Notes on the Settings and Characters of “The Alien” aka “The Groundstar Conspiracy” by L. P. Davies (1968)

Time Setting:
'The Alien' opens in mid-August of 2016.

Place Setting:
England.
Most of the book is set in an un-named English city, begining at a hospital where John Maxwell spends 12 weeks (from the middle of August onwards) after a bad accident.
After his November discharge from hospital, Maxwell has a room booked for him (p 19) at a State Reserve Hostel in West 25, the quieter part of the city. He is assigned Room 16 (p 29) on the (British) 1st floor, the 3rd room on the right. - pp 31, 40

After John Maxwell escapes, the action shifts north, firstly to 'Glyderbank' in Cumberland ', about 40 kilometres from Carlisle, and later eastwards to 'Monksmere', near Belford and not far from Alnwick, in Northumberland.

Characters:
While he is in hospital after an accident (p 8), John Maxwell is found to have non-human blood.

In charge of the case is Gregory Tuxan from British Intelligence, who broods over Maxwell's expertly forged papers and false address.

Doctor Heywood, the registrar of the hospital where Maxwell is treated.

Superintendant Gossage

Graham Forster Howard, Government Minister in charge of Security. "A spider ... squatting and spinning at the heart of his web." - p 91

Nappy Rayburn, the 'host' at Maxwell's State Hostel.

Maxwell runs into Gerald 'Jerry' Redfern (pp 30, 37 - 38) aka Clive Barker (pp 90, 95).

Miss Dawna Drake, vacationing child-welfare worker, who is also living in the hostel. - p 34

Nicky Cox (p 40), yet another resident of the hostel.

Carl Moseley keeps reappearing. - pp 56 - 58, 132

Nurse Kaylee Lomax

Allan Harker, an Intelligence agent. - p 95

Sydney 'Sid' Kitchin, an intrusive man who comes to a bad end.

Plot Teasers:
Who - or what - is John Maxwell?
Who were Phillip Yashuto Corey and Doctor Jameson Biddulph, and why was John Maxwell asked if he remembered them?
Who consulted Nurse Kaylee Lomax at the hospital, and why?
How did Maxwell come to leave his hostel and head north?
Is Sid Kitchin being truthful when he identifies Maxwell as Phillip Corey?
Finally, who was Peter Bellamy, and where does he fit into all this?

Trivia:
Tunics with built-in temperature control.
'Coffeine' (p 36), a ghastly coffee-substitute. [Time for you to take a break!]

Quotes:
"If that's blood," said the Senior Pathologist....."then I'm a red-tailed racoon." - p 7

"The hostel's a trap, and Johnny's the bait."

(Page references are to the 1969 Sphere Books paperback edition.)

See the review of this book by Sergio Angelini on his Tipping My Fedora website:
https://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/the-alien-1968-by-lp-davies/

Also see Philip Challinor's brief review of this book at his Curmudgeon website:
http://thecurmudgeonly.blogspot.co.nz/2008/03/l-p-davies.html ( )