The Infant of Prague: A November Man Novel

This book is for readers who have followed The November Man for at least the previous 3 novels. If you are thinking of reading a November Man novel for the first time, don't start with this one. Go back to "Schism" and start from there. That being said, this is probably the most complex and convoluted November Man novel. R Section agent Deveroux/November is given the seemingly simple assignment of helping in the defection of a Czechslovokian gossip gatherer on a train in Brussels. Everything goes wrong and Deveroux is captured. Meanwhile, a Czech child film star is in Chicago and is profoundly affected by the apparent miracle of a statue called The Infant Of Prague that has begun to shed tears at a Catholic church in Chicago. The girl decides to defect during an interview on television and becomes a lightning rod for various underworld characters, evil television executives, CIA, the Czech Secret Police,and other nefarious characters. Deveroux manages to escape from the clutches of the evil Colonel Ready only to be coerced once again to do someone elses bidding while his girlfriend, Rita Macklin, is held hostage by the Czech Secret Police. There are so many plot twists and different do-badders involved that it would take 20,000 words to cover it all. To sum it all up, the book ends with the inevitable but somewhat underwhelming final confrontation between Deveroux and Colonel Ready. As a previous reviewer stated, this is somewhat anti-climactic but vital for the reader to know how this turns out. This one is not the best in the November Man series but still a worthy entry nonetheless.

In the majestic silence of Chartres cathedral, Deverauz - code name November Man - recieves his assignment: help Czechoslovakia's cultural liaison cross over to the West. A hard enough hob, even without the added complication of an act of God. For in a humble Chicago parich church, the sacred statue of the Infant of Prague is found weeping real tears. A visiting Czech chold star actress, transfigured by the wondrous event, declares, on live television, her intent to remain in America in the name of Christ and freedom. Only an operative as cynical and seasoned as the November Man can sense the sinister link between two dramatic, yet apparently unrelated defections. And it will take a miracle to get him throught it alive.

Granger begins this novel by introducing an eccentric Englishman who has been hanging around the Cathedral of Chartres for over 30 years. In that time he has become an expert on every aspect of the cathedral and, on his own volition, conducts English Language tours of the cathedral. No one knows where he came from or what motivates him. Pretty intriguing, huh? The only problem is that after this setup he disappears from the book. Unless I'm missing some very obscure connection, he has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I can only surmise that, in Granger's original concept, the eccentric Englishman did play a part but, as the plot evolved in a different direction, he became extraneous but was somehow left in the book. It is not unheard of for a plot to veer off in a different direction as a book or play is being written. Even understanding how this can happen, I still found this plot abberation to be distracting.This said, I did enjoy the book. Granger's novels make good use of persona that we already know from previous novels. Our protagonist, Devereaux, also known as The November Man, is some one we've met in previous novels. There's no problem, however, if you haven't read other Granger novels. Each stands alone just fine.Devereaux, officially dead, and therefore non-existent, is an agent for the equally non-existent Section R. His would be nemesis, Colonel Ready, is, in all respects a cunning and ruthless foe, who is more than up to the task. Ready is obsessed with seeking revenge against against Devereaux for an incident in a previous novel (explained fully in this novel).Devereaux is only called upon to perform difficult missions for which he is particularly suited. It, therefore, seems strange to him when he is asked to to escort a defector out of a neutral country under seemingly simple circumstances. He's right, too. He has been set up by Ready and the simple task nearly costs him his life. As it is, he is caught up in the middle of two defections; the one he was handling, and a second which involves a 14 year old Czechoslovakian actress who. while on tour in America, sees a television newscast about a religious miracle involving a weeping statue of the infant of Prague. This "miracle" has occurred in a small church in Chicago. She believes this to be a sign to her and she decides to defect.The two seemingly independent defections are somehow connected in a way that Devereaux finally figures out. He is placed in a position where he must return the young actress to the Czechs or the life of the woman he loves will be forfeited. I think that one should read the book to find out how this is resolved. There is a final showdown between Devereaux and Ready that feels a little anticlimactic but couldn't be left out or the book would seem unfinished. Again, I think that you should read the book to understand this ending.I liked the fact that Devereaux is no superman capable of