Ratings2
Average rating4
The fourth of Deighton's “unnamed spy” novels, this is a far more subtle story than the sub-Bondian antics of the film adaptation.
Tasked with infiltrating the private espionage network of General Midwinter (creator of the eponymous Billion Dollar Brain), our protagonist falls in with Harvey Newbegin, one of Midwinter's men in a tale of cross and double-cross involving stolen viruses. The story moves from London to Helsinki, Leningrad, New York, San Antonio and back again. The erstwhile Colonel Stok from Funeral in Berlin also crops up.
At heart this is a tale of friendship and loyalty and what happens when orders from on high force you to betray that friendship. Excellent stuff.