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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Two books in one - but only one of them is any good, March 16, 2004
As a fan of both high-concept thrillers and historical fiction in general, I had high hopes for The Intelligencer. Silbert's concept had potential but unfortunately the execution left much to be desired. The Intelligencer is essentially two books in one. The historical-fiction half of the book, which revolves around Christopher Marlowe and a host of other Elizabethan historical figures, is fascinating. Silbert writes with great knowledge and authority on the subject of Elizabethan espionage, and these scenes kept me reading long after I'd ceased caring about the rest of the book. The other half of the book revolves around modern protagonist Kate Morgan, a former Renaissance scholar turned private investigator/covert CIA operative. Kate is called in to consult on the attempted theft of the Anatomy of Secrets, a long sought-after collection of Elizabethan espionage reports. Kate is likeable enough, but her backstory contains so many overused cliches (like the dead fiance and the politician father) that it's hard to see her as a unique character. She comes off as a semi-scholarly rip-off of Alias's Sydney Bristow. Furthermore, the book is so busy setting up its own sequel that it fails to bring Kate's Marlowe-related work to a full and satisfying conclusion. Instead of fleshing out Kate's investigation of the Anatomy of Secrets, Silbert elects to drag the reader through a murky, dull B plot that's clearly designed to set up the next Kate Morgan novel and has nothing to do with Marlowe, Renaissance espionage, or any of the interesting ideas contained elsewhere in the book. The climax to Kate's Anatomy of Secrets plotline is so badly written I almost gagged. Any time a protagonist uses the old "this is for [victim 1], this is for [victim 2] and THIS is for ME" line while defeating the bad guy, it's a clear tip-off that author is way over his or her head in the thriller genre. The Intelligencer isn't worth the investment in hardcover, although once released in paperback it might make a good airplane read. If only Silbert had written a full-length novel about Marlowe and Elizabethan spies; that book would probably have been a five-star read. Instead, the reader has to slog through the unimaginative "adventures" of a modern stock character in order to get to the good stuff. In some ways that's worse than a book that was 100% garbage; at least those don't leave you wishing for the book that could have been.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"And Marlowe's secret life as an intelligencer began", May 29, 2004
Leslie Silbert presents a very enticing book, using two different story lines, one in England at the end of the sixteenth century and one in the present. These events are of course interrelated, making the book a very enjoyable read and allowing us to understand better what is happening in our times. It is easy to notice that Silbert has a fair amount of knowledge about the historic topic she explores and the writing in the passages set in the times of Elizabeth I is great. However, when she gets into the present day part of the book, we observe a clear deterioration in the quality of her writing. In England, 1593, Christopher Marlowe is enjoying his huge success as a play writer, but he is not only that. He is also a counterfeiter of English shillings, and a spy (intelligencer) at the queen's service. There is a war for power going on at this time to obtain the position as right hand of the queen. The contenders are Sir Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex, and Marlowe assists Cecil in the struggle. The ploys and counter ploys that each side fabricates and puts in practice are clever and exciting enough to keep the reader interested. In the present time in London, the Baron is in the process of stealing an old manuscript that contains a crucial secret. When he loses his life in the process, Kate Morgan, a private eye in New York, is assigned to investigate his death and the reasons behind the theft. Her client, Cidro Medina, is the owner of the manuscript and wants to know what its contents and value are. Kate, much as the author herself, is not only a private detective, but also a Renaissance scholar. She explains to Medina that the writer of the manuscript, Thomas Phellipes, was a master at breaking codes, and none other than the right hand of the founder of the secret service at Marlowe's times. She then starts focusing most of her energy in deciphering the contents of the manuscript, but is diverted several times by people that are trying to steal the document for themselves. Overall, this is a very good novel, but besides the somewhat sloppy writing in the current times passages I was a little disappointed by the scarce detail given about the code breaking process. The author focuses a lot more in the action when dealing with Kate Morgan, than in explaining more thoroughly how she breaks each code. I think that if Silbert had elaborated more in this aspect she would have maintained the reader's interest at a higher level in the Morgan part of the book.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PI parlays experience into excellent thriller!, March 20, 2004
When I heard the author on the radio talking about her real-life experiences as a PI, her ex-CIA boss, and U.S. attorney father, I decided to give this book a try. I like authenticity, and too many thrillers are painfully over the top...you know, so implausible you roll your eyes. But this one, wow! I loved it. It's got a very authentic, informative feel, but is also inventive, fresh and exciting. Kept me up till dawn! The Marlowe chapters come to life so vividly. Really enjoyed Marlowe's banter with Tom Walsingham and the tavern whore, as well as the way he was inspired to start writing "Hero and Leander." And learning so much about the Elizabethan underworld--spies and spymasters, con men, codes, ciphers, etc was fascinating. Very cool how the present day chapters paralleled those set in the past--you get to see Marlowe and Kate get their espionage assignments one after the other, begin them, get in danger, etc, in alternating chapters. And I loved Kate, found her more likable and believable than other mystery/spy heroines I've come across, probably because she's modeled so closely on the author... Whose ex-CIA boss endorsed the book so glowingly that I trust the PI know-how, international intrigue, and intelligence aspects, which made the whole reading experience much more fun for me. Lastly, I was thrilled that the endings to both storylines were unpredictable, clever and witty--for me, totally satisfying. Which is so rare in this genre. And when you're done, definitely stick around for the author's note. It tells you how most events from the sixteenth-century chapters are based on historical evidence, and explains something really interesting about the structure of the novel.
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