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I almost gave up on this espionage tale early on. Some literary affectations — a protagonist identified only as “D.” who serves as a confidential agent for some unidentified European country embroiled in civil war — put me off. But the opening chapter thrust us right into a mysterious situation, and I found myself drawn into D.’s mission and his sense of war-weariness and paranoia.
The mission is a relatively simple one, but very dangerous for D. Not knowing who he can trust, and victim to some ...more
The mission is a relatively simple one, but very dangerous for D. Not knowing who he can trust, and victim to some ...more

A Fantastic noir thriller from Greene. The story features a 'Confidential Agent' named D. of a war-torn European country, hinted as Spain due to the timing of its publication, his purpose is to buy coal from England before the rebels do the same to power the tanks in his war.
From the beginnings in a perpetually foggy Dover through to its climax on the south coast, Greene never drops the relentless pace and still manages to drop in his usual hallmarks.
I thought I had read all of Greene's best w ...more
From the beginnings in a perpetually foggy Dover through to its climax on the south coast, Greene never drops the relentless pace and still manages to drop in his usual hallmarks.
I thought I had read all of Greene's best w ...more

I am a big fan of the espionage genre, so of course I had to check out Greene. I'm not impressed. I just can't get into any of his books.
...more

Oct 27, 2010
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Elli
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Mar 20, 2018
Greg
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review of another edition
Shelves:
british-authors,
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Nov 25, 2019
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Jul 12, 2025
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