"Sharp,
witty and sour, like Raymond Chandler adapted to the British gloom and the multiple
betrayals of the private spy" - The Observer
I picked up this book as a beat up second hand copy, its pages fading to a great light coffee colour. The spine is beat and if it had any more wrinkles it would qualify for a pension. The quote on the back seemed to describe the book perfectly. The cover is simple but features a great illustration like you just don't see these days. This copy has obviously entertained many a reader.
Every new thriller these days promises a whizz-bang ride of a story and a fantastic sting in the tail. Every new thriller writer tries to invent their own flawed detective, dealing with their own demons and mysterious deaths; even better if they are on the trail of a twisted serial killer. Or something like that. With their fancy covers and designer quotes, the books gleam -promising everything but rarely delivering all the goods.
This book seemed to have a quiet confidence about it, as if it knew it was in a different class. Strange but true...
These books are often overlooked because they are set in the Cold War - a period that has been and gone, well overtaken by current events and seemingly irrelevant. Ever since reading The Day of the Jackal my opinion of these older books has changed and I was ready to give this a try.
The main character, Bernie Samson, is a middle aged, middle ranking official in the British secret service. He is pushed back into active service when one of their sources of information in East Berlin becomes convinced that he is about to be betrayed by a mole in the London office. Bernie is sent to calm his nerves.
Such a simple premise is possible because the book is totally driven forward
by character. Conversations are perfectly pitched. The characters have their
own individuality, mannerisms and moods. The importance of this cannot be overlooked.
We are not dealing with the bright young things that appear in today's thrillers.
We are dealing often with a group of old men who increasingly feel bitter because
they are no longer seen as relevant and are being sidelined. Cranky and set
in their ways, they have had to ensure suffering.
They also have to face their own mortality.
The biggest character of all though belongs to Berlin itself. A city that is unique in the world, it has been totally defined and divided by the actions of men. The East side is dismal and foreboding, hostile and menacing, but it's past glory and beauty still manages to resonate through. People there have adapted and they still have a pride in their home.
This book maintains the tension fantastically. You know what has to happen but you need to find out how ? and it doesn't let you down. You won't be disappointed.
And me? I'm starting to learn the benefit of reading old books that are largely ignored these days - I've just bought a second-hand copy of the sequel off the internet for a penny...
When Erich Stinnes
is spotted in Mexico City, Bernard and Dicky are sent to investigate. Their
job is to find him and "enrol him" -persuade him to
defect. Events in the first book shape everything that takes place in this second
part of the trilogy. Bernard is viewed with suspicion by the London office,
and only the successful completion of the job will help convince them. His loyalty
to the British secret service is put in serious doubt as elaborate games try
to make him look like a traitor.
The tone of this book is different to that of the first - there is less of the banter that lightened up the introductory chapter. The higher personal stakes means the dialogue is more determined and sober.
Setting the story in Mexico City is incredibly clever; the contrast with Berlin could not be any greater. Where Berlin is damp, cold, and determined by man's political desires, Mexico is ruled by the oppressive forces of nature - the harsh sun, high temperatures and pollution. Berlin is portrayed as very grey, whereas you are given the impression that Mexico is a bleached out yellow that permanently strains the eyes. Berlin is a police state; in Mexico the lawlessness runs wild. For Bernard, Berlin is very personal, whereas Mexico is detached and alien.
The story powers itself along, and although there are a couple of niggles,once it gets its claws in you, you can't escape. The pressure never lets up. The book is hugely solid all the way through, and the last hundred pages just do not stop - all accusations and an explosive ending - perhaps the best thriller writing I've read since The Day of the Jackal. High praise indeed.
The final part
of the Game, Set and Match trilogy, and I'm racing through this series like
nobody's business. It's strange how this trilogy has got me hooked - I've finished
the lot within the last six weeks or so - this last book in under a week. And
I got this one for a penny too...
Fears abound in the London office that there is a second mole, and the finger of blame is pointing in more than one direction. It's not doing departmental stability any favours at all.
The pace of this book is slower, after the full-on power of Mexico Set. The confusion of the characters, trying to figure out what is going on is passed directly to the reader, and it makes for a bit of a muddled middle section of the book. Just you're starting to wonder if this is going to be a disappointing end to the trilogy, the last hundred pages kick in again. All of a sudden everything falls into place, and you settle back to see how it all plays out - it works fantastically well. You are immersed into what is going on, more of a spectator than a reader. The quality of the writing really shines through - you are flung along with the characters as the situation suddenly overtakes them and the final showdown occurs. There are repercussions, fallout and casualties. Riveting stuff.
The whole trilogy is highly recommended. Even better - I've just discovered that the same characters feature in the next trilogy,"Hook, Line and Sinker". Even better than that? The first book in the series - Spy Hook - has just come through the door. More books for a penny? Oh yes...
My unexpected odyssey
into the world of the British Cold War intelligence community continues with
the first book in the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy. Again, Bernard, Werner,
Frank et al are let loose. I'm still not quite sure why I like the central characters
in these books so much, but they are still providing some of the best thriller
action around. And not all is as it seemed at the end of London Match.
The book is a god-send for fans of the Game, Set and Match trilogy - it fills in a lot of the history of the characters, especially going back to the Second World War. You start to appreciate the importance of some of the background characters. How much people would get out of it all if they haven't read the first trilogy is debatable, but who cares about them - that's their loss. Berlin also returns as the centre of the action, which enriches the book further.
The story is set three years on from GSM and revolves around the discovery that some money has gone missing from the London Central coffers. Bernard is sent on a trip to the US to follow some things up, and it is downhill all the way for him from that moment on. In the years between the trilogies he has become more weary and disillusioned. As events unfold, he becomes increasingly paranoid - something that the author manages to portray particularly well - and ignores all warnings about following up the investigations into the dodgy cash.
The series of revelations that pop up along the way keep the story moving, and as this is a relatively short book Deighton is not afraid to pull some punches early on. Although this book ties up the plot nicely by the end, this installment leaves the story open enough to lead into the second book in the set. By the end you are looking forward to the continuation of the story. Part of this comes from knowing that the story comes to a head in the next book. The secrets and plots yet to be played out have less that 400 pages to do so. The final book deals with all the events from an alternative point of view.
So I won't get distracted by writing about it all - I've got some serious reading to do...
The events (chronologically)
come to an end - we get to the end of the story. There is one more book written
from an opposing point of view, but we now know how it finishes. I won't say
a lot - I don't want to give the game away. We are back into Game, Set and Match
territory where the fix is in and you just watch it unfold. But this time there
are some nice surprises. This really does turn the whole story on its head.
It is a time of change for all the characters - the end of an era. Changes are occuring, older characters are reaching the end of their days and if the future is uncertain, then the past will never be the same. Bernard recognises this and there is a distinct feeling of melancholy before the set piece finale kicks off.
The story here continues apace, and although at some points you wonder where it is leading, once it starts it does not stop.
Overall, it's a fitting send off for characters that you know so well.
Now, this is
how a true thriller is done. By far the best of the books in this trilogy, this
book is nearly perfect. This is the story of Bernard's wife Fiona, the one character
that has the biggest impact, but the one that we know the least about.
This is no longer written in the first person - ie Bernard is not telling the story. This means that we see the events that featured in the GSM trilogy and the previous two books from a completely new perspective. We get to see aspects that Bernard was unaware of. We also discover that the impressions of some of the characters that we have been given are not entirely accurate. Fiona is not some hard nosed careerist that puts political belief above all else - she has her own personality and flaws.
And just as importantly, we see where the true power really lies...
The book starts in the late seventies and looks into the future and ways of manipulating the residents of Eastern Europe to voluntarily renounce socialism. This means that it is able to tie itself into the falling of the Berlin Wall - something that happened a little while before the book was published. As a result, the book is not seen as being made irrelevant by events of the day - instead, it is tying these fictional characters into current affairs (as they were) in the real world. And it works.
What's interesting is that tiny little events in past books turn out to have a lot more importance. Things that may have previously seemed irrelevant are given new meaning. There are a few surprises along the way.
Best of all, the book reveals the answers to the many questions that have been present through the course of the two trilogies. Most importantly, we discover the truth about events surrounding Bernard's father and how the events of the Second World War have shaped the lives of the many characters.
Deighton's writing jumps from the page -the quality of the conversations returns to that of Berlin Game, and his observations of the differences between men and women are often spot on. With previous books I have said that the last hundred pages or so keep you on the edge of your seats. Here, the whole book is a joy and no chapter goes by without revealing a little extra about past events and supplying a new angle. The story is truely complete, and you understand the full scope of the intelligence and attention to detail that make up the two trilogies.
It's worth reading the previous five books just to be able to round off the story in such style. I hope I've done enough to get you to read the books. It takes time to read six books, but not a second of that investment is wasted. It looks like some old fashioned thrills just can't be beaten...