Customer Reviews

The Venetian Affair

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

 

 

MacInnes excelled at writing thriller stories about innocent travellers (almost always Americans in Europe) who fall into an espionage situation and are too patriotic to get out while the getting is good. They also feature a romantic plot, which is linked (somehow) to the thiller plot. "North By Northwest" is almost a perfect MacInnes novel, except that it wasn't. But if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean.

THE VENETIAN AFFAIR is one of her best, written in the peak of the Cold War and the peak of her career. A resourceful, intelligent amateur gets into a situation where a skilled agent would fear to tread, and then manages with luck and pluck to get back out again. Several of the characters are continued in THE DOUBLE IMAGE (a better novel, but only by the smallest of margins).

Try it ... you'll like it.

This is one of Helen MacInnes two best novels. The story is dated, a plot to assassinate De Gaulle, but the writing is good and the descriptions of Paris and Venice make it fun. I like her novels because they bring the locations to life. If you are going to visit Venice, this is almost as good as a guidebook to give you the feel of the place. I am not the only Helen MacInnes fan to spend hours tracing the locations of her stories. The characters are well done and, as usual, there is romance and a happy ending. This is one of her best.

Back to the cold war era, a cold war spy thriller, written cold war era style. I chanced on this book in my grandmothers library and could not put it down. I's even greater now that you know the iron curtain did indeed fall down. Highly, highly recommended.

A great Helen MacInnes novel. One of her better espionage thrillers enjoyable for its somewhat dated style