ABOVE SUSPICION. [Paperback]

HELEN. MACINNES (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: P/B (1972)
• ASIN: B000RSRF8A
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nazi spy thriller, April 19, 2005

By 

Mike Garrison (Covington, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Above Suspicion (Hardcover)

This was MacInnes's first thriller (and first published novel as far as I know). It was written during WW2, but it is about a spy adventure the summer prior to the invasion of Poland. A husband and wife team get recruited to check out a spy chain that has become suspect. At first things seem to be going well, but then they get identified by the Nazis and must flee for their lives.

Along the way they meet an American journalist and a British student, each of whom has their own reasons for wanting to strike a blow against the Nazis.

Many of the elements used in the story are typical of MacInnes's later, more polished, work. However, the story is more of an action-thriller than the romantic character-based thriller novels that MacInnes eventually became so good at writing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A successful blend of pre-war intrigue, action, and suspense, September 11, 2010

By 

TChris (Tzer Island) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Above Suspicion (Hardcover)

Published in 1941 and set in 1939, Above Suspicion, through its two main characters--a British husband and wife who are recruited to undertake an intelligence gathering mission in Germany--presents a nice mix of action, intrigue, atmosphere, and political discussion. The husband and wife are joined by a fellow countryman and an American as they try to carry out their mission while evading Nazi pursuers. The sense of foreboding as the characters move through Nazi-controlled areas is palpable.

Most of the political commentary is spoken by the wife, who has an understandably bleak view of Nazi Germany and an unfortunate view of its people (invariably gruff, tasteless, and poor tippers) while regarding the British as unfailingly friendly, charming, and civilized. She also presents a rather sympathetic view of Britain's evolving response to Hitler's aggression. In retrospect, the political views come across as simplistic and the characterizations as stereotyped, but politics never gets in the way of the story, which builds suspense in the manner of a Hitchcock movie. It is, in fact, rather nice to read a novel from that era in which the key female figure has political opinions of her own, refuses to back down to opinions offered by men, and plays a vital role in the action (she comments, in fact, on the ability of women to exercise their minds while retaining their charm).

Ultimately, Above Suspicion is a perfectly paced thriller that (again, like a Hitchcock movie) places likable, ordinary people in a dangerous situation and follows them as they use their wits and resourcefulness to prevail against their enemy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding WWII novel, September 2, 2009

By 

W. Ballard (Emporia, Kansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Above Suspicion (Hardcover)

This is one of the most outstanding espionage novels ever written. Small wonder it was a best seller in 1942. Helen MacInnes was unrivaled in her ability to put fictional characters and a exciting plot into current world events and political tensions, all woven into actual geographical backgrounds. Richard and Frances Myles are so life-like that you feel like you are there with them throughout their harrowing experiences in pre-war Europe. All of her novels were written in this fashion, but this is one of her best. I first read it in high school, and recently I pulled it out and read it again. And it was as exciting and entertaining as it was all those years ago. A great way to spend a quiet evening.