When I started collecting the novels by Alistair MacLean I read a number of them as soon as I'd got them. But, for some reason lost in the dim mists of time a number of them were left unread. Being an unashamed hoarder, especially of books, DVD and CDs, the aforementioned unread books were never given away or popped into a convenient charity bag. This weekend I had some spare time so I read Santorini for the first time. The author: Alistair MacLean was born in Scotland in 1922 and served in the Royal Navy during World War II. His first novel, HMS Ulysees drew on his wartime experiences and was a success. Specialising in the genres of ...  Read the complete review

This story has been set during a time of great fear about nuclear weapons. The British naval frigate Ariadne, fitted with sophisticated electronic equipment, is on a mission to carry out a hydrographic survey in the Aegean Sea. Officially, that is. Unofficially, she is a spy ship, the eyes and ears of NATO. Her Captain is Commander Talbot, her first officer Lieutenant-Commander Van Gelder, both extremely well qualified men, and both ex-submariners. The radio room receives a distress call from a sinking Greek yacht called the Delos. At almost the same moment a plane, almost certainly a bomber, mysteriously crashes into the sea. It appears that there is a ...  Read the complete review