Customer Reviews

Spy Line (Hook Line & Sinker)

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

 

 

Spy Line -- the middle installment in the Hook, Line, and Sinker trilogy -- picks up where Spy Hook left off. Samson's loyalty is questioned, he isn't getting answers to his own questions about his wife's defection, people are dying, and people who seemed to die in the past aren't staying dead. More I cannot say without spoiling the intricate plot.

Spy Line has more action than the previous novel. Samson proves himself an adept field agent even after years behind a desk. But he isn't a James Bond type superhero; he's a dedicated public servant who wants to uncover the truth even if his superiors would prefer that the truth be kept secret. The minor characters in Spy Line really shine: they bumble, they seduce, they act shamefully or unselfishly -- in short, they behave as inconsistently and unpredictably as real people, and real people is what they feel like. Deighton does a masterful job of bringing every character to life in this book. He also does a remarkable job of establishing a sense of place -- the reader feels present in (what was then) East Germany, feels the repression, the fear, the history. And he does a satisfying job of tying together the loose threads, of resolving all the outstanding plot lines.

The story is compelling (even shocking) but this novel stands out for Deighton's portrayal of Samson as a man torn apart by his love for a treasonous wife, for his live-in girlfriend, and for his country (which doesn't treat him well at all). This novel is nearly as good as John Le Carre at his best.

Its just another day in the espionage war in a divided Europe. The wall hasnt come down, and its an unending game of Spy v. Spy on both sides. At the outset of Spyline British agent Bernard Samson is in hiding in a dingy section of the divided and espionage-ridden city of Berlin. Why hes in exile isnt exactly clear to him, even as he does have some friends, or at least some human resources on which he can rely. He feels it may have something to do with his wife, Fiona, who disappeared after going over to the Russians. Allowed to return home to his new wife, Gloria, Samson thinks his problems are behind him. Instead, he soon realizes that something is brewing, something that will send him back across the wall, to tangle with a psychotic American who kills for any side that will hire him, and to finally confront his wife.

Its clear that Spy Line is an entry in a larger series, one that began with Spy Hook (which it immediately followed) and culminated in Spy Sinker  the complex relationships and their continuity are obviously much larger than any single book. (The Spy books themselves are also part of a much larger continuity  one including the trilogies of Game-Set-Match, as well as Charity, Hope and Faith, as well as the WWII epic Winter). Line is also dwarfed by its shortness (for the quality of its writing, its not a long read; also the plot covers a brief span of time) and by the loose ends it creates (Fionas sister insists on accompanying Bernard into The East  with disastrous results; and how will Bernard explain everything to Gloria?) without resolving them. Deighton is less concerned with resolving problems than in artfully describing the pain they cause. Unfortunately, that makes the book seem painfully unstructured  like an episode of a TV show. Line like most of Deightons books, is worth reading for the quality of prose alone. However, the plot details  which take Bernard from Berlin to London, and to Vienna, meeting stamp collectors, historians, ex-spies and freelance murderers  seems above the book, implying that youll have to read all the Samson books. Its almost like a prison sentence, and clearly one that has taken its toll on poor Samson. In short  a good book, but only great book if youre willing to read a dozen more.

I've always enjoyed spy stories, but I don't read all that many of them. As a result, when I run across one by a familiar author, I buy it and don't pay attention to chronology. Spy Line is the 5th in Deighton's Bernard Samson series. I'm pretty sure I read the 4th book, but have no clue about the others.

British secret agent Bernard Samson's life has just become even more dangerous and confusing. Apparently, Spy Line picks up where Spy Hook leaves off, with Bernard on the run in Berlin, suspected of being a double agent.

He starts putting information together from the bits and pieces he learns from various sources, and makes his way home to his girlfriend and children.

Then he discovers it was all a setup, and that it has to do with his wife Fiona, who'd defected to the Soviet Union years earlier.

Spy Line has a nice balance of exciting spy adventure and emotional turmoil. I particularly enjoyed Bernard's mixed emotions regarding Fiona.

Len Deighton's writing isn't quite as obscure as John LeCarre's, but it's not all that straightforward, either. I'm not sure if I think that having to read between the lines a bit fits the subject matter, or if it's just that I'm used to reading spy novels by these two. Still, I think I'd have enjoyed it more if it had been written in a clearer style.

One of these days, I need to make myself a checklist and read these books in order so I get more out of them.

Spy line continued the story of Bernard Sampson. Deighton wrote all his trilogies so that they may be read separate, although there is a continuous storyline. I wish he had not done so, we get a continuing redundancy of detail about each character and setting. The dilemmas you anticipate from the previous books does in fact occur and there is much less twist to the plot than in Game, Set, Match. I am left mangled in a difficult dilemma in the plot that does not get any attention before the book closes, and I assume that it will be taken up in his next trilogy. If these books were supposedly meant to be read in any order there should have been a resolution of any central dilemma. If you have already read the other books, then I recommend you read this one and keep going. That must have been his point in not solving the dilemma, but don't tell me they can be read separately.

This tale of espionage takes readers on a exciting roller-coaster ride through Europe...Bernard Samson, British Intelligence, is being accused of treason goes into hiding. However, his agency keeps a very keen eye on him. He is roped back into the spy game, and danger and mystery fill his new world.

I have read all the Spy series books by Deighton. This is one of the best. Out of nowhere the plot backed by solid prose builds to a suspenseful crescendo. I was impelled to order the next in the series after reading this one by the suspenseful cliffhanger storyline.

Another great read if you havent read the previous 4 run out and get them.

I could be wrong, but if this author did not invent the dark, disgruntled, close to disrespectful spy novel then would did? This is another in the series and is not bad. What I like with these books is you always know what you are going to get, nothing new to slow you down. I can handle that lack of creativity because the author does such a good job at telling a story. The story, spy vs. spy in Europe, is not a new one and you will not find anything really new or memorable here. Overall the book is average and if you like the category or the author you will like the book.