The Good Spy

The Good Spy by John Griffiths is a different kind of Cold War thriller. It's about a Soviet agent named Klaus Becker who has lived as a "sleeper" in the West for the preceding 16 years. When Klaus, or Igor as his KGB handlers refer to him, is finally activated, guess what? He no longer has any interest in spying for the Soviet Union or anyone else. He's perfectly content with continuing to live life as his cover, a successful American computer software innovator. But that's not what makes this novel different. Most Cold War thrillers depict the various intelligence gathering agencies as being well oiled, highly disciplined organizations that ply their trade with finely honed efficiency and skill. Not so in The Good Spy. Here the KGB, the CIA and the FBI are all portrayed as being deeply flawed. All three have their share of operatives who exercise bad judgement, engage in intra and inter agency turf wars that put their respective missions in jeopardy and generally behave in an undisciplined manner. Igor's plan to extricate himself from the dark, dangerous world of espionage is opposed by all three of the aforementioned agencies. But because their methods are all so bumbling and ham-handed, Igor is able to defy the odds and fight back. This is a very interesting, well constructed, original take on Cold War spy fiction. A 4 star effort, well worth reading.