“There are tons of novels available, but the ability to write a singularly perfect story is rare. That's why I especially enjoyed Anthony Pour's work because in just a few pages he takes you into the lives of the characters he creates, gives you a sense of where they are, and then, at the end, never fails to surprise you. Pour is equally at home writing about ordinary folk or the rich and famous. It is their human weaknesses that interest him and there are plenty to satisfy his wicked sense of humor that will thoroughly entertain you . . .”
-- Alan Caruba, Bookviews

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“If there is a representative of the fallen angel, it may perhaps be Mr. Pour himself, for these stories almost always manage to be mean spirited . . . even when love triumphs in surprising places, the author manages to damage some characters in the process . . . Mr. Pour is no friend of ‘political correctness’, ‘whiners’ and ‘meddlers’ . . . and would-be saints.”
-- Lin Rolens, Santa Barbara News-Press

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“Starting with the premise that the saints of the world would be nowhere without the Devil, Pour turns political correctness on its head. You’ll never look at life quite the same way when you finish this book.”
-- Eldon Thomas, Table for Three

“The work is engaging, funny, witty, intellectual yet not too high brow, and overall, just a great read! This book of short stories was truly a hit for me -- I looked forward to reading them each day because you made me care about the characters almost immediately and want to know how their hardship would end. You are truly a master story teller and I think this book could be a real hit.  Count me as a fan!"
-- Dawne Brooks, editor

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“A unique, often times brilliant interpretation of grand dreams in drab everyday lives. A page turner. I couldn’t put it down.”
-- Henry Mazell, Murderously Incorrect

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“Beautifully written, peopled with unforgettable characters
finding simple ways out of hopelessly complex situations that
make for great reading—and quite a few laughs, too.”
-- Kent Evans, Malas Ondas

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It didn’t hurt Anthony Pour’s new book, The Undercover Gentleman, ($13.95, Marlborough Books, softcover) to put a quote of mine on its back cover because nothing pleases a reviewer more than to be quoted. That said, Pour continues to demonstrate why he needs even more recognition than I can provide because he is a master storyteller. As hard as you many try to second-guess where the plot is going, he is always full of surprises and this new novel featuring a reluctant spy combines the elements of a thriller with two plot lines involving an intriguing and entertaining cast of characters swept up in events over which they have no control. When you put this novel down at the end, you will want to see what the next one will be like.
-- Alan Caruba, Bookviews

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Anthony Pour’s The Undercover Gentleman
was probably born some point in between Ian Fleming’s Bond novels and W. Somerset Maugham’s tales from around the world -- more precisely, a culmination of Fleming’s choice of subjects and Maugham’s writing style. Astonishingly, Pour is able to put together all the different characters, scenes and moods without losing the plot and simply mixing all the elements in a well-structured set. Suspense is left untouched with the reader not being able to second-guess the ending right up until the last page.

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A reluctant secret agent, a chancy wild goose chase, romance, many far-off locations are the main ingredients of The Undercover Gentleman. Altogether, the thriller and action story walks side by side with the tender relation between the middle-aged protagonist and his young girlfriend, while both of them are being sucked into a maelstrom of events that are beyond their control, yet naturally interweave with their personal stories. One of the greatest talents Pour shows in writing this book is the ability of creating not just suspense and atmosphere, but also characters with unique but plausible personal stories. The trick is that all of them have a well-defined past, present and personality, so the reader feels their existence and wants to know more about them.

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Two plot lines for the price of one. The way in which this novel is written is rather brilliant -- with two story lines being orchestrated into reflecting one another, thus helping to build up to an ending when the two plot lines collide.

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I’m a James Bond junky. I have all of the films (even “A View to a Kill” and “Die Another Day” which are, admittedly, horrible) and have read most of Ian Fleming’s original novels. The tradition of the secret agent intrigue genre has become such a broad and varied one that it’s rare to see novels paying homage to Fleming’s creation in the way that Anthony Pour’s “The Undercover Gentleman” does. Even Bond novels written following the death of Fleming seem injected with the cinematic mayhem of Bond’s on-screen persona rather than the subtler, tortured Bond of the novels. A return to the anti-hero qualities of the secret agent is what makes Hank Teeple such a refreshing character. This, coupled with a more modern political and social viewpoint that makes “The Undercover Gentleman” feel relevant, makes it a particularly fun and compelling read.
Hank Teeple is not the suave British Naval Commander that his predecessor touts with every cock-eyed swing of his trademark swagger. He’s a country boy, a Southern California farmer who, for personal reasons, finds himself in the CIA and on the other side of the world, infiltrating a waste management facility in search of his partner, Danny Craig. The name, Danny Craig, is important since it feels like a cunning call-out to the latest actor to portray Bond, Daniel Craig. His death is similarly symbolic both in comment and in homage. Pour seems to say that the old Bond is dead at the hands of political correctness, and at the same time lends his styling on a typical Bond plot convention; that of the dead partner.

Teeple is charged with racial profiling and forced to take leave, where he spends the majority of the novel working off the books, undercover in New York, to flush out his partner’s killers. There are the usual double crosses and intriguing plot twists, but Pour’s dead pan delivery is ironically what makes the novel feel so alive. Teeple is more humble and soft spoken than Bond, and although Pour’s conservative viewpoint fuels the novel’s political commentary, it doesn’t overwhelm its character. This is particularly satisfying, as it lends a likability to Teeple that drives home Pour’s larger point. Good men are outcast when we define our rules for engagement too narrowly. Whether or not you believe in Pour’s overall judgment is irrelevant. This is the world in which Teeple is faced with, and it lives and breathes with stunning detail. It can just as easily be seen in contrast with our world as it can be a reflection of it, depending on your point of view. And that is the same power that Fleming invoked with Bond.

The characters, although lively and fun, seem to be more tailored from the same fabric as Bond’s on-screen role rather than from the books, this makes them seem a little out of place in Pour’s more visceral real-world setting. A comedian with a penchant for speaking in rhymes, a large brute named Golden, and a slippery politician with the nickname Slick Dick all feel more outlandish than Teeple’s portrayal of a common man against all odds. At times they seem to exist on two separate planes. Pour is also heavy on intrigue and light on action, which drives home his real world setting, but makes his villains feel even more out of place.

Pour’s grounded view of life and adventure, accompanied by his impeccable literary talent, make “The Undercover Gentleman” an engrossing and inspired read fit for any mystery/ thriller library. It strikes that cosmic chord between literature and pleasure reading that so few writers are able to find. Trust me, you would be remiss not to indulge in this adventure through the shaky world of golden skinned politicians and the forgotten few who inherent the dirty charge of protecting the nation so well that you never even knew they were there.

-- Eric Jones, BookReview.com

Anthony Pour Official Website © Marlborough Books 2009