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To Kill the Duke

Sam Moffie
CreateSpace (2012)
ISBN 9781461147060
Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (2/12)

Having recently finished reading the fictional story “To Kill the Duke” by author Sam Moffie I can safely say this book truly gave me a “unique” look back in time to the 1950s as well as an “interesting” perspective of Joseph Stalin. While I wasn’t riveted to my seat and biting my fingernails as I read; my attention was definitely captivated.

“To Kill the Duke” is set in the fifties; right smack in the middle of the Cold War. On the one hand we have the story of Ivan Viznapu – a loyal communist who yearns to make films rather than struggle through the hardships of his current life in mother Russia. On the other hand we have Dick Powell – an actor, who became a producer and then finally a film director who works for none other than the incredibly wealthy yet amazingly eccentric Howard Hughes. What do these two lives set thousands of miles apart actually have to do with one another? The answer to that question can be summed up in one name: John Wayne.

Apparently Hughes wasn’t the only over-the-top eccentric personality of his time. It seems that Stalin was right up there with him – at least according to the tale found within the pages of “To Kill the Duke.” Hughes planned to star Wayne in a movie he was making while Stalin was determined to kill him and thereby make a statement to the world. However, I’m going to let you read the rest of story for yourself rather than relay the crazy antics of the “elite” Russian spy squad or the sometimes disturbing idiosyncrasies of billionaire Howard Hughes.

For the most part I found “To Kill the Duke” to be an entertaining read although, at times, I did have trouble with the character of Hughes. Having seen the movie “The Aviator” which focused on the life of Howard Hughes there were passages and references that seemed to mirror scenes I had previously seen in “The Aviator.” I’m chalking these similarities up to the fact that Hughes was so rich and so eccentric that everyone knew everything about him; both private and business.

In closing, definitely a fun read although not really intended for the below eighteen crowd…

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