Books: The Ipcress File by Len Deighton (1962)

“After a transfer from military intelligence to WOOC(P), a small civilian intelligence agency reporting directly to the British Cabinet, the protagonist of the book, works under the command of a man named Dalby. An intelligence broker code-named "Jay" is suspected to be behind a series of kidnappings of British VIPs with the intention of selling them to the Soviets, and the protagonist is assigned to meet Jay to secure the release of "Raven", a high-ranking scientist. While trying to meet Jay at a Soho strip club to negotiate Raven's release, the protagonist discovers Raven's unconscious body in a back room but is unsuccessful in trying to rescue him. For our working class narrator, an apparent straightforward mission to find a missing biochemist becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy.”

Len Deighton’s 1962 debut novel was seen as different take on spies than what Ian Fleming and others were doing when these types of thrillers were captivating readers in the late 1950s, early 1960s. First off, the protagonist is never named, though there is a sequence in the novel when someone greets him by saying “Hello, Harry.” This causes him to think, "Now my name isn't Harry, but in this business it's hard to remember whether it ever had been.” Secondly, this man is just a normal British citizen, not born into any special family, nor suave like James Bond. In other words, your basic everyday neighbor.

Like a lot of hardcore science fiction of the era, this more serious Cold War spy novel does not feature a lot of action (writer Charles Stross pointed out in his Atrocity Achieve book that he lifted a lot of the books business themes from this and other Deighton titles, as he goes on about administrative procedures and being proper good people and villains). It’s a lot of talk, along with a deep dive of endless prose about British bureaucracy. While the plot does feature some travel, it’s not as globetrotting as James Bond would do, and while the stratagem to brainwash groups of people is based in some truth, the plausibility is stretched here.

Deighton wrote five novels featuring Harry who is not Harry (though the 1965 film version starring Michael Caine called the character Harry Palmer), but for a book praised as literary thriller, one that set the standard for this genre, The Ipcress File failed to grab me in any way and was a struggle to finish.

Books: The Man Who Died Twice By Richard Osman (2021)

“Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim—the Thursday Murder Club—are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village. But they are out of luck. An unexpected visitor—an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)—arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth 20 million pounds from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam. Then, as night follows day, the first body is found. But not the last. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are up against a ruthless murderer who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can our four friends catch the killer before the killer catches them?  And if they find the diamonds, too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?”

It’s very clear in the second Thursday Murder Club book how much author Richard Osman likes writing for Elizabeth and Joyce. And The Man Who Died Twice offers us some familiar territory, but adds so much more to the genre. And like really good mysteries, the murders and whodunit questions become secondary to the characters, all which remain charming and dangerous at the same time. Elizabeth’s dark background as a spy during the war gets expanded more here, and Osman makes it clear that her and her friends are more than capable of taking care of themselves.

So in many ways, this book is even better than the opener (which sometimes happens in series titles, because the world building needs to set; book two really gets the story going because there is no need to retread the basic set up). What makes this tale (and so far, the series) stand out is this is no cozy mystery the British have done so well for well over a century. The danger is serious, the criminals are horrible people. What makes it work additionally is that everyone is still rather British proper, especially the villainous Lomax who while threatening you with torture and death is also concerned that his well-kept gardens are enjoyed by many people – he’s very gentleman-like.

It’s a hoot of series and not to be missed. Book three and four will come along eventually…  

Books: Nicked By M.T. Anderson (2024)

“The year is 1087, and a pox is sweeping through the Italian city of Bari. When a lowly monk is visited by Saint Nicholas (yeah, that one) in his dreams, he interprets the vision as a call to serve the sick (“We must leave our nest”). With Europe overrun with domineering Norman knights, ne’er-do-well Italian princes and irritating Ottoman Turks scuttling unbridled over everything, his superiors, and the power brokers they serve, have different plans for the tender-hearted Brother Nicephorus.”

 As the Duke asks “How did your monk find the saint?”

“How…?”

 

“How was the Blessed Nicholas? In health? In comfort”

 

“Tell him, “ said the Archbishop.

 

The Abbot delivered his line: “He seemed – dissatisfied.”

 

“With?”

 

“His neighborhood.”

 

“And his request?”

 

The Abbot ventured, “To rescue him from where he lies entombed at Myra?” The Abbot waited to see if he answered correctly.

Enter Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for “liberating” holy relics from their tombs. The seven-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas are rumored to weep a mysterious liquid that can heal the sick, Tyun says. For the humble price of a small fortune, he will steal the bones and deliver them to Bari, curing the plague and restoring glory to the fallen city. And Nicephorus, the “dreamer,” will be his guide. Based on real historical accounts, Nicked is a swashbuckling saga, a medieval novel noir, and a meditation on the miraculous. Nicephorus is swept away on strange tides, and alongside even stranger bedfellows, to commit sacrilegious theft. 

In the afterword, Anderson says relic hunting and thievery was a burgeoning industry in Europe during the Middle Ages and Anderson uses the real-life Nicephorus’ detailed account of the 1087 Barese expedition for the basis of his first novel for adults. While Anderson uses a good amount of lush language of Medieval storytelling here, he explained that in the Middle Ages, any good story also involved a fair amount of fantasy, myth, surrealism, and a bit of futurism that helped create a roughly contemporary fictional world. 

This is enlightening, magical tale that will make you want to turn the pages with wondrous speed. It’s an opulent and totally genre-bending tale.