Quick Review – Daddy

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             Daddy
            by Loup Durand
            1987

            Translated from French by J. Maxwell Brownjohn

            This nifty, complex thriller is a true cat and mouse chase through
            France, Switzerland, and Germany in 1942. The cat, recruited by
            Nazis, is Gregor Laemmle, a brilliant, somewhat dissipated,
            philosopher, who has the German army and the French police at his
            disposal. The mouse is eleven year old multilingual genius Thomas
            von Gall. He has memorized bank codes that access 350 million
            dollars in gold hidden by Jews at the start of the war, money now
            coveted by the Germans. Laemmle is to do anything he must to find
            the boy.

            Thomas uses his superior brain to outwit Laemmle, a difficult task
            given the latter’s vast resources and his knack for foreseeing
            Thomas’s every move. Likening the hunt to a challenging chess game,
            with moves and countermoves, Laemmle bears a grudging respect for
            the talented boy, even grows to love him. After his beloved mother
            is killed in a trap, Thomas hates Laemmle with a fury he has never
            known

            Enter a third party with a vested interest in the situation:
            American David Quartermain, who received a letter from Thomas’s
            mother, informing him that the boy is his son and he may be the only
            one to save him. One of a large family, said to be America’s
            wealthiest, Quartermain has led the idle life of a rich, carefree
            playboy, and now must get involved in a serious quest that may kill
            him. He does an admirable job, as does Thomas, whose distrust of the
            American grows into respect, and finally love. Suspenseful twists
            and turns throughout lead to a satisfying ending.



            ~ Loup Durand, 1933-1995, first published at the age of forty-two.
            He wrote several French adventure novels under a pseudonym. Daddy
            became an instant bestseller in France.

            ~ A 1989 review in The New York Times took exception to the Indiana
            Jones/James Bond heroics David Quartermain displays. Some readers no
            doubt agree. Millions, however, loved this book. I count myself
            among the latter.

            ~ In 2003 a TV movie based on Daddy--Entrusted--was produced
            (UK/France).


            ~ Other Novels:

            The Angkor Massacre - 1983
            Jaguar - 1990
            The Grand Silence - 1994