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The Unlikely Spy

The Unlikely Spy

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A must read...
Review: This was an excellent spy novel. The Unlikely Spy is a book that I had an unusual amount of fun reading. This is a good book with some great characters, a good plot and the ending was very enjoyable. If you have any interest in espionage or WWII fiction, you can't miss this. It's right up there with Harris' "Fatherland" and "Enigma".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Read It Twice
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite books, but I had to read it through again once I discovered the mechanisms behind the story. Not being overly familiar with what really goes on in MI-5, I found the subtleties intriguing, particularly in light of the comment that, in war, the truth is so precious that it must be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies. In this book, it is a reader's mind game to figure out the truth. Besides the obvious, I enjoyed my mental picture of Basil Boothby, career information officer and office womanizer, to be the most enjoyable.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Satisfying and Cunningly Plotted
Review: Veteran journalist, Daniel Silva, makes his mark as a novelist with, "The Unlikely Spy," a quality World War II espionage thriller. The story centers on Britain's top plans for the D-Day invasion and Hitler's attempt to uncover the vital secret of the war; the time and place of the Anglo-American invasion of France.

Working on behalf of Germany is the beautiful Catherine Blake, a ruthless Mata Hari type spy who will seduce, maim, and kill in order to help Nazi Germany achieve victory. Hand-picked by Winston Churchill himself is Alfred Vicary, a successful history professor. Vicary's job is to run "Operation Double Cross" for M15 England's couterespionage agency. It is known that Germany has spies stationed in England, but who they are and how to find and break them lands on the shoulders of Vicary. The war could easily be lost to Germany if vital information is leaked to Hitler. For Vicary, not only does he face the challenge of foreign enemies, but also he must deal with a few deceitful people in his own department, jealous of his designation by Churchill. The cat-and-mouse game begins to roll!

Silva's book is not entirely original, you will see shades of Follet and Higgins throughout. Nonetheless, it is entertaining and the historical facts the story is based on are accurate. I believe Silva shows a lot of promise as a future force in the world of high-spy literature. With experience he should develop a style which is uniquely his own. He is definitely worth reading.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An "Eye of the Needle" clone - and a good one
Review: There are definite elements of Ken Follett's "Eye of the Needle" in Daniel Silva's "The Unlikely Spy". The most obvious is that Follett's bumbling spy was named Godliman, Silva's is named Vicary. But there are differences too - and those differences make Silva's book better than Follett's.

Most of the novels of this type follow a formula - Nazi spy, planted in England, uncovers the real facts about the Normandy invasion, and the brave, muddle-headed British intelligence officer must stop the spy before s/he gives it all away. Silva's novel follows this formula fairly well, but there's a very well-written story surrounding it.

Silva's plot is extremely detailed, and there are puzzles within puzzles, and plots within plots. Alfred Vicary is the proverbial (and in some cases literal) absent-minded professor, who shows a surprising streak of ruthlessness when it really matters; Catherine Blake is the Third Reich's ultimate weapon, who would rather not do what she's been doing for the last five years, but has no choice in the matter. These are the two main characters in a very well-done WWII spy novel.

This is Silva's first novel, and if it's any indication of things to come, he has a glorious career ahead of him. I do hope he doesn't restrict himself to this genre, though - if he does his books will grow very stale very fast.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Unlikely Spy
Review: Not as suspenseful as Daniel Silva's other two books. The plot was not as good as his others, nor was the drama. Definitely not as well written as his other books.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Unlikely Spy
Review: The beginning of the book was drawn out. I had a hard time getting into it, but am glad I continued reading. It's a great suspense novel, though I hope his next book's plot focuses on October.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a page turner!
Review: I picked up a copy of this to read on a recent plane trip. It didn't last long enough for the trip home! I stayed up late - very late - several nights finishing it! The character development was wonderful; this was no superficial book.

Another reviewer commented that a female spy is not unlikely. I know it's a matter of opinion, but I do not believe Anna is the 'Unlikely Spy' of the title. I believe it refers to the humble professor turned spy catcher. While he didn't actually go undercover and 'spy', he was most certainly in the spy business.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: WWII Suspense
Review: This novel follows the formula of many WWII thrillers, sometimes a little too closely. It is predictable and the characters are unremarkable. Any of them could be found in hundreds of other novels of every genre.

It does hold the reader in suspense and becomes quite compelling at points, but beings to mire itself down toward the end and then ends in something of an anti-climax, and a predictable one at that.

There are good twists and turns and it is a worth while read. I did enjoy it, but was less than impressed. If you enjoy Ken Follett's early WWII era work, you will enjoy this novel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding spy story
Review: Very well done, particularly for a debut novel. Silva's attention to historical detail is superb, making for a nearly perfect "you are there" impression. Excellent plot twists, and an all-too-real look at the psychology of espionage. If you are a fan of historical espionage fiction, don't miss this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Exciting Book!
Review: This was my third Daniel Silva book. If his fourth book matches up with the other three it will be well worth the wait. This was an excellent spy novel. A female spy posing as a widow starting a romance with the chief engineer of the D-Day invasion project. The Nazis come close to exposing the master plan of the Allies. This book keeps you wondering if the good guys will finally prevail. To top off a good book is the finale when the Nazi spies are finally caught. Be sure to read this book. You will not be dissapointed.


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