The Kremlin letter [Hardcover]

Noel Behn (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 283 pages
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster; 1st, 3ptg edition (January 1, 1966)
• ASIN: B00005XL3R
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,712,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A forgotten Authors Greatest Novel, August 21, 2004

By 

G. A. Hardy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kremlin letter (Hardcover)

Noel Behn was one of the greatest Cold War novelists focussing on espionage stories.

The Kremlin Letter is his best novel, following a young naval officer as he is mysteriously thrown out of the navy to be recruited by an ageing collection of mercenary spies.

The outdated group are hired by a collection of government agencies to try to find a mole in the Kremlin.

Set against the fall of Kruschev, the novel captures the attitudes of both the Americans and the Russians during this important time in history. Written just three years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is surprising to find an author unfazed by the idiotic governments around him.

The book is also a shock and a joy as it includes scenes of S&M, clear references to homosexuality and covers some of the brutal methods that information was gathered from prisoners. The book also shows both the Russians and Americans reduced to animals using depraved methods to gain the upper hand.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivers, June 7, 2009

By 

EddieLove "EddieLove" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kremlin letter (Hardcover)

This forgotten Cold War blockbuster starts off kind of slow with long sections of puzzling ciphers laid out in choppy communiques. When things pick up the story's populated with a slate of characters with anonymous monikers like the Highwayman and Warlock, and they're a little hard to keep track of, plus the hero's kind of bland. When the espionage mission itself starts up, the proceedings are like a cross between Mission: Impossible and a Harold Robins' novel as there's lots of cold war sexual kinks thrown in. All told, the book's first half is interesting, but unremarkable and dated. Then at about the two thirds mark the action kicks into overdrive with shocking betrayals and reversals and lots of breakneck action that you'll barrel through. Great stuff, served with unsparing grit. A final brutal kicker is reserved for the novel's very last line.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Perverse, May 17, 2007

By 

Carl Brennan (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kremlin letter (Hardcover)

Behn wrote a fantastic spy novel in "The Kremlin Letter." I became acquainted with the story when I saw the movie while in high school (1970). I ran accross the book 10 years later and it is even better--but it was one of those rare movie/book combos that are closely matched such as the original "Manchurian Candidate" and "Night of the Generals." I recommend it highly. The ending is exquisite.