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What Members Thought
It is a somewhat morosely-told tale. Reads almost like a dreary English mystery set in the Cotswolds. There is a lot of bleak weather and dour, phlegmatic, stale Englishness in this light little work.
The pleasure in reading Deighton is the nimbleness of his prose; the occasional tiny flash of insight or cultural commentary. He will poke gentle fun at a crass new 'plastic thatched' farmhouse roof, or the way the wealthy serve sherry, or housing projects, or vegetarianism, or any number of other ...more
The pleasure in reading Deighton is the nimbleness of his prose; the occasional tiny flash of insight or cultural commentary. He will poke gentle fun at a crass new 'plastic thatched' farmhouse roof, or the way the wealthy serve sherry, or housing projects, or vegetarianism, or any number of other ...more
I read Spy Story after An Expensive Place to Die and much prefer this labyrinthine intrigue with a typical jaded Harry Palmer proving he's smarter than the average retired intel officer . . . until he's unretired and needs to display some martial prowess, his wargaming expertise, his trans-Atlantic diplomatic skills and figure out what in the hell is going on in this le Carré-like thriller. I thought I had it all worked out until the last pages. It's such a good story, I suspect there's a kernel
...more
Crisp, dense plot with an unflappable hero. Just how I like my spy thrillers! :)
Jan 05, 2012
BookishLinda (Lateniteknitter)
marked it as to-read
Oct 02, 2012
Scott E
marked it as to-read
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