Spy Line

I've always enjoyed spy stories, but I don't read all that many of them. As a result, when I run across one by a familiar author, I buy it and don't pay attention to chronology. Spy Line is the 5th in Deighton's Bernard Samson series. I'm pretty sure I read the 4th book, but have no clue about the others. British secret agent Bernard Samson's life has just become even more dangerous and confusing. Apparently, Spy Line picks up where Spy Hook leaves off, with Bernard on the run in Berlin, suspected of being a double agent. He starts putting information together from the bits and pieces he learns from various sources, and makes his way home to his girlfriend and children. Then he discovers it was all a setup, and that it has to do with his wife Fiona, who'd defected to the Soviet Union years earlier. Spy Line has a nice balance of exciting spy adventure and emotional turmoil. I particularly enjoyed Bernard's mixed emotions regarding Fiona. Len Deighton's writing isn't quite as obscure as John LeCarre's, but it's not all that straightforward, either. I'm not sure if I think that having to read between the lines a bit fits the subject matter, or if it's just that I'm used to reading spy novels by these two. Still, I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it had been written in a clearer style. One of these days, I need to make myself a checklist and read these books in order so I get more out of them.

I have read all the Spy series books by Deighton. This is one of the best. Out of nowhere the plot backed by solid prose builds to a suspenseful crescendo. I was impelled to order the next in the series after reading this one by the suspenseful cliffhanger storyline.

Another great read if you havent read the previous 4 run out and get them.

It?s just another day in the espionage war in a divided Europe. The wall hasn?t come down, and it?s an unending game of ?Spy v. Spy? on both sides. At the outset of ?Spyline? British agent Bernard Samson is in hiding in a dingy section of the divided and espionage-ridden city of Berlin. Why he?s in exile isn?t exactly clear to him, even as he does have some friends, or at least some human resources on which he can rely. He feels it may have something to do with his wife, Fiona, who disappeared after going over to the Russians. Allowed to return home to his new wife, Gloria, Samson thinks his problems are behind him. Instead, he soon realizes that something is brewing, something that will send him back across the wall, to tangle with a psychotic American who kills for any side that will hire him, and to finally confront his wife.It?s clear that ?Spy Line? is an entry in a larger series, one that began with ?Spy Hook? (which it immediately followed) and culminated in ?Spy Sinker? ? the complex relationships and their continuity are obviously much larger than any single book. (The ?Spy? books themselves are also part of a much larger continuity ? one including the trilogies of Game-Set-Match, as well as ?Charity?, ?Hope? and ?Faith?, as well as the WWII epic ?Winter?). ?Line? is also dwarfed by its shortness (for the quality of its writing, it?s not a long read; also the plot covers a brief span of time) and by the loose ends it creates (Fiona?s sister insists on accompanying Bernard into The East ? with disastrous results; and how will Bernard explain everything to Gloria?) without resolving them. Deighton is less concerned with resolving problems than in artfully describing the pain they cause. Unfortunately, that makes the book seem painfully unstructured ? like an episode of a TV show. ?Line? like most of Deighton?s books, is worth reading for the quality of prose alone. However, the plot details ? which take Bernard from Berlin to London, and to Vienna, meeting stamp collectors, historians, ex-spies and freelance murderers ? seems above the book, implying that you?ll have to read all the Samson books. It?s almost like a prison sentence, and clearly one that has taken its toll on poor Samson. In short ? a good book, but only great book if you?re willing to read a dozen more.

This tale of espionage takes readers on a exciting roller-coaster ride through Europe...Bernard Samson, British Intelligence, is being accused of treason goes into hiding. However, his agency keeps a very keen eye on him. He is roped back into the spy game, and danger and mystery fill his new world.