The Orion Team. discussion
CONVENTIONS OF SPYING
>
Whack A Mole: How to conceal double agents in an effective manner.
date
newest »
newest »
To three:
Yet again it is the debut novel of Mr. Patten, which first comes to my mind.
The very last betrayal the protagonist has to suffer, is quite a personal one. Due to carefully planted hints from the author, I had a creeping suspicion who the mole would be from early on in the book but was then thrown off again , only to find those suspicions supposedly confirmed later. But then when I already cheered in anticipation of the traitor receiving his devil's share for betraying the family of his brother-in-law, getting his beloved sister and niece killed in the process, things took a hard turn. Just after the protagonist, who was accompanied by a friend helping him, took the shot that presumably killed the traitor, he reveals his knowledge about his accompanying friend being the traitor all along, which took me completely by surprise.
So the author made the reader believe he would go for the nice guy reveal, which he actually did in the end, just not the one the reader expected.
In his second novel “Primed Charge”, the author uses a 5th method, on which I will elaborate once the novel is released later this month.
Mod
Yet again it is the debut novel of Mr. Patten, which first comes to my mind.
The very last betrayal the protagonist has to suffer, is q..."
Oh yes. Mr Patten did use background masking quite well, with a little bit of the false positive method thrown in for good measure. Do tell us about method no. 5 when the sequel is officially released. I'm sure we'll all love to hear it.
Mod
5) Flock of wolves:
This is basically the spy fiction version of Agatha Christie's "Orient Express" trope. Say you have an organization/department which seems to be running into problems and attracts suspicious attention. Someone is sent in to investigate. What he finds is horrifying. Everyone in the organization is a double agent for (insert hostile geopolitical actor) and has been betraying and murdering loyal operatives and assets from the start.
A real life example of this is the XX Committee project run by the SOE and SIS. They successfully liquidated unwilling Nazi double agents and cultivated those who took their job offer of sending misinformation to Hitler and Co, creating a rare heroic example of a flock of wolves. At the end of the war, it turned out that not a single spy the Nazi's sent to England had remained unscathed by the XX committee.
A fictional example which was taken to breaking point would have to be the spy/political/super hero thriller (yes it is in fact all of those things) The Winter Soldier and the infamous twist that the opposition have consolidated themselves in the organization which the main characters work for, having substantial control over its operational capabilities.
Mod
5) Flock of wolves:
This is basically the spy fiction version of Agatha Christie's "Orient Express" trope. Say you have an organization/department which seems..."
As you can see, this particular technique is a doubled edged sword. It could used well or become the punchline of a bad joke.
While rare, how about what I would call 'The Rotten Head' technique: someone either at the head of your organisation or in an important, high-level post works for the enemy, sending his or her agents to their deaths on missions that are in reality traps. One notorious historical example: Kim Philby, of the British SIS, who caused the death of countless British agents and double agents sent by him to Communist Eastern Europe and the USSR.
Mod
Ah yes, "the mole in charge". A very high reliability rate, especially if you make that individual sympathetic, supportive and reasonable to throw off the scent. Kim was one of the better ones (at treason) infamously destroying the Albanian anti-communist uprising project run by the SIS and CIA. The bodycount on his hands according to sources in in the 200+ range. It's a relief that he never got the directorship of the SIS, who knows what havoc he would have caused.
Mod
Mod
speaking of which, would it be true to say that 9 times out of 10, most readers would not suspect significant authority figures as double agents?
Mod
Mod
Speaking of Harold, Michel, here is the man himself giving a freaking guest lecture at the Stasi academy.
Contrary to the image of him being a broken man during his time in the Eastern Bloc, it seems that even when he was a few years away from "meeting Marx", he was chuffed about what he did and even gloating, particularly about the few hundred Albanians he managed to kill with a few well placed words.
All I can say about this is that there's a very useful four letter word to describe him, and he's full of it. Despite that it's interesting to see him talking shop, a man who outwitted the greats of his day like one of the CIA founding fathers Jesse James Angleton.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35943428
Mod
Watching it again. One can simply taste the smugness in every syllable. To be fair, he had every reason to gloat......the man got away.
Mod
Mod
Love to hear your opinions on the matter.
I like to be surprised. If an author can't pull off an effective surprise then at least don't tell the protagonist and try to build tension.
Mod
I'd concur with that somewhat. Being ahead of the character in terms of information on the plot is somewhat less fun. No element of mystery. Whatever potential tension would come from wondering how long or what will cause the enemy asset to get terminated.
Difficult to pull off without tipping off the reader if the mole is a major character and to all appearances a good guy/girl.Writing for a character in first person perspective would be very hard, writing every main character BUT the mole in first person is equally hard.
Topping up readers impression that the character is on the side of the angels is about the only way I can think of to ensure that surprise.
Now, since "Primed Charge" is officially out, here comes another type of mole.I would call him "the fence player". Imagine an individual hell bent on destroying an enemy. But what do you do if the enemy has superior clout and resources than you? Well for an old spy master named Jerry, the solution is quite simple: Play both sides of the fence, make some amendments to the devil and even sell some of your own people out to let the enemy think you are bowing to him. But secretly you play the long game and infiltrate his organization, sacrificing some of the people who are closest to you along the way!
Mod
Therein lies the fun of reinvigorating the old spy novel. Take Cold War spooks and throw them into a new world to see how they falter--or thrive.
Mod
Mod
Sounds ominous ;)
Samuel: I Don't want to give it away here, as it is one of the greatest twists of the book IMO. But as a further apetizer, let me say, that Prescott Draeger is heavily involved...If you don't care for spoilers, I'm happy to tell you more, via pm. Otherwise I recommend to read the book asap. ;)
Mod
If you don't car..."
Slowly reading the book. Have to say Prescott really has done a swan dive off the edge of madness since I last saw him.......
Samuel wrote: "Bodo wrote: "Samuel: I Don't want to give it away here, as it is one of the greatest twists of the book IMO. But as a further apetizer, let me say, that Prescott Draeger is heavily involved...If ..."
But he still has plenty of brilliant madness and cunning left in him...;)
Mod
You got that right! Up to a bit where he contemptuously snarks and mocks Mr PASSPORT, a non-state actor in control of large sums of money and legions of killers who collectively could turn Prescott into red mist. Basically spelling out that he considered himself above what the job offer entailed was the icing on the cake.
Of course PASSPORT does get him back, but I'm sure Draeger being the wild card he is will think of something spectacularly homicidal to break the chains
Samuel wrote: "Bodo wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Bodo wrote: "Samuel: I Don't want to give it away here, as it is one of the greatest twists of the book IMO. But as a further apetizer, let me say, that Prescott Draeger..."You can bet he will... ;)
Mod
Shessh. Continuing to go through the book and traitors are popping up like moles. Many examples of the well intentioned cover variants you cited Bodo. the device works.
Mod
There's this employee of the Russian FSB. She's tired about all the human rights abuses and crimes her service has committed and resolves to do something about it. So she makes contact with a Chechen who has built a terrorist group with a narrow focus and ideology. Namely the destruction of Russia's intelligence community and its leading spymasters brought to justice for their misdeeds. She offers to be an asset and provide them with the intel they need to run rings around the inevitable FSB investigations and reprisals.
However, at the same time, she wants the directorship of the FSB for herself, believing that the post would give her the power to make reforms, and thus intends to betray her erstwhile partner in crime at the right moment.....
Ah you're referring to this one. I think the twist worked really well. It was on the brink of getting too convoluted, but the author pulled it of in style.
Mod
Ah you're referring to this one. I think the twist worked really well. It was on the brink of getting too convoluted, but the author pulled it of in style."
Yeah. The op she was a part of was highly delicate and did reach nearly dangerous convoluted levels. All came down to taking advantage of the FSB procedures, the right snipets of intel and gambling on human nature, namely the hubris of the targets to trap themselves in kill zones chosen by the group.
She was a blend of type 1 and 3. Not overly chummy with the main character, but acted as his only ally and tried to go to bat for him in the arguments over the investigation. Although all so she could lead him into a situation where he would become her personal fall guy. And I consider her the most realistic aspect of the "threat" of the novel. The ultimate inside woman beyond suspicion. Guns are good and all, but when you know where they're about to be aimed, it's an easy matter of making the bullets miss you.
Mod
Reading another book (Which I will be reviewing with Primed Charge soon) The author has always had a gift at creating Ludlum levels of paranoia but here he's applying it to hiding some bad eggs. So many members of the cast are either unpleasant, resentful or easy to manipulate that I can't possibly estimate where the backstabbing is going to begin.
Mod
Mod
Interesting new tactic appeared in this book which I'm reading.
Do not feature the mole in person until he makes an appearance. Just mention him offhand early on to create a false sense of security.
The Orion Team.
Books mentioned in this topic
Tokyo Black (other topics)Betrayal (other topics)
Betrayal (other topics)
Safe Havens: Primed Charge (other topics)
Safe Havens: Shadow Masters (other topics)
More...
The mole or double agent is a pillar in the spy fiction genre, and (obviously) real life espionage Whether it's the real life traitors such as Philby, Pollard or Hansen, or fictional creations such as William Haydon, Hugo Drax or Nina Myers, nothing like a no good, dirty rotten scoundrel who is selling the home team down the river to the opposition will spice up a story and add tension more effectively than a character getting killed by a unfortunate run-in with a I.E.D.
Now, the problem is trying to conceal the traitor in a somewhat effective manner so the reader does not lock onto who is the rat. This has become increasingly difficult in recent years due to some of the methods of concealment becoming well known, chief among which are the following:
1) "The nice chap". He's the guy the hero takes a liking to and is always there for the main character, selflessly going the extra mile in providing assistance, defending the main character from criticism by the top brass and other acts of kindness. You think the best of this fellow and hope he and the main character will survive whatever global Armageddon plot they're trying to destroy. Which usually makes it all the more painful when the hero finds that the person he thought he could rely on is sticking the tip of a suppressed handgun into the back of his skull.
2) "the unpleasant shield." Say there's an unpleasant fellow who is always on the main character's case, seems to be power hungry and is zealous to a fault. From the moment the story begins, we're supposed to hate this guy and believe the worst of him. As the story continues, his actions become more extreme and before we peg him to be the traitor, he gets permanently taken out of play just as we learn he was loyal to the home team all along.
This method is usually combined with (1).
3) "Background masking". The most effective method but one which takes a fine touch to pull off. Say you have a character, not particularly nice, and not particularly unpleasant. He's the cog in the machine, a gray blur, but one which is required to keep the whole operation from falling apart. This person does not display any out of the ordinary behavior but, there's a running thread of some kind which gives him away. The most common of which is him having some sort of access to all the ops being run, such as being required in the planning stage or signing off on them.
4) "The False Positive". Say you have a character who became one of the top suspects for being a double agent. They've been interrogated and put through the grinder in trying to loosen their tongue while they protest their innocence. After awhile, they either manage to convince the investigators that they are in fact innocent or some circumstances cause them to be cleared of betrayal. Soon after, at the wrong moment, they reveal their true colors and things take a turn for the worst.
These are just a few of the methods which have been used. So a few questions for the thread.
1) Are there any other techniques you've seen spy/geopolitical thriller novelists use to hide their fictional double agents?
2) What would you propose as the most reliable technique in concealing a fictional double agent in a story involving one? One of the methods that I have stated or something else or a hybrid method combining elements of each?
3) What books have you seen which have managed to blindside you with a fictional double agent who has been masterful with their treachery up to the climax? (I could make an unofficial reading list! ;) )
4) What would be the laziest and a failed example at concealment of a fictional double agent that you have seen in a spy thriller?
I probably may have more questions and as always I would love to hear your thoughts on this aspect of a important trope and convention of spy/military fiction.