Checkmate in Rio (Killmaster novel)
Encyclopedia
Checkmate in Rio is the third novel
in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster
series.
Inc. The novel was written by Valerie Moolman. Copyright
was registered in the US on 17 May 1964.
", six AXE agents based in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
, have vanished without trace in a short space of time. Nick Carter (undercover as shady millionaire businessman Robert Milbank) accompanied by fellow agent Rosalind Adler (posing as Milbank’s mistress, Rosita Montez) are sent to investigate. Carter (as Milbank) uses his apparent wealth and influence to enter the higher social circles in Rio de Janeiro and quickly meets socialite Carla Langley – wife of one of the missing agents. Next, posing as American journalist, Michael Nolan, Carter interviews the wife of Joao de Santos, a local investigative reporter, and another of the missing agents. Meanwhile, Agent Adler investigates the background of missing agent Carlos Brenha, assistant curator at a local museum. As a result of their probing, a seedy nightclub quickly becomes the focus of attention. In the club’s basement, Carter discovers a cache of illegal weapons imported from China
. Carter is knocked out and imprisoned in the club basement. The ringleader is revealed to be Carla Langley who is working for communist China to import illegal arms and execute minor spies in the hope that a special agent (i.e. Carter) would be sent to investigate and whom they intend to torture and kill to extract valuable information. Carter is tied to a rack and beaten but manages to escape. Rosalind Adler arrives in the nick of time and overpowers the guards with a non-lethal gas bomb (nicknamed Pepito). Carter executes the club owner and second-in-command (Luis Silveiro) and is about to do the same to Carla Langley when he discovers the gas bomb has rendered her an insane, gibbering wreck. He leaves her screaming in the night.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster
Nick Carter-Killmaster
Nick Carter-Killmaster is a series of spy adventures published from 1964 until the late 1990s, first by Award Books, then by Ace Books, and finally by Jove Books. At least 261 novels were published....
series.
Publishing history
The book was first published in May 1964 (Number A110F) by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation (New York, USA), part of the Conde Nast PublicationsCondé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
Inc. The novel was written by Valerie Moolman. Copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
was registered in the US on 17 May 1964.
Plot summary
The story takes place in January 1964. After the events described in "The China DollThe China Doll (Killmaster novel)
The China Doll is the second novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series.-Publishing history:The book was first published in April 1964 by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation , part of the Conde Nast Publications Inc. The...
", six AXE agents based in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, have vanished without trace in a short space of time. Nick Carter (undercover as shady millionaire businessman Robert Milbank) accompanied by fellow agent Rosalind Adler (posing as Milbank’s mistress, Rosita Montez) are sent to investigate. Carter (as Milbank) uses his apparent wealth and influence to enter the higher social circles in Rio de Janeiro and quickly meets socialite Carla Langley – wife of one of the missing agents. Next, posing as American journalist, Michael Nolan, Carter interviews the wife of Joao de Santos, a local investigative reporter, and another of the missing agents. Meanwhile, Agent Adler investigates the background of missing agent Carlos Brenha, assistant curator at a local museum. As a result of their probing, a seedy nightclub quickly becomes the focus of attention. In the club’s basement, Carter discovers a cache of illegal weapons imported from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Carter is knocked out and imprisoned in the club basement. The ringleader is revealed to be Carla Langley who is working for communist China to import illegal arms and execute minor spies in the hope that a special agent (i.e. Carter) would be sent to investigate and whom they intend to torture and kill to extract valuable information. Carter is tied to a rack and beaten but manages to escape. Rosalind Adler arrives in the nick of time and overpowers the guards with a non-lethal gas bomb (nicknamed Pepito). Carter executes the club owner and second-in-command (Luis Silveiro) and is about to do the same to Carla Langley when he discovers the gas bomb has rendered her an insane, gibbering wreck. He leaves her screaming in the night.
Main characters
- Nick Carter (agent N-3, AXE, undercover using the assumed names Robert Milbank, Michael Nolan)
- Mr Hawk (Carter’s boss, head of AXE)
- Carla Langley (socialite, wife of missing AXE agent - Pierce Langley, Carter's adversary)
- Rosalind Adler (Carter's assistant, undercover using the assumed names Rosita Montez, Marlene Webster)
- Luis Silveiro (nightclub owner, Carla Langley's deputy, Carter's adversary)
- Perez Cabral (financier husband of missing AXE agent - Maria Cabral)
- Luisa Cabral (daughter of Maria Cabral, step-daughter of Perez Cabral)
Trivia
- The story makes several references to the plot and characters from the first and second novels in the series Run, Spy, Run and The China DollThe China Doll (Killmaster novel)The China Doll is the second novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series.-Publishing history:The book was first published in April 1964 by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation , part of the Conde Nast Publications Inc. The...
- Carter uses a new named weapon - Pepito (a small non-lethal gas bomb, similar to Pierre)
- Carter lost all his named weapons (Wilhelmina, Hugo, Pierre) in The China DollThe China Doll (Killmaster novel)The China Doll is the second novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series.-Publishing history:The book was first published in April 1964 by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation , part of the Conde Nast Publications Inc. The...
. In Checkmate in Rio (Killmaster novel)|Checkmate in Rio, Carter alludes to the extraordinary circumstances in which he was able to retrieve them all. - In the novel, Carter speaks fluent Portuguese; in previous novels he also speaks Russian, and Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua).