the Middle East.

BOOKS

Number of Books:9
First Appearance:1973
Last Appearance:1976

I have given author credits for all nine adventures below to both Harry Arway, the man who came up with the ideas and likely crafted the initial draft, and Gil Brewer, the man who took Arway's work and fleshed it out [probably rewrote a lot] and made it palatable. I have no reason to doubt Arway's ownership but the website devoted to Brewer, www.gilbrewer.com, lists 7 of the 9 as his work but it makes no mention of The Meirovitz Plan or The Swiss Deal. I still credit Brewer on those but I could easily be wrong.


1 The Moscow Intercept The Moscow Intercept
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1973

"A Soviet-developed killer virus is about to fall into terrorist hands. A Secret SB Commando team has a split-second plan for counter-action."

2 Eleven Bullets for Mohammed Eleven Bullets for Mohammed
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1975

"The crack Israeli Secret Service vs the mastermind of the Munich Massacre." "Eleven Israeli athletes murdered at the Olympics - Now was the time for revenge."

3 Operation Kuwait Operation Kuwait
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1975

"The crack Israeli Secret Service vs the International sky terrorists." "Assignment: Destruction to X19. On the edge of an oil-rich desert, Black September has established X19, a secret base where the art of sky sabotage is taught to paramilitary terror troops. While it operates, no plane can fly anywhere in the world free of fear. But Israel's Security Branch has other ideas. Their daredevil team of counterspy commandos has launched an operation that will smash X10 bullet by bullet, gun by gun, terrorist by terrorist."

4 The Meirovitz Plan The Meirovitz Plan
Written by Harry Arvay, Unknown
Copyright: 1975

"Who was Boris Meirovitz? Spy or patriot? Lives depended on the Israeli SB finding out."

5 The Piraeus Plot The Piraeus Plot
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1975

"A trio of international assassins lured by $150,000. A band of Israeli counter-terrorists in a race with death." The order to the Security Branch was simple: Save Arafat! "A violent split has divided the camp of Israel's hated enemies. Four of the most extreme terrorist groups have joined forces. Their brutal plan: assassinate the moderate Yasir Arafat. Yet Israel's Security Branch has reason to keep Arafat alive."

6 Damascus Countdown Damascus Countdown
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1976

"Violent and bloody war was just one month away! Unless the elite commandos of Israeli Security Branch could foil the Arabs' plan of destruction..."

7 Stranglehold Stranglehold
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1976

"As the Arab hold on world oil supplies reaches crisis point, the Israeli Security Branch face their strangest mission yet - protecting enemy interests..." A group of Arab terrorists have an unusual plan for the destruction of Israel: destroy the oil fields held by Arab governments. Max Roth sends his people into enemy lands to protect enemy property.

8 Togo Command Togo Command
Written by Harry Arvay, Gil Brewer
Copyright: 1976

"Black September ... The Japanese Red Army ... Two of the deadliest organizations in the world, who cam together to form a hijack squad called Togo Commando. Hijacking in the air was too common; now the terrorists were turning their attention to the seas... training together under cover of an oyster pearl farm. Max Roth, head of the ISB and the agents who fought the continual war against Arab terrorism, suddenly developed an interest in pearls ..."

9 The Swiss Deal The Swiss Deal
Written by Harry Arvay, Unknown
Copyright: 1976

"Industrial espionage becomes a deadly manhunt in the Swiss mountains..." Israel needed plans for a new fighter plane: a sympathizer inside a Swiss aircraft factory was supplying - the information was flowing fast... Itzhak and Heidi of the Israeli Security Branch were enjoying the best surveillance assignment of their lives ... playing tourists in a winter-sports paradise... And then the situation exploded. With an Arab terrorist cell up in the mountains, and Moscow-controlled agents infiltrating, the ISB agents found themselves in a desperate battle against old enemies..."

MY COMMENTS

I have no clue as to why this series took me forever to add it to the compendium. It was definitely about a spy organization, especially one spymaster in particular and it has been on my shelf since before I started this site and that was two decades ago. Oh well.

Roth is a wonderful prototype for a spymaster, one who is saddened to but unhesitant to send his people into harm's way if the goal is sufficiently important. And his agents know this and respect him for this. And the action they find is pretty constant.

Veteran writer Gil Brewer did a pretty good job of fleshing out these adventures, from what I was told. Then again, Gil Brewer did a pretty good job of anything he wrote.

GRADE

My Grade: B

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