Customer Reviews

An Expensive Place to Die

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On the whole, I am a fan of most of Len Deighton's later works particularly all nine of the Bernard Samson Novels. I think that reading one of an author's early novels after having read, and enjoyed, much of his later work, leaves you ripe for a little disappointment. That was my reaction here. He just hadn't completely found his "voice" in this novel which was originally published in 1966, well before those nine Bernard Samson novels I mentioned earlier (Copyright dates 1984 through 1996).

I found the plot unnecessarily complex. It starts with an anonymous spy, residing in Paris, who receives a bundle of documents from a courier with the instructions to deliver them to a man he knows as Datt. But he is not do just deliver them at a convenient time or place. This would be too easy. He is to keep them until Datt gets them from him in his (Datt's) own time and by whatever method Datt decides on. Datt's method involves kidnapping him, injecting him with "truth serum." and having the documents stolen from his room while he is so detained. An interesting delivery, indeed!

This is the beginning of the the United States deliberate revelation of certain Nuclear Weaponry information, or perhaps well disguised misinformation, to representatives of the Chinese Communist government.

During the course of __AN EXPENSIVE PLACE TO DIE__, there are kidnappings, murders, scenes in a high end brothel that caters to diplomats, where dossiers on these diplomats are developed, and where films are made of them in compromising positions. There are surprises, double-crosses, and unexpected revelations around every corner before we finallly sort out the good(?) guys from the bad (also ?) guys.

If you like Len Deighton's later novels, this is a good book to read from the standpoint of seeing how much he developed as a spy novelist through the years, and it certainly contains the seeds of many of the themes he developed in his later novels.

In the words of a current movie critic, "I give it a moderate thumbs up."

I liked this book but I think the plot was a bit hard to accept at points. I very much enjoy Deighton's authorial voice for his nameless protagonist and this made it quite enjoyable for me. I find his writing style very appealing. But the plot of this particular story wasn't entirely convincing.

While written in 1967 and first read then, I found myself re-reading this book on vacation in 2011 and being pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it still was.

While a lifelong Len Deighton fan, one has to accept this story of international espionage and sex clinics used for political ends located in Paris now definitely shows its age in parts. The use of passports to move between EU countries and worries over national security, pirate radio ships located outside the 3 mile zone, and some dialogue that could only reflect the heady socialism beliefs of the late 1960s all date the book.

However the basic story line is still classic Deighton, with the inevitable nameless lead UK agent seen from prior novels, a cast of international characters who fit easily alongside the many acidic lines of dialogue and cynical observations plus a plot of many twists and turns that keeps you guessing all the way.

Not his best but still a pleasure to re-read.

I've read Len Deighton's spy novels in the past, but somehow I never came across this one before. I think I know why: it's one of his lesser works, definitely not as good as the Bernard Samson novels or some of his World War II books. While Deighton is a good author, this (one of his earlier efforts) is largely forgettable.

The story begins with our hero (who remains nameless throughout the book) living in Paris. We spend 30 or 40 pages with him, playing Monopoly in French, going to parties, drinking with his friend and eccentric painter, and various other mundane activities, before the plot begins. You don't ever really get a hold on what the espionage part of the plot is actually about: instead, it's all very murky and uncertain, and the author leaves you wondering about everything that occurs. Finally, when one of the characters gets killed, things begin to become more interesting, but then the plot takes some confusing turns again, without the author giving you any help as to what's going on. The nameless hero apparently works for some intelligence organization, but you never really know who, or what he's supposed to be doing: everything just happens.

There are some good moments in the book, and good quotes. My favorite is when one of the characters intones that "Rich people who give away money need to be quite sure they're not trying to buy something." The scenes early in the book when the characters are playing Monopoly in French are rather fun. That being said, the book is rather silly and overwritten, and I didn't enjoy it that much...

A good book but difficult to follow at times,I wanted light recreational reading but this seemed almost like a textbook at times,worth reading but not his best.