The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Unlikely Spy
Book Review: Great spy book
Summary: 4 Stars
I thought I was over Nazi spy books...until I read this one! The plot is nothing extraordinary, but Silva's writing is. If only others in the thriller genre paid as much attention to prose, we'd all be spoiled.
Enjoy!
Book Review: I love a good tale....
Summary: 5 Stars
..and that's what this book has. Tell me a good story, give me great characters that I care about, move the story along at a fast pace and I'm right there page after page.
I won't critique this author's technique or style, I'm not qualified. All I know is that he tells a great tale and this one keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
Book Review: Not as good as his others
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was like reading the Mission Impossible series with so many twists and turns but not much of the action.
I am a big fan of Silva's Allon series but found this one to be rather slow reading and no where near as entertaining. Still a good read for 7.99 but probably other books are better to spend the money on.
Book Review: Old-fashioned spy thriller...
Summary: 5 Stars
If you could only read one book that would epitomize the best in the spy genre, Daniel Silva's The Unlikely Spy would be that book. This is a fabulous, old-fashioned-style World War II thriller.
The unlikely spy is Alfred Vicary, a college professor of history and a friend of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. When war breaks out, Churchill convinces Vicary to take a sabbatical and go to work for MI5. This quiet, unassuming man finds that working to undermine the German spy network is a thrill. While the British are very successful in identifying and turning German spies, the MI5 discovers that an unidentified German spy is living in England. It is only when German communications are intercepted that the British realize they have a problem. Plans for the D-Day Invasion are in full swing, and the Germans are trying desperately to discover when and where it will occur. Vicary and his staff put on a full-court press to intercept this spy and to undo any damage that may compromise the Allied Invasion.
At 531 pages, The Unlikely Spy is not a piece of fluff. The characters are well-fleshed out and Silva's writing is at its best. He is especially good in describing the conflicted Vicary. While Vicary "was well suited intellectually to the actual business of intelligence, its very nature was abhorrent to him. He was a historian. By nature and training he was dedicated to searching out the truth. Intelligence was about lying and deception. About betrayal. About means justifying ends. About stabbing one's enemy in the back--and maybe stabbing a friend in the back, if necessary." He also tries to examine the psyche of the German spies. The two main spies in An Unlikely Spy are not so much committed to Germany and the Nazi cause, but they like the challenge. It becomes a game to them.
While I'm a big fan of Daniel Silva and especially, his Gabriel Allon series, The Unlikely Spy has become my favorite.
Book Review: One of the Best Spy Novels I've Read in Ages
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful espionage thriller. Silva has the WWII British home front down pat and he spins a yarn that is taut, compelling, challenging, and just plain enjoyable. His characters are authentic. His Nazis are not stereotypical. The plot is believeable -- you can FEEL the war and its impact on Britain (and on Germany, for that matter). For my money, this thriller is better than anything Le Carre has written and I also think it's much better than Silva's Gabriel Allon books. I sure hope Silva revisits WWII in future books.