The Silencers

Helm is sent to extract a female agent working as a stripper in a bar in Mexico. When she is killed before Helm can complete his mission to extract her, he finds himself teamed up with the woman's sister as he fights to save the lives of a group of scientists and American officials. Perhaps the most famous of the titles, due to the Dean Martin film of the same name, but where the movies were tongue-in-cheek, the novels are breathtakingly brutal.

Donald Hamilton is the creator of Matt Helm, star of 27 novels that have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. He was born in Uppsala, Sweden, attended the University of Chicago, and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve. His writing career began in 1946 with short stories for Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post. His first novel was Date With Darkness, published in 1947, and altogether he published 38 novels. The first Matt Helm novel, Death of a Citizen, was originally published in 1960, at the height of the Cold War.