One of the best spy novels
341935
As usual for John le Carr, the story begins after the protagonist has had a devastating event in his life. And this event influences how he operates in the world he's drawn into. Le Carr is probably best known for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and in my opinion The Night Manager is a close rival the that, if it doesn't surpass it. It really is that good.

The main characters are very well developed. It's compelling to follow Jonathan Pine down the rabbit hole and seeing him work out for himself just what he's doing there, and where everyone's loyalty lies, including his own. From start to finish, it's a fascinating look into a shadowy world where everyone has secrets.
4757048
This is my first dive into Ken Follett, and it was an excellent ready.  The book is a great spy novel, and there is very little of what I call "down time".  Suspenseful at every page turn, it kept me reading deep into the night.
644851
I never thought I'd enjoy a spy novel this much - I could not put this book down and was very sad to reach the end. There should be a sequel!

Even though the plot twists didn't really surprise me, the characters were really well done and have stayed with me evr since I've read the book.
1722682
One of the top 5 spy novels i've ever read--and believe me i've read just about all of them.  The characters are well defined and believable and you are rooting for the good guys(and girl) at every plot twist. There needs to be a follow-up
Joe McD.
2575426
Excellent spy thriller . Some elements of the story were a little theatrical but overall I was engaged and wanted to keep turning the pages. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are really good , that is my only criticism of an enjoyable novel
627948
The classic spy novel that allowed John le Carre to write full time for the rest of his life does not disappoint.  From start to finish it engaged my attention.  Having read in the blurbs where Malcolm Gladwell said he had read it every five years from the age of fifteen and that it was only at the third reading that he really understood it, I was keen to grasp the outcome fully and believe I did.  The well communicated atmosphere of the Cold War and the time shortly after the Berlin Wall had segregated East and West Berlin acts as the darkly oppressive scene setting.  Although, George Smiley, the main character of le Carre's several later novels is only briefly revealed, Alec Leamas fills this tome with his world-weariness and brief hope and joy in the face of a duplicitous secret service that hints of the sort of world we were and are now very much aware of living in where multitudes of shades of grey exist and expediency and deeper, darker motives drive governments and their ever more secret intelligence arms: with a hellish or purgatory-like atmosphere.  People remark that le Carre will be widely read in future generations.  I can well believe it.  Superbly written and a great introduction to the le Carre world we are seeing more and more of in film and television including the recent gripping "The Night Manager"
668798
Midnight in Europe is a very good historical spy novel by a veteran writer in the genre. Alan Furst's novel begins in 1937 when Christian Ferrar is visiting New York on business for his internationally trusted law firm, Coudert Freres in Paris. The handsome, intelligent, 40 year old lawyer enjoys his work and finds time to treat himself well to the pleasures of life: good wine, food, women, and travel.

A Spanish migr to France, Ferrar supports the Spanish Republic in its fight against Franco's fascist government in the Spanish Civil War. There is a great deal of turmoil in Europe in 1937 including Hitler's increasing harassment of Jews (and other ethnic groups) and the continuing rise of Mussolini's National Fascist Party in Italy.

When Ferrar returns to Paris and resumes his legal work for wealthy clients, he is brought increasingly into the politics of intrigue and paranoia of Europe on the brink of chaos. The focus of Christian's political interest is on supporting the Spanish Republic in their war efforts by helping the army to obtain weapons. Also, he keeps an eye on the safety of his extended family who live in a town close to Paris.

In his interactions with an international player in criminal and espionage operations, Max DeLeon, Ferrar has a number of adventures that take him to dangerous areas of Europe. His work with Coudert Freres provides some cover for his covert work with Max. In Berlin, Ferrar and Max conduct business with a very frightened arms dealer in a safe house run by a woman with anti-fascist connections. The Berlin Staatspolizei come close to shutting down Max and Ferrar's operation, and the two are investigated as spies against the Reich.

To arrange shipping of weapons, Max and Ferrar travel to Warsaw. Again, they are confronted by fascist authorities and risk imprisonment and execution. Max has a history of engaging in high stakes risky business while Ferrar is a novice. Ferrar shows that he is not only handsome, intelligent, and hedonistic, but is also persistent and courageous, demonstrating grace and resourcefulness in life threatening circumstances.

Ferrar has an interlude with a Comtessa who may be a fascist spy. Christian is not a man easily manipulated by spies and he and Max travel to Odessa to make the final arrangements to deliver arms to the Spanish Republic. They board a Russian ship with an illegal cargo of arms and run a fascist blockade in the Mediterranean on their way to Valencia. The Spanish Civil war is destined to be overcome by Hitler's will to dominate all of Europe.

This is a very good historical spy novel with a likeable and complex main character. There are many interesting historical insights presented in the plot I outlined above. Also, there are many exciting, action filled scenes as Max and Ferrar conduct their operations. Thirteen books in the genre by Furst are listed in the front of this good novel.
(Full Disclosure: this novel was given to me for an honest review as part of the Early Reviewers Program of LibraryThing.com)
3181418
I had heard my family members talk about Charles McCarry books being the best spy/espionage books and now having read two of them, I think they're right. This is not typically my favorite genre of fiction, but McCarry writes intelligent, fleshed out characters who you are genuinely interested in-these characters are just fascinating. They are not hollow super men with no feelings and thank you Mr. McCarry...your female characters are as rich and interesting as your men. Am so tired of the dangerous, gun toting, flirty tarts who end up partnering with the spy hero as done in so many spy-Bond type stories-you just won't find them here. This is not formula espionage writing. This is intelligent carefully crafted writing of a specific genre.

Like all books of this genre, some is a bit convoluted and suspending disbelief is usually a requirement for me when reading a spy/espionage novel, this one is no different. I would heartily reccommend however reading The Last Supper first, then reading this novel. You'll enjoy Old Boys more and have a much greater depth and understanding of all the characters if you do that, especially the very central characters of Lori and Paul Christopher. I definitely reccommend this book, it's a lot of fun.
4922583
WOW, I HAVE READ DEMILLE, THOR, FLYNN, AND MANY MORE. THIS WAS ONE OF BEST SPY NOVELS I HAVE EVER READ. MITCH RAPP, SCOTT HARVATH,GABRIELL ALON, NATE AND DOMINIKA ARE RIGHT THERE!! I FEEL LIKE I KNOW THESE CHARACTERS. ALL OF THEM, GABLE ,MARBLE, AND THE REST. MATHEWS DID AN AMAZING JOB AT BRINGING THESE PEOPLE TO LIFE IN OUR MINDS!! FANTASTIC CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!!
Greg
Greg0618@yahoo.com
2575221
This book along with is prequel "The Folks at Fifty Eight"  is without a doubt the most enjoyable espionage story I have ever read. It is superior to the works of Grahame Greene and all the others in my opinion. I would like to see more of Michael Patrick Clark.
1066107
As a rule I don't enjoy spy novels but this is well (and clearly written) and the characters are engaging and interesting. This is a republished part of Poison Pen Press Classic Spy series written roughly half a century ago about Nazi agents in England just prior to the beginning of World War 2 There is a secondary love story plot as the hero, Owen Bradwell, is knocked on the head and has amnesia and is nursed back to health by an attractive young lady. A must read for British spy novel lovers.
4763821
Hitler's Daughter is one of those well-written suspence, action, thriller novels with hidden clues and superb twists throughout the exciting and plausible plot. It is the kind of book that you start during an airplane trip and find yourself reading in your hotel room instead of going out to some fancy restaurant. This book won the West Coast Review of Books "Porgie Award" as one of the 3 best original paperback novels of the year. That almost automatically suggests that a movie will follow. It did. But the book is far, far, far better than the movie.  This guy knows how to write a real thriller. And his second novel "The Ardennes Tapes" was just as good.
3218245
I have read every one of these books.  This one was one of the best.  Yes, it is a bit of a formulae and you kind of know what is going to happen, but it still manages to throw in some unexpected twists.  I enjoy the art tie in, but that might not be to everyone's taste.  I also enjoy the realism and timeliness of the plot.  This is not a "hero" story although there is a central protagonist.  Gabriel is not superhuman or invincible.  There is reasonably fair treatment given to the Arab world although there is a clear bias towards the West.  The political intrigue between the various Intelligence Services around the world is believable and probably not far from the truth.  There is no mention of America political figures by name, but you can tell who is who and what policies are being discussed. I judge a book by its ability to keep me engaged and to tie my stomach into knots.  This book did that and made me sad to get to the end. I had just finished reading Brad Thor's latest Scot Harvath novel and while Brad is good, he is no Daniel Silva. The attention to detail, the character development, the pace and rhythm are markedly different.  Silva is a Master, and Thor is still an apprentice.  You can read House of Spies as a stand-alone novel, but it is better to have read Silva's earlier Allon novels.
1308583
I have to say this is one of my favorite books I've read in a long time.  The plot and story were great, the twists were endless and nearly believable, and the character development was great.  I actually felt anxiety for the characters towards the end of the book.  I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an intense political espionage thriller.
2377261
Suave, debonair, aloof, untouchable, hard hitting and with a code that is all their own. This is what we have come to associate with spies, they are the good guys even if sometimes they are terribly misunderstood. Chris Allen endowed his hero Alex Morgan with all of the above. The novel is fast paced and full of action right from the start. While we never think that the hero is looking for love it seems that fate has that in store for them all the same and Alex Morgan was no exception.

This is the type of novel that we hope for when we pick up a book. One that engages us to the point of distraction. One that is so interesting that putting it down is a struggle. The author made some wise choices as far as settings and feasibility of plot. With the chaos in the world today we can readily imagine a lot more of this type of thing than we could in the past. Torture of prisoners and intrigue in governments are common enough now to be on the evening news. The Intrepid series has all of these things and more it also has that intangible human element that a number one book must have.

Once again Chris Allen has given those of us who love movies like Mission Impossible, The Bourne Identity and of course James Bond our spy thriller fix. Alex Morgan is the MAN,  he can hold his own with the likes of these guys. Part policeman, spy and highly trained black ops specialists this guy is one that you don't want coming after you.

In  Intrepid #1 we got a taste of his skill and what he is like when he is crossed this time the adventure is more personal. When the god child of his commander is kidnapped to be used as a pawn in a high stakes international criminal case he goes on the hunt. It is obvious from the start that he is not caring about laws, propriety or any moral issues. He means to bring these vicious thugs down.  Alex is the agent that is called when no one else has a prayer and he always manages to get the job done. The fighting is intense and you immediately become invested in the outcome of the mission.

Put this one on your reading list and if you haven't read book 1 get it today too.
4244504
I loved this novel. I've always liked the Cold War intrigue and espionage novels and this was as good as the old stories plus it was current, actually a few years in the future. The plot, the characters and the suspense were great and I loved learning about the Iranian people. The insight into the workings of the CIA was amazing. I'll never look at current international events in the same way I did before reading Hollow Strength.
4849199
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. We'll written, great characters, good storyline and plenty of sexual tension. If you enjoy a good paced spy novel that keeps it light with a little humour without being too corny, read this book.