Alarum and excursion

The fifth and last book by the author, it starts literally with a bang and ends with one of the most chilling lines in the history of the genre. Gasoline is in short supply as World War II rages on in Europe and the Far East. Ultimate victory requires a reliable source of gasoline. Nick Matheny's oil company just might have the answer in nicoline, a cheap synthetic fuel. The Nazis would love to get their hands on it while rival oil companies fear it could destroy their industry and bankrupt their companies. On the eve of his flight to Washington with the secret formula, Matheny is attacked, suffering a severe brain injury that leaves him with partial memory loss. When he comes to in a sanitarium where his wife has committed him, he has only a vague idea of who he is and how he got there. As his memory returns in spurts, Matheny relives the events of that night and realizes that he must defy his doctor and escape from the hospital in order to catch both a killer and a saboteur and possibly help win the war.