Amazon.com: The Deceiver (9780552202688): Frederick Forsyth: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: 1992

Sam McCready has served with distinction for seven years as chief of the cover operations desk of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, a post that is the culmination of a brilliant career as an inventive and intrepid field agent. But times have changed. A high-level policy decision demands that the SIS strip away its old-style operatives, and the first to be targeted for retirement is the freewheeling McCready. Sharp-minded, somewhat cynical, McCready is a maverick whose independent style has often driven him beyond the rules. Presented to a panel of his peers, McCready's exploits may be dazzling evidence of his value, or damning proof that he must be put aside. Presiding over this long-shot effort by a great spymaster to save his career will be Timothy Edwards, McCready's most determined foe, and in the balance hangs the future of Britain's secret intelligence operations.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Sam McCready has served with distinction for seven years as chief of the cover operations desk of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, a post that is the culmination of a brilliant career as an inventive and intrepid field agent. But times have changed. A high-level policy decision demands that the SIS strip away its old-style operatives, and the first to be targeted for retirement is the freewheeling McCready. Sharp-minded, somewhat cynical, McCready is a maverick whose independent style has often driven him beyond the rules. Presented to a panel of his peers, McCready's exploits may be dazzling evidence of his value, or damning proof that he must be put aside. Presiding over this long-shot effort by a great spymaster to save his career will be Timothy Edwards, McCready's most determined foe, and in the balance hangs the future of Britain's secret intelligence operations.

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Frederick Forsyth Page

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fifteen novels and short-story collections. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book Structure, April 11, 2002

By

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Deceiver (Mass Market Paperback)

Not a bad little page-turner. First off the structure of the book is four stories that all have one character placed in each one. It was fun to explore how the author does it. I liked the different story lines; most of them have been done before, but not this well or with this type of structure. The book sneaks up on you and really sucks you in. You find your self almost hurrying to the next page because the suspense builds through to the end of each of the stories. Very good characters with competent development and well thought out roles within the story. I would have liked a bit more detail on the locations. Overall, this is a good old spy novel.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, January 25, 2001

By

buddyhead (Taxachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deceiver (Mass Market Paperback)

This book had everything- suspense, action, psychological thrills, and clever plot twists. And, to boot, there are four stories that each are independent of the other, yet are interwoven in that they trace career highlights of the Deceiver.

Forsyth's attention to detail is startling in light of the complexity of the stories he tells. He is one of the few espionage-slash-action writers I can stomach, because his style is so vivid and clean. This book is excellent and is every bit as good as Jackal and Odessa File.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile Book, May 17, 2001

By

Ant�nio (S�o Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deceiver (Mass Market Paperback)

This book comprises four short stories featuring spymaster Sam McCready.

Story #1 is a masterpiece of action; your heartbeat will confirm this as you turn page after page avidly. The way McCready has to kill the very friend he is there to save is pure drama. One of the best compositions by Forsyth ever -- teachers should assign it for children to read at school.

Story #2 is the state-of-the-art of psychological twist. Until the last page you will not know who is telling the truth or lying. Thank you Fred.

Story #3 does not take after the two previous ones; it is good but not as gripping as those are. You will not let unnoticed the vast research job Forsyth has done to describe places and situations in such a detailed manner. ...

Story #4 -- Forsyth not in his best; he was actually having a bad day.

Because of its fluent prose and intricate plots, I can recommend “The Deceiver” -- a really worthwhile book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate stories of espionage
"The Deceiver" consists of four first-rate stories dealing with Cold War era espionage. While the characters (other than historical figures) and the incidents are presumably... Read more

Published on June 11, 2007 by Roger J. Buffington

4.0 out of 5 stars Probably the greatest two espionage novellas ever written.
The first two stories in this compilation of episodes from the colorful career of one Sam Mcready a.k.a "The Deceiver" are worth their weight in gold. Read more

Published on May 1, 2007 by Amitav Mukherjee

4.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of a spy.
The Deceiver by Frederick Forsyth is a collection of four novellas all featuring Sam McCready, a veteran agent for the British Secret Intelligence Service. Read more

Published on August 3, 2005 by Michael G.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorby's Early Retirement Plan
Frederick Forsyth has penned a most unusual collection of spy tales here. In fact four episodes from the colorful career of Sam McCready, British spy master, are provided and... Read more

Published on November 20, 2004 by john purcell

4.0 out of 5 stars great Cold War espionage
Frederick Forsyth delivers thrilling tales of Cold War espionage in The Deceiver. The book is a collection of novellas that revolve around the career of one of British... Read more

Published on July 9, 2003 by mackattack9988

3.0 out of 5 stars This book is getting worst from one story to the other
This book has 4 different stories, in all of them appear Spy McCready as a super hero, the book will keep you interested in the stories but is not exactly what I expected from... Read more

Published on October 12, 2002 by Jorge Frid

3.0 out of 5 stars Those Were The Days My Friends!
This novel is divided into four stories each involving British super-sleuth Sam McCready and his operations during the last years of the Cold War
From London to Berlin and... Read more

Published on November 13, 2001 by Gary Selikow

3.0 out of 5 stars Serious blunder by Frederick
In "The Deceiver"'s third story, one of the story's protagonists takes a Cyprus Airways flight from Malta to Cyprus, lands at the Nicosia Airport and spends the night... Read more

Published on September 17, 2000 by George A. Papadopoulos

4.0 out of 5 stars A Totally Different Experience By Forsyth
In this book, the GrandMaster of espionage story had set an untouchable target to be achieved by others in his field. Read more

Published on September 14, 2000 by Arumugam Yoganantha

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstandingly good spy story.
I've read a few spy novel by other authors, but this one has to be the best I've read to date. It's interesting how Forsyth managed to blend in the character of Sam Mcgeedy in... Read more

Published on August 9, 2000 by Rozman Junaidi

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
army council, illegals directorate, gray safari suits, ginger wig, dead letter box, beach shirts

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Joe Roth, Bruno Morenz, Sir Marston, Foreign Office, East German, Calvin Bailey, Timothy Edwards, Century House, Julio Gomez, West German, Denis Gaunt, Government House, Reverend Drake, Chief Inspector Jones, Hakim al Mansour, Desmond Hannah, Marcus Johnson, Jimmy Dobbs, Major Vanavskaya, Father O'Brien, Lady Moberley, Key West, High Commission, Viet Cong, Quarter Deck

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