Agents of Treachery (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original) [Paperback]

Otto Penzler (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010 | Series: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original

For the first time ever, legendary editor Otto Penzler has handpicked some of the most respected and bestselling thriller writers working today for a riveting collection of spy fiction. From first to last, this stellar collection signals mission accomplished.

Including:

* Lee Child with an incredible look at the formation of a special ops cell.
* James Grady writing about an Arab undercover FBI agent with an active cell.
* Joseph Finder riffing on a Boston architect who's convinced his Persian neighbors are up to no good.
* John Lawton concocting a Len Deighton-esque story about British intelligence.
* Stephen Hunter thrilling us with a tale about a WWII brigade.

 
Full list of Contributors:

James Grady, Charles McCarry, Lee Child, Joseph Finder, John Lawton, John Weisman, Stephen Hunter, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, Andrew Klavan, Robert Wilson, Dan Fesperman, Stella Rimington, Olen Steinhauer

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Astonishingly, as mystery maestro Penzler points out in his cogent introduction, there has never been, until now, a collection of original stories devoted to spy fiction. Penzler has assembled 14 of the biggest names in the thriller genre—such as Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Stephen Hunter, Gayle Lynds, and David Morrell—who all rise to the challenge of writing a short story set in the complex world of international espionage. This unique anthology's best entry, Charles McCarry's The End of the String, which depicts an intelligence officer's role in a planned coup aimed at a despotic African president-for-life, will evoke comparisons with John le Carré and Graham Greene. The superlative writing is matched by the variety, which ranges from tales with clever twists to straightforward ones, some contemporary, others with historical settings. (June)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Spy fiction and short stories are usually mutually exclusive. As editor Penzler points out in his introduction, spy fiction is usually lengthy, as the authors weave byzantine plots bolstered with double crosses, red herrings, and dozens of characters. Tough to fit all that into a few thousand words. He also points out this is the first anthology of original short spy fiction. The 14 authors include Lee Child, James Grady, Stephen Hunter, Andrew Klavan, and Stella Rimington, who was the director-general of Britain’s MI5. Child’s story centers on the particulars of assembling a special-ops team. David Morrell weighs in with the moral and professional dilemma of Andrew, a professional CIA interrogator who ultimately succumbs to . . . well, that’s the surprise. Stephen Hunter contributes a WWII tale in which love and a Mata Hari–like character play key roles. Charles McCarry introduces readers to a mysterious man on the Guinea coast in the fifties who assists an American agent and may have questionable motives. Espionage fans will absolutely love this collection of uniformly fine stories—a series of 500-page spy novels expertly distilled to their involving, suspenseful essence. --Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First Printing edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307477517
• ISBN-13: 978-0307477514
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Cold War to Terrorism - An Excellent Collection, October 6, 2010

By 

Jeffrey Swystun (Ottawa & New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Agents of Treachery (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original) (Paperback)

Let me start by saying - if you love thrillers, especially spy thrillers - buy this book. The editor has collected deeply layered and entertaining stories by some of the best in the business. I already look forward to re-reading it. Among my favorites are McCarry's The End of the String which brings to life a humble spy and an intriguing African dictator, Child tells the story of a black op with a twist, Weisman's Father's Day is a heart pumping ground-pounder, Morrell's The Interrogator lays bare human morality, and Klaven's Sleeping with My Assassin is an incredibly intriguing premise. But all of the stories were strong which is no surprise given the authors including Finder, Hunter, Wilson, Fesperman, and Steinhauer.

Most striking for me is the difference between the Cold War tales and those that deal with the current threats of today. The Cold War activities seem almost quaint when compared with the direct, less subtle tradecraft used in an era of global terrorism. Lynds' story, Max is Calling, sums up the difference in this passage: "The days are over of putting on your tux for an embassy party every night to try to get buddy-buddy with some East Bloc official so you can convince him his ideology sucks and he should play on our team. Now you've got to infiltrate the tenements, the mud huts, the terrorist cells."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag of mini-thrillers - some wonderful, some only so-so, January 14, 2011

By 

Julia Flyte - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Agents of Treachery (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original) (Paperback)

This is a collection of fourteen original short stories written by some of the best thriller writers in the business, including Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Charles McCarry, Olen Steinhauer and Stella Rimington. They span a range of timeframes and countries, from 1940s Switzerland to the current war in Iraq.

The standard is somewhat uneven. I thought a few of the stories were outstanding, some were just good and a few left me cold. I enjoyed the way that each one reflected the author's writing style and I look forward to exploring some of the authors whose work was previously unknown to me.

Stand-outs for me included Charles McCarry's account of an African dictator which was reminiscent of the film The Last King Of Scotland. The characters are so well developed that they really come alive. Joseph Finder writes a very accessible and clever story about a man who harbors suspicions about his next door neighbors. John Weisman writes about a CIA agent on the frontline in Iraq, working for a boss who values climbing the ladder ahead of retrieving hostages.

Lee Child's story was probably the biggest disappointment and I wondered if it was included for the value that his name adds to the collection rather than on its own merits.

Overall a mixed bag, but with some stand-outs that made it well worthwhile.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying just for McCarry's story, August 25, 2010

By 

Book Lover (Lenox, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agents of Treachery (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original) (Paperback)

Just got this and have only read so far Charles McCarry's lead story "The End of the String", and, McCarry's tale is so good, the book is worth buying just for this story alone. The rest will be gravy. I won't give the story away, but I will tell you that the main character is so strong, I swear I could hear this man breathing. The plot line is tense, the emotional tone close to the terseness of a Heminway short story. McCarry is a great writer. He put me in the story's location from the first sentence right to the last. I could see the places, hear the people, the sounds, I could smell it. To be able to do that is amazing, but that's his magic. Great read. I find my self still thinking about it and wanting to re-read it.