Wallace Boys #11 Traitors in the Tyrol and #12 Rebels across the Red Sea

In Wallace Boys #11, Traitors in the Tyrol, after resolving the problems of the Ruritanian monarchy, Nigel, Bruce, and Karl-Franz head into the mountains on a hiking trip.  The boys witness a  helicopter make an emergency landing, but when they reach the helicopter to render aid, the occupants have vanished!

Searching the helicopter, the boys discover a ring that belongs to Rupert, who was the leader of the failed coup.  Somehow, Rupert has broken out of jail, so the boys head into the mountains to find him.

This book also bored me.  I don't find the affairs of Ruritania to be remotely interesting.  I skimmed much of this story.

In Wallace Boys #12, Rebels across the Red Sea, Bruce and Nigel are present during a terrorist massacre at Queen Hatshepsut's Temple.  Bruce is on a hillside behind the temple during the massacre and watches it unfold in horror.  Nigel is inside the temple, and Bruce believes that Nigel has been killed.

Later, Bruce learns that the terrorists abducted Nigel by mistake, believing him to be a Saudi prince, Hanafi.  Bruce joins forces with Hanafi in a desperate search for Nigel.

Bruce has sage words of wisdom.

Bruce had learned long ago in his travels that when dealing with petty officialdom—customs officers, the police and the like—you treat them with more respect than perhaps they deserve.  Time and again, he had seen individuals being held up needlessly by a bloody-minded customs official, whereas he and Nigel, with a friendly smile and a polite greeting, would sail through.  Bruce found that the more backward a country, the more the officials had to be shown respect.

Bruce's observation is likely true.

This is a pretty exciting book, and I enjoyed it.  As with the other books, there are some slow parts that require some skimming.