Spy Line by Len Deighton

Published by Alfred A. Knopf on November 25, 1989

Spy Line -- the middle installment in the Hook, Line, and Sinker trilogy -- picks up where Spy Hook left off. Samson's loyalty is questioned, he isn't getting answers to his own questions about his wife's defection, people are dying, and people who seemed to die in the past aren't staying dead. More I cannot say without spoiling the intricate plot.

Spy Line has more action than the previous novel. Samson proves himself an adept field agent even after years behind a desk. But he isn't a James Bond type superhero; he's a dedicated public servant who wants to uncover the truth even if his superiors would prefer that the truth be kept secret. The minor characters in Spy Line really shine: they bumble, they seduce, they act shamefully or unselfishly -- in short, they behave as inconsistently and unpredictably as real people, and real people is what they feel like. Deighton does a masterful job of bringing every character to life in this book. He also does a remarkable job of establishing a sense of place -- the reader feels present in (what was then) East Germany, feels the repression, the fear, the history. And he does a satisfying job of tying together the loose threads, of resolving all the outstanding plot lines.

The story is compelling (even shocking) but this novel stands out for Deighton's portrayal of Samson as a man torn apart by his love for a treasonous wife, for his live-in girlfriend, and for his country (which doesn't treat him well at all). This novel is nearly as good as John Le Carre at his best.

RECOMMENDED

Spy Hook by Len Deighton

 

Published by Alfred A. Knopf on December 3, 1988

This is the first novel of a trilogy that follows the Game, Set and Match trilogy (in which British agent Bernard Samson's wife Fiona defects). Spy Hook begins with the beleaguered Samson asking former agent Jim Pettyman, now working for an American corporation, to return to England to answer questions in the investigation of missing agency funds. After considerable intrigue involving (among other characters), a Hungarian known as Dodo, Samson learns something he isn't supposed to know about Bret Rensselaer, an agent who played an important role (and died) in the Game, Set and Match trilogy. To the consternation of his bosses, Samson keeps nosing into the missing money, following his suspicion that Fiona set up the account. Eventually Samson comes under suspicion (could he be working with his treasonous wife?) and as the noose begins to tighten, we come to a cliffhanger ending.

The sheer number of characters involved in the story can make it a bit confusing, but that complexity is just a reason to pay attention, to look back from time to time, or to take notes, not to dislike the book. The story is fast paced, intriguing, tightly plotted and well written with sharply defined characters. Samson's growing confusion as he defies orders and investigates matters he's supposed to leave alone makes him an appealing, sympathetic character. The supporting characters are often recognizable components of bureaucratic institutions -- the ones who get ahead by knowing the right people and stay there by creatively doing nothing, taking credit for the hard work of their subordinates.  All told, Spy Hook is an excellent beginning to the trilogy, topped only by Spy Line,  the second installment.

RECOMMENDED

TSAR by Ted Bell

First published in 2008

There are espionage writers like John Le Carre, Robert Littell, and Len Deighton who craft credible stories about memorable characters. There are espionage writers like Ian Fleming who create a larger-than-life hero whose adventures aren't particularly credible but are nonetheless great fun. And then there's Ted Bell, who brings us Alex Hawke: an over-the-top version of James Bond whose adventures in Tsar aren't even within spitting distance of credibility and whose prose doesn't quite reach the level of decent pulp fiction.

To some extent, I viewed Tsar as a guilty pleasure: a fast, easy read that featured plenty of preposterous action and a sharply defined (if incredibly simplistic) view of good and evil. The novel reads like a parody of a James Bond novel and some of the events Bell imagines (like Hawke's encounter with Putin in a Russian prison where Putin is scheduled to be impaled) are hilarious. Viewed in that light, Tsar produced enough chuckles to make the reading experience tolerable. Unfortunately, Bell's prose style too often falls flat, Alex Hawke is annoyingly self-righteous, the villain is a cartoon, and the "threat" to world security that Hawke confronts is so ridiculous that the novel fails even as parody.

As much as Bell seems to be positioning Hawke as the next James Bond, he just doesn't cut it. If you're looking for a quick, easy action story, Tsar will help you kill some time, but you'd do better to pick up an old Ian Fleming and read or reread the genuine article.

NOT RECOMMENDED

The Venona Cable by Brent Ghelfi

Published by Henry Holt and Co. on August 18, 2009

The Venona Cable departs from the storyline established in the first two Volk novels. Instead of battling with his past in the context of a present conflict, Volk is battling with his father's past, seeking to learn the truth about the man he never knew. When Volk's father defected to the United States, was he a traitor or a double agent working for Moscow?

Volk is dispatched to the US to learn why an American was murdered in Volk's Moscow warehouse while attempting to deliver to Volk a copy of a World War II era cable (one of the Venona cables which, if you Google the subject, will lead you to an intriguing real world story of espionage). While in the US, Volk must unravel the secret of the cable, its connection to current day spy networks (both Russian and American), and its relationship to his father. The story is therefore more in the vein of a conventional spy thriller than its predecessors. The violence in this novel is toned down a bit (although there's still a fair amount of mayhem as Volk repeatedly fights for his life), Volk's partner Valya and his boss the General play backstage roles, and American spy Brock Matthews, who turns up only collaterally in the first two novels, plays a central role in this one.

As do the first two, this novel works nicely as a thriller, maintaining a steady pace that increases to a frenzy as the novel nears its end. The Venona Cable would be an enjoyable read without having read the first two Volk novels, but you would have deeper insight into Volk's character if you read the first two before reading this one.

RECOMMENDED

The Debriefing by Robert Littell

First published in 1979

Stone heads a secret intelligence organization operated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its function is to infiltrate Russia if the need to do so ever arises. So far, it hasn't. But when Stone debriefs a Russian defector who has offered information about Russia's position at upcoming arms reduction negotiations, he questions the defector's authenticity. Stone infiltrates Russia and impersonates a KGB officer to find the truth, enlisting the help of a prostitute and a Stalin look-alike.

The Debriefing is tightly plotted, Littell's writing style is crisp, and although the characterization is one-dimensional, the story is fun. It isn't as good as his first book, The Defection of A. J. Lewinter, nor is it as enjoyable as my favorite (so far) of the Littell books, The Sisters, but this brief novel is one that fans of espionage fiction should enjoy.

RECOMMENDED