The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo Beyond The Cover —
THERE are numerous writers from around the world who mastered the art of spy fiction, crafting captivating novels that have entertained and will continue to entertain readers for many years to come.
Most of these texts have even been adopted into films and video games with the most popular being Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels.
The list of top spy fiction writers is endless with the likes of Robert Ludlum, Fredrick Forsyth, Ken Follet, Jack Higgins, John Gardener and Tom Clancy to name just a few; creating a cult-like following through their works.
Another espionage writer who is regarded as one of the greatest in the genre is British novelist John le Carré who has been in the game since the early ’60s.
At one point, I was an avid follower of his work before switching allegiance to other authors whose work I could relate to in this day and age. Having been exposed to his earlier novels like “Smiley’s People”, “A Perfect Spy” and “The Secret Pilgrim” to name just a few; I developed an appreciation for his depiction of the Second World War super spy, which made him one of my favourite writers before I moved on.
While I was browsing through novels in one book store, I stumbled upon one of his recent works “A Delicate Truth”, published in 2013 and out of curiosity, I decided to buy the copy just to find out how his work has evolved over the years.
While this is not the typical fast paced action of the spy arena that was synonymous with his earlier writings, focusing more on the thinkers and characters pulling the strings during shady covert operations, I was still impressed with this book.
In the book there is a counter-terror operation codenamed “Wildlife”, which is being mounted in Britain’s most precious colony, Gibraltar. This operation to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms buyer is orchestrated by an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, Fergus Quinn and a private military outfit, Ethical Outcomes, with the mission being so secretive to the extent that even the Minister’s private secretary, Toby Bell, is left in the dark.
The storyline kicks off with the recruitment of a civil servant working in the foreign office to go undercover and join a team of Special Forces operatives, or rather mercenaries in Gibraltar where the mission is to take place.
The mission is botched and innocent lives are lost but the men behind the operation want to make it appear as if it was a success. Despite the secrecy of the operation, Toby somehow gets wind of the situation and has to decide if he should blow the whistle or remain mum.
This book brings to light the world we are now living in where private security organisations have become influential, becoming big players in global intelligence and covert operations.
Having worked for British intelligence himself before becoming a fulltime writer, le Carré is a master when it comes to stringing together events and conspiracies.
Even though he is 80 plus, this writer has not lost his touch at all and still knows how to capture an audience and keep it in suspense throughout. This book is a great read.
While I was browsing through novels in one book store, I stumbled upon one of his recent works “A Delicate Truth”, published in 2013 and out of curiosity, I decided to buy the copy just to find out how his work has evolved over the years.
