Book Review: Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling by Tony Cliff

World-traveling adventurer Delilah Dirk is accused of being a traitor to England by Major Jason Merrick, a soldier fighting the French in Spain. Chagrined at the charge and the damage to her reputation, she wants revenge. Unfortunately, Merrick leaves Spain and Delilah is forced to do something she does not want to do--return home to England. Merrick has other schemes going on, including wooing a young lady. Delilah and her travel companion Mister Selim have to go incognito in Great Britain and face the greatest challenge Delilah has ever faced--being a society lady! Also, facing her mother!!

The action is fun and the characters, especially Delilah, get more fleshed out during the story. I had a great time reading it and hope for more adventures in the future.

Recommended.

Book Review: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

Turkish Lieutenant Erdemoglu Selim, since he knows English, is called to interrogate a new prisoner in a Constantinople prison. It's 1807 and the prisoner is a female troublemaker named Delilah Dirk. She has a colorful background, having traveled to various countries and learned various acrobatics, sword-play, and other adventurer-type skills. She's in town to steal some ancient scrolls. As Selim reports to his commander, Delilah escapes her dungeon and grabs the scrolls and makes a run for it. Selim is sentenced to death. Since he aided her by his long-winded report of his interrogation, she saves him at the last minute and they head off together in search of adventures.

They have a surprisingly unromantic time as they go on their adventures. The adventures are just action and jokes--exciting action and funny jokes. Their friendship slowly builds over the book (I almost wrote "story," but the book is too episodic for that description). He settles down at one point and she goes on without him. Eventually he tires of a normal, boring life and seeks her out. They are reunited in hopes of more adventures to come.

The book is a fun adventure story and the two main characters are charming and light.

Recommended.

Book Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk is a swashbuckling adventurer clearly patterned after Indiana Jones. She has swords rather than a bullwhip, but otherwise she has chases and fights and follows clues in search of fabulous historical artifacts and locations. She even has a jealous French adversary. And her inter-country travels are shown on a yellowed map with a dotted red line, just like Indy.

In this story, she and her faithful companion Selim run into Laurens Van Hassel, a Belgian journalist who winds up chronicling her adventure. They search for the Third Pillar of Hercules, a legendary city built and lost in times immemorial. The adventure takes them from Turkey to Algeria back to Turkey and Gibraltar, with plenty of action (that Van Hassel exaggerates in his letters back to the paper, though the adventures don't really need it).

I enjoyed the story a lot. The visual style is fun and Delilah is an intelligent and dedicated person. There's no romance and hardly any blood, so the book is kid-friendly, too. This volume is the third book in the series. I will definitely seek out the first two.

Highly recommended.