Message from Malaga [Hardcover]

Helen MacInnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1971

To the accompaniment of flamenco guitars, a drama of espionage begins in a cafe courtyard in Malaga. For Ian Ferrier, on a vacation visit to his old friend Jeff Reid, it means the startling discovery that Reid is more than just a wine exporter...he is in fact a CIA agent who smuggles Cuban refugees into Spain.

When a more important refugee--a high-ranking, defecting KGB agent--arrives, the drama intensifies. Ferrier finds himself alone and responsible for the defector's safety.

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

Editorial Reviews

Review

Helen Maclnnes has been pastmistressing the suspense story for so long that Mary Stewart almost seems like a parvenu. The comparison is not idle since they both construct their plots in order to pictorialize them. Now you might even go looking for one. The larger design is a divide-and-conquered America in 1976; the immediates deal with Jeff Reid, who helps to provide sanctuaries for Cuban refugees in Malaga, along with Tavita, a flamenco dancer. Jeff is almost killed with a cyanide pen; he succumbs to it altogether in a hospital bed. Then there's Carlo Fuentes, Department Thirteen, KGB; and Ian Ferrier, his old friend; and Amanda, a dropout from Student Protest and is she or isn't she and by the end she isn't. . . . There are vistas and vistas of old and new Spain to take care of siestas and siestas. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

11 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt; 1st edition (June 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151592802
• ISBN-13: 978-0151592807
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense!, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Message from Malaga (Hardcover)

This was a great suspense/spy thriller that captures the feeling of Spain quite well. The tale reads like a stock spy-thriller from the 60s, complete with pretty boy villains, double cross, murder and mayhem. The action and story are never sacrificed for the pretense of high blown language and useless descriptions. Instead, its a real page turner, highly recommended for Bond and spy fans everywhere! I rented it from my local library, and am sorry that its not available anymore for purchase.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spies in Spain, November 22, 2004

By 

Mike Garrison (Covington, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Message from Malaga (Hardcover)

Another MacInnes thriller/romance, featuring (as they almost always do) an innocent traveller who gets caught up in cold war spying. I own all her novels, and this is one that I have barely ever reread. It's not bad, really, but it's just not one of my favorites. She wasn't quite at the top of her game when she wrote this one. I'd suggest reading it as part of the collection, but introducing yourself to her work with something else, like maybe THE VENETIAN AFFAIR or THE DOUBLE IMAGE.

5 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This one never really gets off the ground, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Message from Malaga (Hardcover)

My Dad gave me this book, which had " Weeks & weeks of NY times best seller". I don't see how. The story is very simplistic. An American is caught up in political intrigue in Spain. It smacks of a very bad James Bond plot. Some of the characters are interesting, but they are never fully developed. You are left with a sense that something is going to happen ...then it never does. There was potential here, but the authors failure to get off the ground make this book a "pass it by".