(Found) The Flood

[TomMazanec]

Cheap Sixties paperback. I remember the cover as mostly white with a small picture and the title.
Mutation (natural or man-made) makes apple trees turn malic acid into water. Much of British coastline submerged (yeah, I thought it was kinda dumb even as a schoolboy).
Was part of a series. Another one in the series may have been called "The Sound".

 

[hitmouse]

Written by Timmy Ballard, JG’s baby brother, aged 13.

 

[Danny McG]

Was part of a series. Another one in the series may have been called "The

Can you recall anything about this one?
(I keep thinking of the Van Vogt story but it won't be that)

 

[TomMazanec]

Joking, hitmouse?

 

[Bick]

Joking, hitmouse?

Yes, that's Sci-Fi joke.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

A little research reveals that this must be The Flood (1956) by the super-prolific author John Creasey, one of a series of espionage/science fiction adventures featuring the character of Dr. Palfrey. I found a version online somewhere (which I cannot now locate, darn it) with searchable excerpts, and the word "malic" came up several times.

Title: The Flood

www.isfdb.org

There is not a book in the series called The Sound, but there is one called The Plague of Silence.

Dr. Palfrey (Z5) series - John Creasey

Doctor Palfrey is a spy, head of Z-5. He is a Physician of some reknown and is lured into an elite espionage world. A superb series by John Creasey.

www.johncreaseybooks.com

 

[Danny McG]

Is that the same author who wrote The Toff books?
I've got a few of them.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Is that the same author who wrote The Toff books?
I've got a few of them.

Yes, indeed. And a whole bunch of other novels.

John Creasey - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

John Creasey MBE (17 September 1908 – 9 June 1973) was an English crime writer, also writing romance and western novels, who wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms.

 

[Danny McG]

What an awesomely productive writing career he had, over a book a month.

 

[HareBrain]

What an awesomely productive writing career he had, over a book a month.

Mind-boggling, and yet only half that of Charles Hamilton (equivalent of 1200 novels). Bashing out a novel a fortnight on a typewriter, you'd think his fingers would be worn down to the elbow.

 

[TomMazanec]

The name rings a bell. And the book titles in the series.
By George, I think he's got it!