One of the joys of writing my weekly contribution to the Forgotten Books meme, is the research I undertake. Today I chose a book that I read at the end of 1977. I couldn't remember anything about the author Ian Stuart, but the cover images below will give you the clue to his true identity.
I read quite a lot of Alistair MacLean and his ilk on my way to becoming a crime fiction addict.THE SATAN BUG was Alistair MacLean's ninth novel, originally published in 1962 under the pseudonym of Ian Stuart, and later republished under his own name. Apparently he used the name Ian Stuart on two novels, in order to prove that his books owed their popularity to their content rather than the name of the author.
The story of THE SATAN BUG revolves around the theft of two germ warfare agents, botulinum toxin and the indestructible “Satan Bug” (a laboratory-conceived derivative of poliovirus), from the Mordon Microbiological Research Establishment (similar to Porton Down). There is no vaccine for the Satan Bug and it is so infectious that any release will rapidly destroy all human life on Earth. With these phials of unstoppable power, a mad "environmentalist" threatens the country's population unless Mordon is razed to the ground.
The novel seems to have everything - murder, and attempt to hold the British government to ransom, and a plan to rob major banks.
In 1965 a film was made with the same name, loosely based on the book.
