"The Transposed Man" by Dwight V. Swain

HE WAS A FUTURISTIC OO7! He stole men's bodies to betray their minds. No matter where he was, and no matter whose body he happened to be inhabiting, the traitor in his heart stayed right with him. A dictatorship ruled the solar system, but the Society of Mechanists dreamed of the perfect world that would result if science and logic, not politics, called the shots. Operator Forty-four was the Society's top secret agent, a man who could change bodies whenever pursuit began breathing down his neck. General Aneido, head of the government's Secret Service, never knew when such an enemy might be walking among Earth's billions, perhaps, in the body of the general's own best friend. Then Forty-four was assigned to steal the secret of a new invention from the woman he had once loved. That was bad enough, for their love suddenly rekindles. Then, what he actually discovered made him wonder if he was really on the right side? Suddenly both the general's Secret Service and the Society of Mechanists were after Forty-four. Can even an invisible secret agent survive when he is surrounded on all sides? His only hope lay in two women: one who hated him and one who was unreliable! "A stand out science fiction novel!" Donald A. Wollheim

You know what they say: those who can't do, teach. Swain made more of an impact with books on writing than his fiction; The Transposed Man is about the only book of his you can still find today. The yeoman prose, uninteresting characters, and dull plot are more suited to a first year student than a respected professor. Since it dates from more than 50 years ago a lot of it is dated as well. At this point it's a curiosity for fans of Swain's nonfiction and little more. (Patrick, GoodReads)