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IDWAL REES

Rees_Idwal3 Rees_Idwal1 Rees_Idwal2
 
Full Name: Idwal Rees
Nationality: British
Organization: The Firm
Occupation Agent

Creator: Berkely Mather
Time Span: 1960 - 1973

ABOUT THE SERIES

Idwal Rees is a British agent for the Firm.

He is under the direction of the man known as the Gaffer. Strictly speaking, he is a freelancer, taking jobs when the work interests him. The fact that most jobs do have interest does not rob him of the pleasure of the semblance of independence.

Like his fellow agent, James Wainwright, Rees was born in the Shanghai region of China. The son of a Soviet sleeper agent placed there right after the First World War and a lovely White Russian, Rees was around ten when he learned that his father had refused to serve the Soviet state any longer, a defiance that cost his mother her life. The father and son took to traveling to earn a living. Rees learned several dialects of Chinese before they left for India at the start of WWII.

In India, Rees became a native speaker of several more languages as well as an expert in the northern region of the subcontinent. This ability to move about with such skill makes him a very valuable card in the Gaffer's deck.

As a contractor, Rees often has spare time on his hand between assignments and bills to pay. He makes a good, steady living from his apartment in Bombay taking investigation work. He is not a private investigator and chuckles when he is considered one. He is a finder, much like he is for the Gaffer, but in his civilian job it is finding stolen property from a company or sniffing out who is the likely one to take graft to look the wrong way. He is not licensed for it but he is good and often on call.

But his main work, the area he is best at but which is by far the most dangerous, is for the Gaffer.

BOOKS

Number of Books:3
First Appearance:1960
Last Appearance:1973

1 The Pass Beyond Kashmir The Pass Beyond Kashmir
Written by Berkely Mather
Copyright: 1960

A simple job for a man called the Major turns suddenly complicated when the Major disappears and the Indian police want Idwal Rees to give him up. Things gets complicated quickly, especially when enemy agents start trying to kill Rees for reasons he doesn't know.

2 The Terminators The Terminators
Written by Berkely Mather
Copyright: 1971

The Gaffer wants a Russian. The target is in the Kashmir region of India, making it a job for Idwal Rees. But James Wainwright has done all the footwork and thinks it should be his assignment. The two agents must put aside their personal pride to survive a region where several parties want everyong else dead.

3 Snowline Snowline
Written by Berkely Mather
Copyright: 1973

A team-up between the Italian syndicate and the Indian syndicate to make the smuggling of heroin from Asia to Europe must be stopped. Idwal Rees takes the job because he has a personal stake in seeing the union fail.

MY COMMENTS

I think it was just flat out impossible for Mr. Mather to create a series that was not good. Granted, all three of his spy series revolve around one highly immoral spymaster, but each series character is quite a bit different from the others. Good job done and a darned good read.

Of the agents that Mr. Mather created, Idwal Rees is probably the most fascinating because he is a part-timer and can, if he wanted, leave the work behind and still find a good living. He just likes the work and the excitement and the danger. Finding a missing spy or smuggling out a scientist from China or tracking illegal arms movements is far more interesting than tracking down stolen bales of cotton.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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