Dennis Simanaitis

I confess that I am a Paul and Steve Temple whacko. I believe I have everything from the early (and quite dated) "Paul Temple Intervenes," through all of the Coke/Westbury serials, to the BBC tribute, to the latest narrated ones (and the fairly recent "Sullivan Mystery," which, of course, gets to the point of this review). Yes, "East of Algiers" should have been sub-labeled "a novelisation of 'The Sullivan Mystery.' But, indeed, I would have bought it anyway and enjoyed hearing how its plot developed in a parallel universe with the latter. Did I feel cheated? Not at all. In a way, I felt I was part of an inside joke, best appreciated among fellow Temple whackos. "By Timothy! I know this story!!" As a similar bit of old radio trivium, there's a common plot, with only subtle differences, in a Johnny Dollar adventure and one of (as I recall) Sam Spade's. Again, much to my delight in stumbling on them.