100 Books - #6 - "When In Borshack, Do"

Our review today is on the book named, "When In Borshack, Do" written by author Elmer Anders.

Synopsis
Gladys Pennington is a special agent from MI-5, the English version of the CIA. Think James Bond, but as a woman with a dangerous sense of humor. She is sent to solve a problem in Brussels, Belgium.

Shortly after her unobserved arrival, she makes contact with the informant duly assigned to this story. He gives her the basic run-down of everything going on and she goes to work. To this point the story runs like the typical secret agent tale. But the narrative takes an ugly twist at this point.

Pennington follows along the path to her goal and is suddenly shot in the back as she turns the corner into an alley way. End of story. But it's not.

She wakes up in the hospital with no idea where she is or what happened. She doesn't feel the pain of the bullet, so she gets up from her bed and finds the entire hospital is empty. She is wearing a hospital gown and begins a search for clothes.

The hospital is not only empty of people, but there is no supplies and no medicine. And no clothes!

Wandering out the front doors she finds herself in a small, European village. With people and life all around her. A stranger walks up to her and gives her direction to the local clothes shop. Which provides her with all she needs, charging her nothing. She soon discovers the name of the village is (you guessed) Borshack. The adventure that ensues is her confidently grilling everyone in the quaint hamlet with the mission being lost in the process of realizing where she is and why.

Review
Anders is not a well known author. Which, I suppose, is not too reprehensible since he has grand ideas coupled with Death Valley talent. Concepts and plots are easy to come by, but putting them in print where people can read them and be immersed are not mutually inclusive.

His editing is one-word-at-a-time old, so misspelling and bad grammar are commonplace. But syntax and structure are a major stumbling point even today. Far worse back then.

This book is not in print. Thank goodness.

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