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I Spy: The Secret LIfe of a Secret Agent
Who was Major Kavan Elliott, womaniser, wartime saboteur, rogue and peacetime spy Behind an ostensibly respectable business cover his nomadic life entangled him in a web of deception, beautiful women, Communist double agents and interrogation at the hands of the Gestapo and the Hungarian secret police. This is the extraordinary, authentic story of the quest undertaken by Kavan Elliott's son - the author, Geoffrey Elliott - for the truth about his remarkable father. His search takes him from the torture chambers of Budapest to the classified archives of the British Secret Intelligence Service and reveals an astonishing tale of espionage, betrayal, romance and double-dealing, a trail that led from suburban Croydon to Tsarist Siberia.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 9, 2015
For the sheer quality of its writing, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is one of the best books—maybe THE best—I've ever read.
It doesn't hurt, of course, that I write espionage thrillers, so there's a sense in which I'm bound to favour a book of this genre. And, to be totally honest, the amazingly immersive writing style threw me a curve ball to start with. But, once I'd become used to Geoffrey Elliott's metaphor-laden form and long sentence structure I found it absolutely addictive.
Elliott Junior, the writer, follows a trail of breadcrumbs to learn about a father he only vaguely knew from the briefest visits between covert missions. Kavan Elliott was an espionage agent, a hero, a legend and a dead-beat dad all rolled into one, fulfilling an almost unknown but very important role in the Second World War and the period immediately preceding. His existence was far from perfect, but immensely interesting. The book documents Kavan's life and exploits, and all the circumstances—from personal to global—that surrounded them in great detail and with picturesque narrative that draws the reader in and keeps the pages passing from right to left.
I mostly read in the evenings, but 'I Spy' made me want to read all day. This is a great book and one I will doubtless be devouring again soon - and it's not very often I say that. Unhesitatingly five stars and a big smile on this reader's face. Material of the caliber of 'I Spy' is why I read.
It doesn't hurt, of course, that I write espionage thrillers, so there's a sense in which I'm bound to favour a book of this genre. And, to be totally honest, the amazingly immersive writing style threw me a curve ball to start with. But, once I'd become used to Geoffrey Elliott's metaphor-laden form and long sentence structure I found it absolutely addictive.
Elliott Junior, the writer, follows a trail of breadcrumbs to learn about a father he only vaguely knew from the briefest visits between covert missions. Kavan Elliott was an espionage agent, a hero, a legend and a dead-beat dad all rolled into one, fulfilling an almost unknown but very important role in the Second World War and the period immediately preceding. His existence was far from perfect, but immensely interesting. The book documents Kavan's life and exploits, and all the circumstances—from personal to global—that surrounded them in great detail and with picturesque narrative that draws the reader in and keeps the pages passing from right to left.
I mostly read in the evenings, but 'I Spy' made me want to read all day. This is a great book and one I will doubtless be devouring again soon - and it's not very often I say that. Unhesitatingly five stars and a big smile on this reader's face. Material of the caliber of 'I Spy' is why I read.
February 1, 2013
Fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews