Arigato

Captain Huntington was a successful officer in the Royal Navy, in command of an aircraft carrier, when he was discharged because his addiction to gambling made him a security risk. Being also a connoisseur of food and wine, he now operates a wine business in London. He has a beautiful and very rich American wife called Bitsy, and a possibly even more beautiful mistress called Yvonne, the estranged daughter of a successful Sicilian Mafioso now resident in France. His personal cook, Francohogar, whom he discovered in a little restaurant in the Pyrenees, is now respected as one of the best chefs in the world.

Although the Captain still misses his aircraft carrier, in other respects his life is ideal; but he cannot stop gambling. His wife loves him, but she loves money more, and regretfully requests a divorce when he runs out of his own money and starts gambling with hers.

In desperation, he puts together a bold and eccentric criminal operation to steal enough money to repay his wife and save his marriage and lifestyle. He provides the idea and the leadership; an ex-naval friend who now runs a think tank provides the detailed planning; Yvonne's father agrees to provide the criminal workforce; and a Japanese friend agrees in advance to buy the stolen goods. These associates are already rich, but greedy.

The first half of this book exists to provide the necessary background for the characters and the rationale for it all. The second half concentrates on the criminal operation, which is fascinating and absorbing. Although not everything goes according to plan, the operation itself is a success; but afterwards the various personal defects of those involved assert themselves, and only in a most unexpected way does the Captain emerge with the money he needs.

The Captain would have made an honourable naval officer but for his addiction to gambling. He turns to crime reluctantly, with no desire to harm anyone, but Condon takes care to point out all the deaths and ruined lives that he unintentionally and sometimes unknowingly leaves in his wake. They weren't planned, but could realistically have been expected in this kind of operation.

Condon's writing makes a rather rich diet, full of plausible details, but all of it vivid and saturated, the characters and their lifestyles larger than life. He dwells lovingly on descriptions of food and wine. Despite the cover design of this edition, there is not really much sex in the story, but we gather that the Captain is capable of satisfying the two women in his life without difficulty.

The book was first published in 1972, and it's mildly amusing that Condon includes computers in it without having much idea of how they work or what their limitations are. However, this is not important and doesn't spoil the story.

I find it an enjoyable roller-coaster ride. I appreciate a good plot, and this one runs like clockwork, everything falls into place.