Agent in Place

I began reading Helen MacInnes' books when I was a teenager. Now that I have grandchildren in that age bracket, her books are still among the best. The topics are well researched; the characters believable; locales graphically presented; the story line ties up neatly and securely on all points. For anyone for enjoys spy thrillers - no matter what the era - Helen MacInnes is more than a good read. She is a must. First reads should be "Decision at Delphi", "While Still We Live", "The Double Image".

This is an unusual MacInnes book. For one thing, there is no romance plot. Also, there is no real central character. And the setting shifts dramatically partway through the book. It was strongly influenced by Watergate, the (one-sided?) rush towards detent, and probably most directly, the "Pentagon Papers." It starts out from the point of view of a Soviet deep mole, now a Congressional aide in Washington DC. He is instructed to procure a certain document. The man who procures the document is loyal to the US, but thinks the least sensitive part should be published openly. So he leaks it to the press, but he has no idea that his friend is a Soviet spy. He leaves the spy alone with the document for a short time, and the damage is done. Then the focus shifts to the the brother and sister-in-law of the dupe who released the document. The action also shifts to Europe, where a high ranking western spy (who had to flee Russia when the document revealed his identity) is being debriefed and protected. But the Soviet agent turns up again, and so does the brother who exposed the document. And why is the escaped agent behaving so strangely? Is he who he seems? The action intensifies as secrets become dangerous and lies become weapons.