The Eiger SanctionI...
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The Eiger Sanction is a novel about spy and counterspy activity. What builds the suspense in this mystery story is the same that runs through all mystery novels, the question of "whodunit." Yet what builds the climax in this novel is somewhat extraordinary. The welfare of the nation depends upon the success of espionage and counterespionage systems. The threat to any espionage plan is the unaccounted-for witness or participant who may be the leak for a heavily guarded secret. He is the last enemy. He must be eliminated. For him sanction is given to destroy or kill. In a sense the same theme is woven into all mysteries. The suggestion is that the riddle of every plot can be solved. The public's fascination with this kind of story is the secret hope that life's larger problem can be solved. Everyone hopes that somehow death can be defeated. The cosmetic, health, and sports industries grow rich on our desire to cheat death. However, it is the mystery novel that endures as our hope that wecan defeat death. It is our Lord himself who tells us that this need not be the subject of some cliff-hanger novel. It is a matter of sacred and holy record that Christ, the Good Shepherd, loves us and will use his power to defeat the last enemy, death.
