Computer War and Code Duello by Mack Reynolds (Ace Double, 1973)

Ooh, look, it's an Ace Double!

THE ODDS WERE RIGHT FOR VICTORY

The problem with computer warfare is that the computer is always logical while the human enemy is not—or doesn't have to be.

And that's what the Betastani enemy were doing—nothing that the Alphaland computers said they would.  Those treacherous foemen were avoiding logic and using such unheard-of devices as surprise and sabotage, treason and trickery.  They even had Alphaland's Department of Information believing Betastani propaganda without even realising it.

Of course he still thought he was being loyal to Alphaland, because he thought one and one must logically add up to two.  And that kind of thinking could make him the biggest traitor of all.

Section G, the top secret security unit of United planets, had a special problem on their hands with the situation on Firenze.  And for that special problem , they gathered together the most unusual squad in Section G's unusual history.  It included:

A research scientist who could bend steel bars like rubber band—

A middle-aged lady with total total recall— 

An interplanetary cowboy whose bullwhip was deadlier than a ray gun— 

A brazen young lady acrobat who looked like an eight year-old kid— 

A mild young man who never lost a bet in his life— 

And the best pickpocket that ever lived. 

But Firenze with its CODE DUELLO  was to prove a match for the lot of them!

A late entry in the Ace Doubles series by an author with a sense of fun and a knowledge of history.  (Sometimes too much knowledge of history, as he stops to explain the historical parallels with what his characters are doing.)  However, for the most part these short novels are romps, blending the spy genre with space opera.  If you're looking for some light reading and a little bit of relief from the real world, you could do far worse than a book by Mack Reynolds.

Murder Most Foul by John Creasey (Corgi, 1973)

Grabbed, with a bagful of miscellaneous stuff, at the last Lifeline Bookfair:

Felicity Deverall, Patrick Dawlish's fiancee, was missing, presumed kidnapped.  The note had told Dawlish to go to the Ley Farm Cottage fast--and alone.

Dawlish hesitated: it could be a trap...but he decided to go and find out and climbed into his car.  He was reaching for his ignition key when he heard a voice through the open window: "Don't start your car.  Don't start your car."

Then a car drove off.
Puzzled, Dawlish sat holding the wheel, then he got out, walked to the front and lifted the bonnet.
It was a small container, no bigger than a matchbox, but had Dawlish turned the ignition, it would have blown him to bits.
A PATRICK DAWLISH THRILLER

 I've got to admit I bought this one just for its cover.  The dark woods in the background, the bright green grass in the foreground and the lonely figure sneaking across the centre of the picture drew me straight in.  It's nice to see that in an era when tacky photo covers abounded, there were still publishers prepared to release paperbacks with proper cover art!

The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge (Pyramid, 1973)

The clouds of civil war hovered ominously over England in 1642, as Puritan and Royalist forces gathered for bitter battle.  Caught in the midst of tumultuous events, the characters in Miss Goudge's gripping novel act out a compelling drama of intrigue and timeless romance.

Awww, look at the groovy people on the cover of this book.  She is wearing Biba and blue eyeshadow.  He has carefully styled and blow-dried hair and looks like he bought his outfit in King's Road.  They're clearly a happening couple from the 1970s.

--Wait a minute.  You're telling me that the story takes place in 1642?

Now this is an example of egregiously generic cover art: it could have been slapped on any paperback romance (and probably was).  I can hazard a guess who the people on the cover are meant to be, but they don't really resemble any of the characters in the book.  It's a pity: the author is better than average, and certainly didn't write the standard kind of hack work usually published in paperbacks of this kind.

The Woodville Wench by Maureen Peters (Fontana, 1973)

Picked up at a local school fete:

 

The King's Wife...

Determined to rise above the poverty of her upbringing, Elizabeth Woodville uses her great beauty to win a place in the royal family.

Edward Plantagenet

the handsome young King, risks everything to marry her.

Cecily, of York

the King's mother, welcomes her as a daughter

Richard of Gloucester

Edward's brother, offers her protection when his own life is in jeopardy.

Considered an upstart by many, Elizabeth reigns supreme during the bitter years of the Wars of the Roses.  But behind the brilliant mask is a cold and lonely woman, shivering in the chill of her husband's waning passion, fearful of what lies ahead...

This is an example of what I think of as "cleavage history", where the author takes a real woman from history and writes a wildly romantic fictionalised version of her life.  You can usually spot these by the models on their front covers who generally wear some kind of pseudo-historical garb complete with a deeply plunging  neckline.

In this case our heroine (who seems to have picked her dress up at Biba and who is sporting some very 1970s blue eyeshadow) is Elizabeth Woodville and the story the author is telling is the story of the War of the Roses.

The other giveaway for a "cleavage history" novel is the choice of adjectives on the back cover, which often includes words such as "passionate", "untamed" and "determined".  The Woodville Wench may not be passionate and untamed, but by Jingo! she's determined.

Double for the Toff by John Creasey (Coronet, 1973)

 

The Toff certainly didn't want to take on two problems at once, but these were entreaties he couldn't ignore.

He was needed by Robert Benning--accused of murdering the beautiful and promiscuous Marjorie Fryer--and his mother and girlfriend, both desolate and desperate for help.

He was needed by young Cendric Dwight--with his so-called delusions and his genuine fears, especially when he was taken away by men, who might not kill, but certainly aimed to terrify him.

And then quite suddenly there was Bill Ebbutt--owner of an East End boxing gymnasium and a staunch friend to the Toff--to avenge as well.

I bought this for the sheer ugliness of the cover.  It's hard to imagine that this was ever considered appealing--even in "the decade taste forgot"!

John Creasey was another prolific crime writer, active under a number of pseudonyms from the 1930s to the early 1970s.   The "Toff" (aka The Honourable Richard Rollinson) is a freelance crime fighter and righter of wrongs not unlike The Saint.