Decision at Delphi

Marvelous travelogue cum thriller cum romance. As puzzling a journey as Helen M. ever wrote, with recognizable and lovable (or hateful) characters. Warning! after the first 20 or 30 pages you can't put it down.

Decision at Delphi was the first novel by Helen MacInnes that I had ever read. Having visited some of the places that the book mentions(It occurs primarily in Athens, Greece)made it even more realistic. It was a great novel of intrigue where I found myself rooting for some characters, while warning others not to go there or do that(out loud). I got really involved in the book. I have read and re-read the book many times over the years and consider it one of my top 10 favorite books I've read in my lifetime. It's always a good read, that is, every 2-3 years when I read it again.

MacInnes was my favorite thriller novel writer, and this is one of her better (but not best) works. Set in the heart of the cold war, it has all the hallmarks of a MacInness book. An educated and intelligent (but not "intelligence") writer is visting Greece to research a book. But his usual photographer vanishes, so his publisher supplies him with another. The replacement turns out to be a beautiful woman, and the missing photographer (and friend) turns out to be associated with former Communist-supported anti-Nazi partisans. Things get confusing, and then they get dangerous. Is his friend still alive? Are the quickly-bonding pair in any danger? Who can they trust in a foreign land? Throw in some ancient ruins and some modern spies, and you have an exciting story. Watch for one of the Greek intelligence agents to make a return appearance in THE DOUBLE IMAGE.