Customer Reviews

The Debriefing: A Novel of Deception

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On the surface this story works as a great cold war thriller or even a detective story.
A defecting Soviet major carrying a pouch of "goodies" -- intel secrets -- has to be verified by a small, special Pentagon group headed man known only as Stone. Stone doesn't think the major is the real deal (or "real fig" so to speak).
Littell does a great job of layering all sorts of intrigue and depth into this slim book. At about 200 pages (250 for the paperback) this book is short compared to Littell's 2002 tome entitled "The Company." But every word counts.
I don't want to give anything away, but if you like the twists Rod Serling brought to his television plays then you'll love The Debriefing. If you like just straightforward spy stories, then this one will work for you, too.
It's a great book.

This is not a bad spy novel, and in fact it moves along at a brisk pace and retains the reader's interest. However, this one also lacks any particularly distinguishing characteristics. It is a rather formulaic spy story, and that is pretty much the end of it.

Littell's penchant for eccentric characters is present in this novel, but here it seems somewhat contrived, and I found it irritating rather than refreshing.

My main criticism of this one is that it lacks that strong sense of authenticity that author Littell often brings to his spy novels. I just did not find this one to be particularly convincing or authentic. And unfortunately, it contains a formula that Littell has overused in any event--the notion that both sides of the Cold War were bad guys, equally unscrupulous, etc. Maybe this notion was "fresh" in the 1970s. It comes across as old and stale today. Well, times change, I suppose. A similar formula in Littell's "The Amateur" works out better.

This is a beer and chips novel for a lazy afternoon, which is exactly how I read it.

Stone heads a secret intelligence organization operated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its function is to infiltrate Russia if the need to do so ever arises. So far, it hasn't. But when Stone debriefs a Russian defector who has offered information about Russia's position at upcoming arms reduction negotiations, he questions the defector's authenticity. Stone infiltrates Russia and impersonates a KGB officer to find the truth, enlisting the help of a prostitute and a Stalin look-alike.

The Debriefing is tightly plotted, Littell's writing style is crisp, and although the characterization is one-dimensional, the story is fun. It isn't as good as his first book, The Defection of A. J. Lewinter, nor is it as enjoyable as my favorite (so far) of the Littell books, The Sisters, but this brief novel is one that fans of espionage fiction should enjoy.

I very much enjoy the author. And am glad to see this work being reprinted. Stone works for an elite secret intelligence arm of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When a Soviet courier defects with secret documents it is up to Stone to verify the defectors authenticity. Stone must secretly infiltrate into Russia to confirm the facts. He uncovers the plot which leads to quite a surprising and unexpected ending.

End of the cold war was an end of an era for great espionage books. This book is a nice addition to a collection of espionage stories of the era. The story is moulded around the debriefing of a defector. There are not a lot of thrills. But it'll hold your attention throughout.

Littell seems to know the CIA. A slim volume compared to "The Company". A quick and interesting read.