The Satan Bug (novel)
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 Early US paperback edition cover |
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| Author | Alistair MacLean (pseudonym Ian Stuart) |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Thriller novel |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Released | 1962 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
The Satan Bug is a thriller written by Alistair MacLean. It was originally published in 1962 under the pseudonym Ian Stuart, and later republished under MacLean's own name.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Like Maclean's Where Eagles Dare, the plot involves layers of deception, both of the nominal antagonists and of the reader. In the beginning, a disenchanted British agent is supposedly re-activated in order to investigate an incident at a British germ warfare research establishment, probably based on Porton Down. The incident seems to have involved a break-in from outside and a release of a deadly bacterium within a building. Samples of a pathogen, known as the Satan Bug for its deadliness, appear to have been stolen.
It quickly becomes apparent that the break-in was faked from within. As the plot develops, we become aware of a scheme to blackmail the British government by threatening to release the Satan Bug in the City of London.
All is revealed at the end as a hoax, designed to cause the City to be evacuated, allowing gangs of criminals time to break into and rob the major banks. The Satan Bug was never a real threat.
[edit] Release details
- 1962, UK,
- 1962, USA, Scribner's (ISBN NA), Pub date ? ? 1962, hardback
[edit] See also
- The Satan Bug - 1965 film loosely adapted from the novel
