JASON LOVE

       Jason Love is a part-time agent for MI-6.
       The tag line used by the publishers to describe Love is quite accurate – Love is a country doctor. He makes his practice in the quiet English village of Bishop's Combe, near Taunton in Somerset (for Americans without an atlas, that is considerably west of London and northeast of Plymouth).
       While he is a well respected member of the community, he is not what one would think of as a country doctor. He is still fairly young, being in his late 30s or early 40s. He enjoys greatly the company of the ladies and they are easily charmed by his quick wit and quite handsome face. He has a fanatical adoration for the Cord automobile. He never turns down a chance for excitement.
       Dr. Love certainly did not seek a role with British Intelligence. He was happy as a general practitioner as it afforded him time to enjoy his great love of Cord cars. Still, when the Deputy Director of Operations of MI6 needed someone, specifically a non-agent, who might help in a mission, he didn't need much time to agree.
       Not every adventure chronicled in the nine books was a mission for MI6, although many were. On the early cases, perhaps as a sign of the times, MI6 was determined to load Love down with considerable numbers of exotic gadgets. As time passed, so did the gadgets.

Note: for the record, and because I went to the trouble to look it up, Cord cars were made by the Cord Corporation, founded by E. L. Cord, from 1929 to 1937 and were considered highly prized roadsters. Though the company went bankrupt, due largely to the Depression, the popularity of the cars remained high and enjoyed a resurgence in the 60's and 70's when scaled down replicas were manufactured. They are still being made for aficionados. This is mentioned because Love’s obsession with these cars is made use of in more than one important occasion.

       James Leasor took, in my opinion, the silly idea of a country doctor turned into a spy and made sense out of it, all in a very enjoyable manner. While not light-weight, it certainly is not heavy material and the character of Jason Love is one you'll be sure to like. And if you don't, I'm sure he can prescribe something to get you over it.
       When I talk about it making sense, once you get over the business of MI-6 needing and using an amateur, you realize that an energetic, very smart man like Love would make a great agent. He is resourceful, his medical license would get him into lots of places and those it might not help with would often open the doors to a country doctor on holiday. His charm and his easy nature would make him appear a non-threat. And Love can talk his way out of a lot of things.

My Grade: B

Your Average Grade:   A+

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