ARGYLLE.....THE STRANGEST MOVIE TIE-IN EVER.....

 Argylle by Eli Conway (2024)

          Here's what would be far more fascinating and entertaining than either this book or the movie supposedly taken from it.......

           What in the freakin' world kind of strategy went into the marketing of this book?   It's a competent enough but generally unexceptional spy-commando-CIA action thriller. Loaded with fights, chases and a few twists but none of that stuff rendered at an urgent, fast pace. 

          The book's nothing that James Rollins and Greg Hurwitz haven't already been pumping out for years......and doing it, to be blunt, much better than author 'Eli Conway' who's been revealed as a pen name for a team of two writers of mystery thrillers. 

         So sorry for 'Swifties', but Taylor Swift did NOT write this as rumored on that monument of truth.....social media. Tay-tay did not take off from her packed schedule of concerts, albums and merchandise hawking to research Russian politics and assorted lethal CIA weaponry. 

        Which begs the question.....how does this book spawn the bloated, trainwreck CG-Eyesore movie.......a junky comic book concoction comprised of worn out tropes borrowed from 'Romancing The Stone', Bond and Marvel movies, stuffed with ridiculous 'twists' and action sequences that revel in their own stupidity.

         If anyone figured that out, please chime in. The only thing this book shares in common with the movie is the cover's graphic design and the 'Eli Conway' name used for the thriller author played by Bryce Dallas Howard.

         The movie's Aubrey Argylle is a spoofy imaginary Bond-like cartoon embodied by Henry Cavill. The book's Argylle is a quirky loner living off the grid who's recruited by the CIA to thwart a Russian Oligarch's plan to make life hell for the whole world. 

        For the full review of the movie, I'd refer you to our film-oriented blog, The Beached Quill at www.thebeachedquill.blogspot.com....

         As for the book?   Argylle and a crack CIA team spend a lot of time trying to keep Mr. Oligarch from finding precious treasures of Russian history, a P.R coup this reptile thinks will propel him into world domination.  And it surely doesn't help the CIA bunch that one of them's a traitor feeding their every move to you-know-who......

        For a book so loaded with breathless escapes and pitched firefights, it seemed to dawdle along........this is no up-all-nighter-can't-turn-the-pages-fast-enough kind of book.  It simply does not go any higher than a 2 star read. (**).  But if you can't pass up any commando-team adventure, well......there it is for you.

        One thing's certain.....don't even waste a second comparing it to the film, if you choose to suffer through it. The book and film exist in so completely different universes that even Dr. Strange hasn't come across them yet......