Gentleman Jim by Lorna Almonds Windmill (Robinson, £7.99)

THEY didn't come much tougher than John Almonds.

Christening himself "Jim" - too many Johns in the barrack room, you see - Almonds became one of the founding fathers of the SAS.

And from 1941 onwards, he would enjoy an increasingly hazardous Second World War.

At times, the narrative reads like the script of a Hollywood movie. But no producer's imagination could possibly conceive the hair-raising escapades this band of brothers would experience.

This is a lovingly-written book, for the author is the daughter of the central character.

Throughout, her unstinting admiration for a remarkable father shines through, yet does not cloud her judgement of the subject in question. From the Western Desert to the assault on mainland Europe, Jim Almonds was in the thick of it. Here, in all their impossible glory, is the record of those deeds.

The Hereford-based SAS is steeped in myth and legend and they don't come any more legendary than Jim Almonds.

Nevertheless, in addition to all the derring-do, the qualities of the man himself - bravery, decency and patriotism - are never far below the surface.

This is a book that moves at a cracking pace - a must for those with a love of adventure as well as things military.

John Phillpott.