Disorderly Elements

by Bob Cook

There's a recession on, you know. With an unemployed son and a baby on the way, those are not words that Michael Wyman wants to hear, particularly not from his employers - the university where he's a professor of philosophy, or the British secret service for which he's worked for 30 years. Yet both employers at once have informed him that he's being laid off without a pension. Happily, a miracle is at hand, in the form of a Communist spy burrowed deep into the highest reaches of British intelligence. An East German defector can identify the spy, and is willing to give up the information, but only to one man. At fifty-six years old, Wyman has one last chance to get back in the game and get out on his own terms.

Genres: Mystery, British Literature, Espionage

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[AdiTurbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to have discovered this writer, and will continue to look for more books by him.
This novel isn't really a spy or Cold War novel. It is a social commentary, a satire about government organizations and maybe even a political book. It is written with the most fabulous subtle and understated wit, but is not at all light. It deals with difficult subjects such as unemployment, governments' betrayal of the Middle Class and the loss of a pension after years of belief in values such as loyalty to an employer, which almost always somehow turns out to be one-sided, and in the importance of high work ethic. It does have a suspenseful plot, although the ending was quite clear to me almost from the beginning, and the characters are expertly-defined. I particularly enjoyed the scene where the protagonist, Whyman, has a wonderfully candid conversation with his mature son, which has been living off him for years.
All in all, a very satisfying and entertaining read, but will also give you lots of food for thought.

[Imlac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat and clever. I figured out the main idea early on (it's really pretty obvious) but some of the details were nicely worked. Unfortunately, Cook uses the names of philosophers, philosophers of science, or logicians for pretty much ALL his characters. It got to be tedious and then truly grating. It almost felt disrespectul and mocking of his readers. Still, the author is clearly an intelligent and cultured man, and his descriptions of food and wine seem to derive from actual experience, and not research as happens with the vast sea of middle- and low-brow thriller merchants.

[GERRY Hermans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Wyman is sacked by the secret service he worked for 30+ years. He has an unemployed son, a baby on the way, his term at the university as don as expired. He hatches an ingenious plot to outwit MI6, CIA, KGB & get himself a million $$ in the process. A humorous take on the Brits & the intelligence services. Well written tongue in cheek spy thriller.

[Brian Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic, cold war novel. Highly entertaining!

[Elizabeth Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done all around, but worth it just for the final twist!
Brilliant!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

What amused me most about this wry little espionage story is that its title, epigraph, and the main character's name are borrowed from Quine's essay "On What There Is." Michael Wyman is both a don specializing in modal logic and an agent of MI6. Having some interest in modal logic myself, I found this an entertaining (if fanciful) premise. It's a quick read, and philosophers will find a few other insiders' references along the way.

[Cyprien Saito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the very moment that it was published, that is, before the flood caused after the collapse of Berlin Wall. The publication was timely. As is stated in the story, theme was the ordinary life of the after-life or of its equivalent after-shock of Ph.D. degree mis-encounter with the "theme". It was for him the modal logic "expeled" by Quine. As a fiction, Bulgakov's vision on the "Western Front" was vivid.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years and years ago, really liked it and then forgot the author and title. So I was delighted to stumble across it in my bookshelves and read it again, even though I remembered the plot quite well. It pleased me all over again in its wry, irreverent tone. Not your ordinary spy novel.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book. Great characters, intricate plot as well as funny.