A third thinlipped follow-up of a crime is patterned after the earlier books- The Juryman, Manhunt, as thieves fall out- when Arran and his confederate, Bain, complete a jewel robbery. Bain, the weaker of the two, learns that Arran has left with the take-and without his wife, Caroline, for Gibraltar, and is determined to use Caroline as a means of finding him. With Caroline, and a false passport, he follows Arran there; his single-minded desire for retribution is weakened by his attraction to Caroline which for the first time threatens his self-contained and self-sufficient criminal existence. But on finding Arran, he is irresolute and unable to kill him; his love for Caroline also goes by default; so that finally he makes his full confession to the Consul which enables him to secure his revenge only at the expense of his freedom.... The criminal- who walks softly- but alone- again offers an authentic (in case you have forgotten- MacKenzie shared this world) and able dossier which is always precise and often exciting.