THE GIRL FACTORY 2: KING'S MATE by Robert Franklin Murphy (1975)

originally posted Friday, April 7, 2006 11:25:21 PM

This is the second and final novel in the Girl Factory series and Su-Lin Kelly is back in action. This time she is investigating the disappearance of a Russian biologial weapons expert who is also a chess champion. Everyone is concerned that Zuchev has been abducted and is being forced to create biological weapons for some terrorist group so Su-Lin is called in by The Nest to investigate.

The Nest is run by Sam Gruber and Ella Crumm and is that pair know more about what goes on in the world of espionage that the head of the CIA. Perhaps if the series had progressed we would have learnt more about the Nest.

Su-Lin discovers that a number of other chess masters have disappeared also and uncovers a secret chess tournament hosted by Prince Komoroff, ruler of the Island of San Caligua. I won't spoil nature of the games or the fate of losing players.

Quantum Growth, the cloning technique shown in the first novel makes an appearance here after Su-Lin underestimates one of her opponents.


I'm sad there were only two in this series but I'm glad of the two that we do have.