Lie Down with Lions

This is a spy novel written at the height of the Cold War. When this novel was written, I never thought that world communism would die in my lifetime, but here we are. This novel was written at a time when the world truly stood at the nuclear abyss, and it is no less relevant as a consequence of the less defined times in which we live. The story is very straightforward. The Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan, and the US Central Intelligence Agency sends its most storied field agent to that country to aid the resistance against the Russian invasion. This is a moving story of love and espionage. Agent Raleigh Ellis is unforgettable, and his lost love is the nexus of this very excellent novel. Highly recommended.

About 20 years ago in Paris, a CIA agent from America called John Ellis is undercover and living with an Englishwoman named Jane Lambert. At first it was just so he could fit in more, but after a while they started to fall in love. He wanted to propose to her, but decided to wait until after his "assignment" was over. There's another man named Jean-Pierre who is also in love with Jane. Jean-Pierre is a doctor who has decided to leave and go to Afghanistan to help out all the sick people. Since he will be gone for two years, he asked Jane to come along. At first she refused, but after she learned that Ellis was a spy she went. She loved all the village people and stayed in a small town in The Valley of Five Lions. She grew close to everyone, but more close to Jean-Pierre. They married and she had a baby, and she never once questioned her marriage until one day Ellis showed up. Then she learned of Jean-Pierre's secret... I absolutely loved this book because of the love and the action. I never guessed what would happen and the ending was almost perfect.

Lie Down with Lions contains an excellent plot, employing an array of techniques that keeps the readers interest right from the start. From the beginning, the book is filled with scenes of passion, deceit, treachery, and action. These characteristics are all coupled together making for a page turner from start to finish. The author keeps the readers interest through the first few chapters by detailing the end of the relationship between Jane and Ellis. Their relationship comes to a climatic end, which is a story in itself, but it gets better. After Jane weds the clear antagonist (Jean-Pierre) and the couple embarks on a volunteer mission to Afghanistan, Ellis heads to Afghanistan on a covert operation for the CIA. Soon Jane discovers Jean-Pierre is working for the KGB pitting them against each other, and Jane finds herself on Ellis's side working against her husband, this is where the book really takes off. The Cold War rivals are in a fight for Jane's heart, Afghanistan, and world supremacy. Follett takes the reader all over Afghanistan giving accurate descriptions of the people and landscape. A great read, Follett will put you in a trance.

If you like excitment and action you will love this book. Believable characters lead into a plot of mystery and action in a stark landscape. Betrayal, love, and survival pit a young woman aganist harsh realities and difficult choices. Yet, the heroes retain their humanity. It's a good story.

I don't recall having read any book in which the characters were better developed. It almost gave the reader a feeling of being there and feeling every emotion for himself. A great read!