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Bernard Samson #1-3
Game, Set, Match,
Combines three fast-moving spy thrillers that feature the smooth, cynical British agent Bernard Samson--"Berlin Game," "Mexico Set," and "London Match"--in an epic tale of international treachery and intrigue
857 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 1989
8 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Len Deighton
222 books937 followersDeighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father was a chauffeur and mechanic, and his mother was a part-time cook. After leaving school, Deighton worked as a railway clerk before performing his National Service, which he spent as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. After discharge from the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949, and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1955.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 9, 2017
I read these in the separate editions.
Bernard Sampson is an ornery, bigoted, self-righteous cuss of a spy who doth protest that he doesn't get involved in office politics or affairs too much, methinks. The difference here is that office politics and other liaisons can quickly turn the petty, belligerent characters drawn here into traitors.
I liked the books, although they do run pretty slowly...until they don't. But they feel very real in a way that modern spy thrillers don't.
If you like Le Carre, you may find a friend here as well...
Bernard Sampson is an ornery, bigoted, self-righteous cuss of a spy who doth protest that he doesn't get involved in office politics or affairs too much, methinks. The difference here is that office politics and other liaisons can quickly turn the petty, belligerent characters drawn here into traitors.
I liked the books, although they do run pretty slowly...until they don't. But they feel very real in a way that modern spy thrillers don't.
If you like Le Carre, you may find a friend here as well...
May 15, 2016
A collection of the first three novels in the Bernard Samson series. Initially a cleverly titled trilogy Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match. Later expanded into a second trilogy Spy Hook, Spy Line and Spy Sinker and then a third trilogy Faith, Hope and Charity. With the novel Winter: A Berlin Family, 1899-1945 written as a prequel the characters developed quite an extensive history.
This collection was published by WHSmith - a stationers and bookshop in the UK, for sale only in their own stores.
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Set-Match/...
This collection was published by WHSmith - a stationers and bookshop in the UK, for sale only in their own stores.
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Set-Match/...
August 8, 2007
What I love about Len Deighton's books is that they're all about one man (Sansome) and during the course of reading them all, we learn about his life. He's a Brit who was raised in Germany, for some reason I can't remember. He becomes a spy for MI5 because he can pass for a German. We learn all about his 'German family' and his friends. The story keeps evolving - he is always searching for his nemesis, who, if I remember correctly, is the head of Russian intelligence, or their chief spy. But after you've read a few, it's very enjoyable because you feel that you know so many of the characters.
In addition, Len Deighton is evidently a great cook, and once or twice he injects recipes into his stories, which is fun.
In addition, Len Deighton is evidently a great cook, and once or twice he injects recipes into his stories, which is fun.
May 27, 2015
First rate spy novels from a time when the cold war was in it's pomp. 3 follow on books which are actually followed by another 3 - "Hook", Line" and "Sinker".
The character descriptions are deep enough to have the reader feel that one knows them. Deighton's knowledge of the 'industry' and the locations are superb. Bernard Sampson, our anti-hero is grand.
The character descriptions are deep enough to have the reader feel that one knows them. Deighton's knowledge of the 'industry' and the locations are superb. Bernard Sampson, our anti-hero is grand.
November 30, 2022
Can anyone tell me why Goodreads permit the publication of pathetic one star reviews?
October 29, 2021
I bought the big omnibus version and boy was it heavy and uncomfortable to hold. However, the three novels it contained were excellent. Don't read them if you are wanting constant action and excitement, they are much cleverer than that. You learn about Bernard Samson, his life, his background, his problems and how he tackles them. He is a slightly unreliable narrator and because each book is written in the first person you get his views on everything, with reality being filtered through his perception. His likes and dislikes are made very clear.
They are very human books, as much about life, friendship and love as about the profession of spying. The plot can meander through conversations, personal relations home life and of course work. You will find yourself surprised by the way the story develops and the journey that Sampson takes. I would have been sorry when I finished the last book, certainly it's weight, but luckily I have started the Hook, Line and Sinker series.
They are very human books, as much about life, friendship and love as about the profession of spying. The plot can meander through conversations, personal relations home life and of course work. You will find yourself surprised by the way the story develops and the journey that Sampson takes. I would have been sorry when I finished the last book, certainly it's weight, but luckily I have started the Hook, Line and Sinker series.
November 6, 2021
A great spy trilogy from the gifted pen of Len Deighton!
Cleverly constructed tale of East - West goings on in cold war Berlin. Deighton sets the scenes extremely well and crafts his characters with skill and humor. Samson is the sarcastic, disrespectful agent whose lines are at times hilariously biting. Having neither attended public school nor university, he is the odd man out among a cast of Eton and Oxbridge educated colleagues in the upper echelons of London's spy circle. He also does not play by the rules and couldn't give a damn about retiring with a "K" as everyone else seems to be angling for. His loyalties are to his school friend Werner and his surrogate father Frank.
This is gripping reading on par with the books of John LeCaree, and it leaves you begging for more.
Next up is Hook, Line and Sinker!
Cleverly constructed tale of East - West goings on in cold war Berlin. Deighton sets the scenes extremely well and crafts his characters with skill and humor. Samson is the sarcastic, disrespectful agent whose lines are at times hilariously biting. Having neither attended public school nor university, he is the odd man out among a cast of Eton and Oxbridge educated colleagues in the upper echelons of London's spy circle. He also does not play by the rules and couldn't give a damn about retiring with a "K" as everyone else seems to be angling for. His loyalties are to his school friend Werner and his surrogate father Frank.
This is gripping reading on par with the books of John LeCaree, and it leaves you begging for more.
Next up is Hook, Line and Sinker!
October 10, 2022
If you have to force yourself to put a novel down at bedtime, and you can’t wait to pick it up again, you’ve got to give it five stars, haven’t you? And it’s hard not to see this as one big novel. You get the necessary reminders in each part of who the characters are and what the situations mean, which remind you that it’s three novels run together, but they seem incidental.
The whole narrative revolves around Berlin. Even when we're in Mexico or London, Berlin's there in the background. Samson was raised in Berlin, and his ‘berlinerisch’ approach marks him out as at heart German, despite being British. It’s where Frank Harrington seems really to feel at home, at least in Samson’s eyes. And Werner Volkmann’s marriage to Zena is portrayed as coming between him and his natural habitat. Consequently there’s an unresolved tension between Samson’s home in London with his family and his feeling so at home in Berlin, expressed in his always staying in the upstairs room in Lisl Hennig’s hotel.
Berlin gives an ideal Cold War setting, with flashbacks to the Occupation, and the Wall a solid reminder of the division between West and East which of course has such an impact on Samson’s domestic life. But also Berlin gives a context of survival. This is embodied in the damaged architecture all around, and expressed in the lives of characters such as Lisl Hennig and Willi Leuschner.
In London there are no comparable references to bomb damage or other wartime effects. Essentially London is about the present, and qualms about the future. Berlin is about continuity and survival.
Survival is a major preoccupation of spy thrillers. Deigthon’s continued use of the first person (well, in all the novels I’ve read so far) means of course that the narrator’s not going to get killed despite the shots and explosions, but everyone else’s fate seems uncertain. Perhaps not always in terms of life and death, but also in terms of career, marriage and so on. There’s enough action to keep you going, but also the intrigues and plotting engage the imagination.
Talking of action, this is handled well, with the right pace and immediacy. Whether it's eavesdropping on Soviet agents, finding a body, or a shoot-out, Deighton manages to evoke the scene well. Also he gives nicely-drawn characters whether in the main body of the narrative, or coming forward occasioannly to help develop situations.
Thankfully Deighton seems to be able to resist the final-chapter, or penultimate-chapter, twist where suddenly someone you thought trustworthy turns out to be treacherous. Instead everything gets sorted out in good time to allow the reader to enjoy the work’s climax. Of course not every question gets answered, and maybe this is to allow development in subsequent novels, but then not every question needs to be answered, nor does every situation need to be resolved. As Samson says towards the end, ‘It’s not game, set and match to anyone. It never is.’
A really enjoyable read, but I’m glad I read all three novels in one volume. The narrative flows so well I would have found it frustrating to have read it in stages.
The whole narrative revolves around Berlin. Even when we're in Mexico or London, Berlin's there in the background. Samson was raised in Berlin, and his ‘berlinerisch’ approach marks him out as at heart German, despite being British. It’s where Frank Harrington seems really to feel at home, at least in Samson’s eyes. And Werner Volkmann’s marriage to Zena is portrayed as coming between him and his natural habitat. Consequently there’s an unresolved tension between Samson’s home in London with his family and his feeling so at home in Berlin, expressed in his always staying in the upstairs room in Lisl Hennig’s hotel.
Berlin gives an ideal Cold War setting, with flashbacks to the Occupation, and the Wall a solid reminder of the division between West and East which of course has such an impact on Samson’s domestic life. But also Berlin gives a context of survival. This is embodied in the damaged architecture all around, and expressed in the lives of characters such as Lisl Hennig and Willi Leuschner.
In London there are no comparable references to bomb damage or other wartime effects. Essentially London is about the present, and qualms about the future. Berlin is about continuity and survival.
Survival is a major preoccupation of spy thrillers. Deigthon’s continued use of the first person (well, in all the novels I’ve read so far) means of course that the narrator’s not going to get killed despite the shots and explosions, but everyone else’s fate seems uncertain. Perhaps not always in terms of life and death, but also in terms of career, marriage and so on. There’s enough action to keep you going, but also the intrigues and plotting engage the imagination.
Talking of action, this is handled well, with the right pace and immediacy. Whether it's eavesdropping on Soviet agents, finding a body, or a shoot-out, Deighton manages to evoke the scene well. Also he gives nicely-drawn characters whether in the main body of the narrative, or coming forward occasioannly to help develop situations.
Thankfully Deighton seems to be able to resist the final-chapter, or penultimate-chapter, twist where suddenly someone you thought trustworthy turns out to be treacherous. Instead everything gets sorted out in good time to allow the reader to enjoy the work’s climax. Of course not every question gets answered, and maybe this is to allow development in subsequent novels, but then not every question needs to be answered, nor does every situation need to be resolved. As Samson says towards the end, ‘It’s not game, set and match to anyone. It never is.’
A really enjoyable read, but I’m glad I read all three novels in one volume. The narrative flows so well I would have found it frustrating to have read it in stages.
May 24, 2024
game, set, match. this is an epic trilogy, written with lots of witticism and thus always enjoyable, even after multiple readings. the plot of this first of three trilogies is by far the best and i like it much better than the following ones for i am a big admirer of not so happy endings and (spoiler for the upcoming titles in this series) i am not a big fan of the reveal that samson’s wife has been a tripple agent all along, though admittedly the second trilogy is also expertly written and brought to a great ending.
this series is extremely entertaining, it’s captivating and yet one learns a lot about (e.g.) post-war and cold war berlin!
this series is extremely entertaining, it’s captivating and yet one learns a lot about (e.g.) post-war and cold war berlin!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2022
Len Deighton's novels are mostly brilliant and, inter alia, they inspired me to write Beyond Enkription, the first of six stand-alone fact based novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life.
I find it amusing that some critics have described me as "the posh Harry Palmer" in Beyond Enkription, the first of six stand-alone fact based spy novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life!
PS I am aware that Len Deighton did not refer to the protagonist in several of his novels including The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin as Harry Palmer.
I find it amusing that some critics have described me as "the posh Harry Palmer" in Beyond Enkription, the first of six stand-alone fact based spy novels in The Burlington Files series based on my life!
PS I am aware that Len Deighton did not refer to the protagonist in several of his novels including The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin as Harry Palmer.
December 5, 2023
This brief review is for the entire Bernard Samson canon. I originally picked up the Game, Set, Match trilogy when I was a young kid. It was probably a bit over my head, but I found that it seemed to be more about family relations than exciting spy derring-do. I returned to the series in 1996 just when Charity was released. Bond was always my favourite spy but the bleak reality of Fiona Samson's defection and return made me realize she was a far more realistic portrayal of a spy, no matter how unlikely her story may have been.
December 13, 2021
I loved this series when I first read it many years ago, and as I have just finished a re-read, I still love it. Deighton's command of character and location is enviable, but in particular his complex and subtle plotting - utterly convincing. I am in awe.
I'm now looking forward to re-reading the next trilogy.
I'm now looking forward to re-reading the next trilogy.
August 2, 2019
Both my parents recommended this book but I just couldn’t get into it. I think it somewhat assumes you have knowledge about the Berlin Wall and how things were set up and what was going on during that time and since I didn’t that made it tough to follow for me.
January 29, 2020
Recommend to anyone who likes spy novels.
Read
September 29, 2020Cold War espionage at its best
July 27, 2021
A little dry, a little slow. I liked this series enough to read them all.
November 21, 2022
This was a fantastic read.
July 20, 2023
Three amazing books from the master
October 10, 2024
Game, Set and Match by Len Deighton is a trilogy of the first three books featuring Bernard Samson. A fascinating and beautifully structured spy thriller that I enjoyed very much.
Want to read
May 9, 2025Synopsis: a collection of Deighton's three spy novels from the mid 1980s featuring Bernard Samson.
March 22, 2018
If you like spy/thrillers, you will like this one. 3 different books but connected thru the characters. A really good spy books based on the days of the cold war and Berlin and London at the center of the spies activities.
In my opinion a must read if you are into spies thrillers
In my opinion a must read if you are into spies thrillers
May 12, 2015
I have little to add to other reviews other than to mention that this trilogy was made into a TV series of thirteen one hour episodes.
Deighton was extremely displeased with the result, as I was, and it has had hardly if any reshows. Rumour has it that Deighton bought the rights.
It has never been officially released on DVD, although pirate copies of varying quality are available. I downloaded it free from the Internet.
It was a staggering disappointment.
Deighton was always good at describing his main characters, their appearance and clothing.
In one print of the individual books and in the combined book, there were on the rear cover some excellent illustrations of the main characters which were instantly recognisable from Deightons descriptions.
How the actors were chosen for the TV series is a mystery. It was only when their names were mentioned did I realise who they were supposed to be.
Bernard's wife who was acknowledged to be a great beauty, was depicted by a woman who whilst was not unattractive, was no great beauty. Likewise her sister, a sexy minx, was anything but.
Dicky's character looked nothing like his description, as neither did Werner.
As for Lisl, who was described as a huge overweight woman who had difficulty walking, she was played by a spindly female whose only resemblance was the heavy makeup she wore.
The rest of the cast, described in his books, fared little better.
As for the plot.
I know all of Deightons books well and I struggled to understand what on earth was going on for most of the time, and I don't think I would have been any better off if I hadn't read the books.
There were moments when TV matched a bit in the books, but for most of the time it seemed like a bunch of actors with the same names, using a script from an entirely different set of books.
Deighton was extremely displeased with the result, as I was, and it has had hardly if any reshows. Rumour has it that Deighton bought the rights.
It has never been officially released on DVD, although pirate copies of varying quality are available. I downloaded it free from the Internet.
It was a staggering disappointment.
Deighton was always good at describing his main characters, their appearance and clothing.
In one print of the individual books and in the combined book, there were on the rear cover some excellent illustrations of the main characters which were instantly recognisable from Deightons descriptions.
How the actors were chosen for the TV series is a mystery. It was only when their names were mentioned did I realise who they were supposed to be.
Bernard's wife who was acknowledged to be a great beauty, was depicted by a woman who whilst was not unattractive, was no great beauty. Likewise her sister, a sexy minx, was anything but.
Dicky's character looked nothing like his description, as neither did Werner.
As for Lisl, who was described as a huge overweight woman who had difficulty walking, she was played by a spindly female whose only resemblance was the heavy makeup she wore.
The rest of the cast, described in his books, fared little better.
As for the plot.
I know all of Deightons books well and I struggled to understand what on earth was going on for most of the time, and I don't think I would have been any better off if I hadn't read the books.
There were moments when TV matched a bit in the books, but for most of the time it seemed like a bunch of actors with the same names, using a script from an entirely different set of books.
March 3, 2023
Superbe trilogy. Every bit as intelligent and masterful as Le Carré. The protagonist, Samson, is charismatic, artful and flawed, as all good spies should be.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
September 18, 2014
Spoiler included...beware.
I first read this trilogy in 1996, checking them out from the library. I remembered just a tiny bit of it. Back then, I had previously read, and loved, Deighton's first novel, The IPCRESS File, which still has a special place in my heart.
Deighton has a unique, first-person style that I rather enjoy. His approach is quite different from, say, Clancy or Le Carre. Whereas the former is of course known as master of the "techno-thriller," and Le Carre's spy stories define the genre, Deighton is a little more simple, which makes his stories a little more real.
Bernard Samson is the hero. As I read, I sort of imagined a Benedict Cumberbatch-type Brit. Samson is not anti-hero...he's just a guy doing his job as best he can while dealing with office politics and, oh by the way (spoiler) a wife who defects.
By themselves, these three books would not be especially interesting. It's as a whole that it counts. Kinda like Lord of the Rings.
Looking forward to the "Hook Line and Sinker" trilogy, and then Faith, Hope, and Charity.
I first read this trilogy in 1996, checking them out from the library. I remembered just a tiny bit of it. Back then, I had previously read, and loved, Deighton's first novel, The IPCRESS File, which still has a special place in my heart.
Deighton has a unique, first-person style that I rather enjoy. His approach is quite different from, say, Clancy or Le Carre. Whereas the former is of course known as master of the "techno-thriller," and Le Carre's spy stories define the genre, Deighton is a little more simple, which makes his stories a little more real.
Bernard Samson is the hero. As I read, I sort of imagined a Benedict Cumberbatch-type Brit. Samson is not anti-hero...he's just a guy doing his job as best he can while dealing with office politics and, oh by the way (spoiler) a wife who defects.
By themselves, these three books would not be especially interesting. It's as a whole that it counts. Kinda like Lord of the Rings.
Looking forward to the "Hook Line and Sinker" trilogy, and then Faith, Hope, and Charity.
December 17, 2015
Having just finished reading the triology again for the first time in 15 years, knowing the spy plot well, and being older, I found a new and surprising layer of the story.
The women, in their simplicity and archetypes, are giving Deightons male characters personality away – and different unfulfilling father figures are lined up all way through the books to further explain Bernard’s inner conflicts.
London is keeping up appearances. Berlin is being who you really are. Fiona’s defection a mother’s betrayal. But whose mother really?
A very well written criticism of, and insight into, male behaviour, consequences of child neglect – and confusing sexual preferences …
Read it more than once!
The women, in their simplicity and archetypes, are giving Deightons male characters personality away – and different unfulfilling father figures are lined up all way through the books to further explain Bernard’s inner conflicts.
London is keeping up appearances. Berlin is being who you really are. Fiona’s defection a mother’s betrayal. But whose mother really?
A very well written criticism of, and insight into, male behaviour, consequences of child neglect – and confusing sexual preferences …
Read it more than once!
February 23, 2017
Based on three volumes: Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match. Some might prefer LeCarre, but Len Deighton really captured what the Cold War was all about, from ground zero in London and Berlin. I read this set during the 1980's when this war was all very real. There's plenty of action here, but most interesting to me were the bureaucratic shenanigans of various characters. The Ian Holm mini-series is a must watch for fans of this as well.
April 6, 2016
Bernard Samson is now one of my favorite characters. I really like his innate intelligence coupled with ordinary physicality. These stories really bring to light the ambiguity of trying to make strategy based upon scant evidence and possibly false evidence provided by your opponent. The contrast between the mundanity of Samson's home life and the tesion of his professional life makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read.
June 8, 2012
Truly Len Deighton's Magnum Opus a magnificent sprawling spy thriller...oozing realism and with the best character (Bernd Sampson) in fiction...
I re-read the whole series periodically and always find something new!
I re-read the whole series periodically and always find something new!
August 30, 2012
Revisiting this trilogy. I read lots of Deighton's books decades ago, but nothing for over 20 years. He's a better writer than I realized at the time - much more stylish prose than John Le Carre, for instance.
July 30, 2016
I reread this trilogy, and the next 2 trilogies every year. I 1st read this in the 90's, and it has stood the test of time. The characters are clever, the pace is good, the plot enjoyable. Bernard's everyday struggles are amusing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews