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| Copyright relevant owner |
Hard to believe it's been 40-plus years since I bought a paperback called The Enigma Files by Christine Sparks, based on the BBC TV series of the same name. It had a similar concept to the much later show, New Tricks, and starred Tom Adams (purportedly once considered as a possible James Bond) and comedian Duggie Brown. It was a great wee show, so when I saw the paperback on sale in the shops I promptly bought it. Still got it too.
It's not exactly pristine and I had to re-attach the cover at some point. I couldn't now say whether it just wasn't very well bound or I'd lent it to someone to read (from before I adopted a 'non-lending' policy) and got it back in its 'worse-for-wear' condition, but I tarted it up a little and decided to keep my eye out for a better condition copy to take its place. I even contacted BBC Books, but received a card saying the book was now unavailable. (I'm pretty sure I've still got that card somewhere, so when I find it I'll add it the post.)
Anyway, never saw one until relatively recently on eBay (whatever would we do without the Internet, eh?) and was surprised to learn there'd also been a hardback edition, which I bought a few days ago via AbeBooks for not much more than it originally cost in 1980.
It arrived today and is in excellent condition, but I'll still keep its 41 year old predecessor as it'd be cruel to dispense with it after all this time. I'm surprised to see from the cover photograph that Tom Adams looks like a friend I had around 1979 to '86 or '87, but I no longer recall whether I was aware of the resemblance then or not. It's possible I was, though I couldn't swear to it, but I noticed the similarity right away today. If you're a long-term reader you've seen him referred to as Bob Billens, though that isn't his real name, just a close approximation.
These days my memory comes and goes, so it's always possible I might yet remember being previously aware of the likeness and having remarked upon it to Bob - which actually sounds familiar now that I've typed it. Not that it's important to anything, but just thought I'd mention it.
I seem to recall there being a discrepancy in the book about the age of the main protagonist's (Nick Lewis) daughter, so if true, when I get around to re-reading it (I've re-read my original paperback at least once over the decades, possibly even twice), it will be good to see that some parts of my memory still hold up. Any Crivvies ever read this book or watch the TV series, and if so, what did you think of it/them? As ever, the comments section awaits.
Anyway, I know I enjoyed it as a mere teenage youth (not that it's a book aimed at a younger readership), so it's a book you may enjoy reading as well if you haven't already done so (and even if you have).
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Update: I've now found the card (below) mentioned in the second paragraph. Although it's a postcard, it came in an envelope so unfortunately there's no date on the card to say which year I received it. Not sure why I don't still have the envelope as I usually keep such things, but there's no guarantee the postmark would've been legible anyway.
Did I make my enquiry before moving to the abode I stayed in between May 1983 and August '87, or had I returned to my current home when I contacted the BBC about a replacement? Or was I in that other house when I made my enquiries? Can't recall, alas, so the info is lost to history. I suspect, though, that it was either while I still lived here (pre-flitting) or the other place.
The 01 dialling code for London was changed in May 1990, so I obviously must've received the card sometime before then.
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| Note that they didn't get the book's title quite right |
