London Match (Charnwood Library) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Len Deighton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Charnwood Library | Publication Date: September 1986

"Taut...Splendid...First rate."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
With treason epidemic in London Central, a cloud of suspicion passes over each senior agent, and each falls helplessly into Moscow Centre's brilliant, complex trap. As LONDON MATCH rushes toward its amazing climax, the ultimate, decisive confrontation is about to take place--between Samson and the British KGB agent who, from the very beginning, has held Samson's entire life in delicate balance.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Winding up the tense story begun in Berlin Game and continued in Mexico Set, Deighton's new thriller follows British intelligence agent Bernard Samson as he careens between troubled spots in Berlin and London. Bernard's recent triumph is persuading the KGB's renowned spy Erich Stennis to defect to England but, since Samson's wife Fiona has gone over to the Russians, he isn't entirely trusted by his colleagues. Now suspicions that another mole has been planted among the operatives in London exacerbate Samson's fears, mostly for his small children, if he is accused. Determined to protect himself from his own fellow workers and the wily plots of Fiona and the KGB, Samson plunges into harrowing situations, climaxing in a bloody battle which both sides claim they've won. Actually, as Samson reveals, everybody loses in the deadly game of espionage. 100,000 first printing; Literary Guild selection. January 3
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this conclusion to his spy trilogy, Deighton's preoccupation is defection and betrayal, just as it was in the popular earlier volumes, Berlin Game and Mexico Set. But readers need not be familiar with those books to enjoy this one. The plot centers on whether a KGB defector is actually a Soviet plant, and whether there is another Russian mole hidden high up in British Intelligence. Deighton can be a master at creating a tingly sense of deepening tension in the cold and dark of Berlin or in the equally dangerous but deceptively polite office politics of London Central. The suspense tightens steadily to the final showdown, which unfortunately is something of a disappointment. Not quite on the level of Le Carre's Smiley trilogy, with its similar themes and plot twists, but surely essential reading for all espionage fans. Literary Guild main selection. Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd; Large Print edition edition (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708983561
• ISBN-13: 978-0708983560
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,089,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mole hunting, May 28, 2002

By 

D. P. Birkett (Suffern, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: London Match (Mass Market Paperback)

It's one of those hall-of-mirrors British spy stories in which the puzzle is to figure out who is working for whom, and who is double-crossing whom.
I was rereading my Len Deightons, partly to see how much impact they still have post-cold war, and I picked this one up out of order. After the first few pages I remembered that this was third in the Bernard Samson series, set in the 1970's and 80's, but it has close affinities to the Harry Palmer series of the 60's, especially Funeral in Berlin. (This has a 1985 publication date). If you're completely new to Len Deighton I'd start with those, and of course you should read Berlin Game and Mexico Set before this.
Some people think Deighton deteriorated in the later spy books. They contain fewer wisecracks and less descriptive scene- setting. In compensation there's a lot of subtle humor in the portrayal of the Dilbert-like atmosphere of office politics, and the plots are more sharply focussed and draw naturally to a climax. The earlier books tend to jump from episode to episode with a tidying up of plot in the last chapter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dynamite ending that will keep the reader hungry for more., July 5, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Match (Mass Market Paperback)

Bernard finaly confronts his betrayer over the fate of their children and the consequences of it show that the story of Bernard and Fiona Sampson is far from over. Don't read this unless you have read the two previous novels.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, November 4, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Match (Mass Market Paperback)

Moles abound.


The last book in this trilogy is probably not quite as good as the other two, you could call it a 3.75 if you like, but there is some entertaining commentary on what goes on in the spook office with the whole clueless management versus the footslogging hardworking spy in the field.

MI6 is still a bit worried about Benard because of his traitorous spouse, so when he finds out about what he thinks is yet another mole, he isn't looked on too favourably, particularly as it might just be one of the higher-ups.

People who like the others should still enjoy this.