Customer Reviews

SPY SINKER: PROMOTIONAL POSTER.

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sinker is the sixth book in Deighton's series starring the middle aged and "past it" British spy Bernard Samson. However, this book is different from the other five in that it is written in the third person rather than the first. This allows the reader a greater insight into the doings of other members of the cast, particularly Brett, and makes us realise how Bernard has been used as a pawn in the bigger picture. Previously we were encouraged to believe that Bernard knew everything, that he was the professional in this game played out by amateurs behind their desks in London.

Sinker lets us into the world of Fiona, Bernard's estranged wife who defected to the other side and works for the Stasi in East Berlin. Deighton examines Fiona's life and her fears thoughtfully and realistically, but once again showing how she too is little more than a pawn in what is and also has been a man's game based on old promises, betrayal and the old school tie system.

Unlike many other spy mystery authors, Deighton ensures that the characters are the most important and well developed part of the book. We know their loves and their innermost thoughts, but we are also left with the feeling that we do not quite know everything. It is this air of mystery which keeps the reader hooked until the dramatic conclusion of this book.

Overall, Sinker is essential reading but for absolute enjoyment should be read in conjunction with the preceding five books and the following trilogy.

To really enjoy any of the nine books in the three triologies,
Berlin Game, Mexico Set, and London Match- Spy Hook, Spy Line, and Spy Sinker - Faith, Hope, and Charity one should begin with Deighton's Winter. This books traces the story of the German family named Winter from New Years, 1900 through the close of the Second World War and in the process introduces most of the principal characters that appear in the subsequent trilogies. I have recently reread the ten books, starting with Winter and my enjoyment was multiplied many times over the first readings.

Spy Sinker retells the Samson saga (as developed in the Game, Set, and Match trilogy and in the first two books of the Hook, Line, and Sinker trilogy) from the points of view of players other than Samson: notably his wife Fiona, the bombastic fellow agent Bret Rensselaer, the Director General Henry Clevemore, and the power behind the scenes, Silas Gaunt. Most of the novel centers on the Game, Set and Match time frame. It fills in gaps and provides additional insight into Fiona, but unlike the other novels, this one is more expository, more telling than showing. The novel is essential if you've read the other five for the clarifying background it provides and for tying up loose ends (and maybe even for making sense of the whole thing, because trying to keep information straight that develops over the course of five books is challenging: this novel acts as an outline of prior events). As a stand-alone, however, it's a bit more of a yawner than other books in the series, and certainly a spoiler if you don't save it for last. Its main interest derives from the insight it provides into characters you've grown to know (and to like or dislike, depending on the character) over the course of the first five books.

(Note: Due to a posting error on my part, the line above my review stating that the review is from an audio cassette version of the book is incorrect. I am reviewing the hardcover edition of the book.)

This, unlike the others in the series is written in the third person. Many of the mysteries left unsolved from the previous books are finally solved and you are left with a better impression of all the characters. This is a wonderful conclusion to the fantastic series so far.

I confess I am a bit disappointed in "Sinker." The switch from first-person to the impartial narrative voice seems to have taken something away from Deighton's usual rich and involving style. It's almost wooden - how strange to be saying that about a writer like this!

I felt I was seeing "that man behind the curtain" (and I don't mean the Iron Curtain!) It almost reads as if he was going over all his plot notes for the previous volumes and just transcribing them for us, minus all the immediacy of the action as told by Bernard. Yes, we get new perspectives, and some previously hidden episodes (like Fiona's major affair); but for me it's not very satisfactory.

I wonder when he wrote it. I haven't checked on the chronology of publication of the trilogies. It could have been drafted very early on and then polished up into a book and released when he thought it was time to tie a bow round the series and stop. Were the next three - Faith, Hope, and Charity - always planned or were they a sort of "return from retirement?" I don't know. I started the series casually with "Faith," realized here was a huge backstory and then did Game,Set and Match followed by Hook,Line and Sinker. I have now re-read "Faith" and it is way above "Sinker" in my opinion. (Incidentally, I am taking great delight in its little sharp asides - mostly in Bernard's voice - and sly touches of humor.) Now I'll tackle "Hope" and "Charity." Also I see there is a related single book, "Winter."

But whatever my reservations about "Sinker," this is an amazing series. Who would have thought that "spy thrillers" could so deeply explore the concept of betrayal, which is the central theme of the whole opus. Betrayal of the conventional loyalties to country or society: betrayal of other humans' needs (poor Fiona!) and betrayal of oneself, under the relentless pressure of events... All decorated with wonderfully pungent insights into our failings and foibles, especially the English upper-middle classes, with which I have some familiarity. "Alas, what fools we mortals be."

I would have to agree with many of the other reviewers in stating that this is one of the better Bernard Samson books. It is a good follow up and great end to this series. He pulled off a book that has a good deal of suspense through out. There is also a lot of human drama outside of the spy vs. spy game. If you are into espionage books this is a great set to send time with.

This tells the story of Fiona Sampson from the third person point of view and not Bernard's. After reading this story I hated every character in the series except Bernard, Gloria, and the Children. It will make you want to see Silas Gaunt and Bret Resseler get the ax. If you have read winter then four pages of this book will iterest you because they tell the final fates of the central characters in that novel and make it even more heartbreaking.

Sampson's wife Fiona now upwardly mobile in the East German intelligence apparatus, is beginning to feel the strain of her years as a triple agent. With increasing KGB surveillence, the longing for her children, and isolation from people she knows and trusts, the decision is made to bring her home. When Fiona arrives at the rendezvous accompanied by her two KGB watchers, Bernard quickly dispatches them. However, Fiona's sister Tessa, who has for some unexplained reason come with Bernard, is killed in the crossfire.

Couldn't get into this book, I found the characters morally weak and the pace of the book very slow. It was so bad that I couldn't even finish, not worth my time. It seemed like you were reading a script for a TV show from the 40's or 50's, very dated, stiff and slow.

A great read, 6th in the series, dont miss it.