The Chinese Paymaster by Nicholas Browne

The Chinese Paymaster was written by Nicholas Browne. This title was Browne's second Killmaster novel. He will write a total of four before disappearing to points unknown. Award Books was publishing two titles concurrently. The Chinese Paymaster was published with The Devil's Cockpit. This story is about a Communist double agent that has set The United States up for takeover. Three separate incidents in three different countries.  The first incident occurs in a small Chinese village where an old scientist is executed. The next day the CIA learn they have lost one of its most valuable agents. The second incident occurs in the Laotian jungle where an American officer and his guerrilla band are bombed by Chinese planes. An important American operation is sabotaged. The last incident occurs in an posh NYC bar. Thailand's UN delegate is assassinated. Somebody sprays cyanide into the diplomats face hours before he was to vote against China. All three incidents were linked to a Red Chinese paymaster. Person, male or female, was unknown. The method of operation was within the US intelligence network. It was determined the paymaster was on a tans-Atlantic jet on the first lap of a charter flight around the world. It was Nick's mission to find the paymaster among the planes passengers. But somebody has betrayed Nick and the Chinese move in for the kill long before he has boarded the plane.

1st Award Printing                                  1st Tandem Printing

Award and Tandem covers were the same as well as the 2nd Award printing (see above). 

The third and fourth Award printings will see a new covers (see below).

3rd Award Printing                         4th Award Printing

The Tandem covers will see new covers (see below). The left scan is the 1972 reprint and December 1972  edition. The right scan is from an undisclosed edition published sometime between December 1972 and 1978.

1972 Editions                                         Unknown Edition

Below is the 1978 Edition published by Universal Books

1978 Universal Edition

Printing History

1st Award (A 239X) 1967

1st Tandem ( T 139) 1967

2nd Award (A 627X) 1970

2nd Tandem (4260 6496 8) 1972

3rd Tandem (4260 12001 9) Dec 1972

3rd Award (A 940S) 1972

4th Award (AQ 1592) 1976

4th Tandem (426 17427 5) Unknown

5th Tandem (426 17427 5) 1978

Notes
In the UK, Howard and Wyndam Company published Tandem, Universal, and Star book editions.