Just when the murders of Russian spies and defectors is hitting the news in Britain every day, here is a book about Russian spies and defectors.
The book is fiction although mainly centres around the defection of Guy Burgess and others in the 1950s.
I must admit there were times when I was confused and not sure exactly what was going on or who was who. This may have been due to the fact that 1) I haven't read the previous 8 novels about murder detective Frederick Troy so there were references to his previous cases which went over my head 2) John Lawton wrote it over a number of years, in a number of places so continuity may have suffered 3) it is the nature of espionage books and thrillers to keep the reader guessing for as long as possible.
This book would not have passed the 50 page rule (if you're not enjoying it after 50 pages, give it up and read something else) but I'm glad I persevered as there are patches of wonderful irony and wit. Probably need to read it again to really appreciate how clever the writing is.
The book is fiction although mainly centres around the defection of Guy Burgess and others in the 1950s.
I must admit there were times when I was confused and not sure exactly what was going on or who was who. This may have been due to the fact that 1) I haven't read the previous 8 novels about murder detective Frederick Troy so there were references to his previous cases which went over my head 2) John Lawton wrote it over a number of years, in a number of places so continuity may have suffered 3) it is the nature of espionage books and thrillers to keep the reader guessing for as long as possible.
This book would not have passed the 50 page rule (if you're not enjoying it after 50 pages, give it up and read something else) but I'm glad I persevered as there are patches of wonderful irony and wit. Probably need to read it again to really appreciate how clever the writing is.