“Bernard Samson is under suspicion because his wife Fiona, a spy like her husband, defected to the Soviets, leaving the London Central people suspicious of his own intentions. It seems that Samson is on the run not only from the KGB but his own people. Now on the shadowy East-West battlefield of Mexico City. British intelligence agent Bernard Samson must entice his opposite number, a disaffected KGB major, to take the final, dramatic step -- and defect. But the price of one Russian's freedom must be paid in blood -- blood that Samson unexpectedly and incriminatingly finds on his own hands. On every side, he becomes dangerously enmeshed in an intricate web of suspicion and hatred. Yet how can he fight when he doesn't know where to find his most determined enemies -- or even who they are?”
This is the middle book in a trilogy and very much feels like it. Well worth the read, even if a bit talky. There's something irresistible about such a low-key approach to spy fiction, but it feels grounded in more a reality than other works of this genre. Again, it’s not fast paced as Le Carre, but that does not mean Deighton is less talented or lesser writer. The two authors simply work in different styles, as one might expect of two separate talents. Deighton does not need to imitate Le Carre to produce works of equal stature in this genre. The gist of this novel is fallout from Bernard’s wife defection. The reveal of a mole within in MI6 has drawn a dark curtain over Bernard, as some with the British Intelligence (probably rightfully so) Fiona was an enemy agent, if only because they were married for so long. On his latest mission, Bernard can’t help but feel he’s being set up. His bosses send him Mexico City is as much a test of his loyalties as it is a test of his abilities to get Erich Stinnes, a KGB spy to defect. And Bernard will have to keep on his toes to avoid getting the blame if all goes wrong.
As I noted, this is an enjoyable novel that surprisingly gives plenty of room for the domestic drama/comedy of a secret agent suddenly forced into single-parenthood (imagine James Bond raising two kids all on his own). But he still has his best friend from Berlin, Werner, at his side, and he starts to unravel the plot against him just as the clock nears midnight on his ability to stay at his job.
Bernard Samson isn't a sleek super-spy; there are not a lot of action set pieces and I still feel the character remains a somewhat unreliable narrator here –and for someone who so clever misses a few things that should’ve been red flags. In the end, it’s spy fiction with some very good grounding in the humdrum real world, and very entertaining.
