Rejtő, Jenő (P. Howard) : The Blonde Hurricane

Cover design by Fruzsina Kun.

Jenő ​Rejtő (1905-1943) was a journalist, prolific author of cabaret skits, and the steadfast practitioner of comic thrillers with unforgettable characters and one-liners that together have become part and parcel of Hungarian literary folklore. Delightfully grotesque parodies of the detective novels that had their heyday at the time, Rejtő wrote most of his books in the 1930s under the pen-name of P Howard. The Blonde Hurricane is one of the best of the lot. A combination of thriller and love story, it centres around the race to find a priceless family jewel concealed in a statuette of Buddha that an international band of crooks are after – and so is Miss Evelyn Weston, the Blonde Hurricane, and without her knowledge, Eddy Rancing, who is in love with her, plus a host of others. Everyone is being pursued as well as pursuing everyone else, from England to the African desert and back. Meanwhile, the humour comes pouring out of Rejto's pen as fast and furious as it did from his famous contemporary R G. Wodehouse.