ABANDONED. Sleeper agent awakened; He receives a phone call that triggers his past as a sleeper agent. Suddenly, strangers are trying to kill him. Spoilers ahead.

[Thom]

I read the book circa 1988. The author was male and from the United Kingdom. I think he was a novelist and television writer. The plot was similar to the 1977 movie Telefon. In the novel, the protagonist is male. He receives a phone call that triggers his past as a sleeper agent. Suddenly, strangers are trying to kill him. It's a wonderful fish out water story with the protagonist attempting to figure out who's trying to kill him and why. He quickly realizes that he can trust no one to be who or what they appear. The book ends with his capture. His daughter comes to visit him, and then the reader is left to realize that she might not be who she says she is either. It was a very fast paced book, with short chapters and cliffhangers at the end of practically every one.

[Feliks]

Well. 'Telefon' of course, is the all-time classic of 'sleeper' agent tales. By Walter Wager. Maybe it was that? Another good one is 'Deep Cover' by Brian Garfield (author of 'Death Wish').

[Thom]

Feliks wrote: "Well. 'Telefon' of course, is the all-time classic of 'sleeper' agent tales. By Walter Wager. Maybe it was that? Another good one is 'Deep Cover' by Brian Garfield (author of 'Death Wish')."

Thanks for the suggestions, Feliks, but neither of those are the books. The one thing I remember clearly about the book is that author is from the UK, not an American author. I think he was youngish at the time, maybe late 30s or early 40s.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Standalone novel, or part of a series? Is this protagonist a recurring character?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

So we can rule these out because they are by American authors:
Cronus by William L. DeAndrea
There Are No Spies by Bill Granger

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

The Good Spy by John Griffiths? I can't see what his nationality is.

[Thom]

Standalone, not series. In fact, I believe that this might have even been the author's first novel. I was a reader, and his name was totally unknown to me when I read the book (late 1980s). This is why I recall his nationality. Because he was unknown, I read the author blurb on the dust jacket and recall that he was from the UK, young, and had written some teleplays.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Thom, are you still looking for this?

[Thom]

Unfortunately, yes!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

How about now?

[Thom]

Yes, sadly.

[Kris]

Thom, is the agent Russian? Is he living in the U.S. or Britain? What's the time period? How old is he? Who is his target? (Spoilers are okay - just give us a clear warning before revealing a spoiler.)

Reference: Telefon by Walter Wager

[Thom]

I can’t recall if the agent was Russian. I think he was. The protagonist actually couldn’t remember anything, as I recall. The story was set in England in the 1980s. The only thing I remember clearly is that the protagonist met a young woman who claimed to be his daughter, and the novel ended with him unsure if she was telling the truth or was another agent sent to kill him.

[SamSpayedPI]

Eye of the Needle perhaps? Not all of the plot points match, but it was about a sleeper agent in England, and written by a relatively unknown (at the time) author (Welsh).

It was the first novel published as Ken Follett, although I believe he had a few earlier releases under different pen names.

[Kris]

Have you looked at books similar to Telefon by Walter Wager on LibraryThing.com?

https://www.librarything.com/work/945974 > LibraryThing Recommendations

[Kris]

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

Thom (OP) was last active on the site in June 2020.