Moscow, 1961: An American arrives to handle the publication of his brother's memoirs. A notorious defector, might he still be playing deceiving tricks? A vivid portrait of the expatriate traitors' community, packed with action, woven around the brother's complex relationship, building to a dramatic climax which keeps you guessing until the end. I'm a bit Philby'd out and It might be heresy to say it, but I preferred this to the more verbose and elliptical Le Carré - perhaps that's a literary equivalent of treason.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 96 Spring 2020 ) |
