Once a Crooked Man    by David McCallum Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2017 (2016) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson David McCallum's Once a Crooked Man is another accidental spy story, written rather tongue in cheek. And it's most entertaining. Note that the author played Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Sal, Max, and Enzo Bruschetti are the oddly likable bad guys. Aging and health problems mandate retirement, which requires tying up loose ends (via assassination). When young actor Harry Murphy accidentally overhears their plan to have a colleague in London (Villiers) killed, he impulsively decides to warn the victim, launching him on an at times hilarious adventure that tests his mettle again and again. When Villiers assumes that Harry was dispatched by the Bruschettis to warn him of danger, and hands him a suitcase with over a million in cash to take back to them, he's tempted to keep it. This gets him entangled with Detective Sergeant Lizzie Carswell, part of a team keeping an eye 'on known IRA sympathizers in the UK.' She and her superiors ask him to contact the Bruschettis, back in the USA, pretending to be 'Someone very frightened who did something very stupid.' Harry agrees and proves surprisingly resourceful - a talent needed to survive what follows. And McCallum twists his plot around in some very surprising - and amusing - ways. It's all tons of fun. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews