Above Suspicion (1941)

Married couple at Oxford is sent to France to find out what happened to an MI6 operative (well, that's not what they were called, but you know what I mean). All thy have to do is follow a series of clues from person to person while looking like tourists and avoiding the notice of the Nazis. Good luck with that. ( )

Above Suspicion is a spy novel published in 1941. Oxford professor Richard Myles and his wife Frances are approached by a mysterious friend and asked to do some amateur espionage work during their annual holiday in Germany and Austria. It is the mid 1930's and the couple are chosen because they would be "above suspicion," a normal young couple following their usual pattern of vacationing in the mountains. Also, Richard has an almost photogenic memory and an uncanny eye for detali which could come in handy.

The book is almost a puzzle. The Myles' are supposed to follow a trail from agent to agent to see why the unnamed British intelligence agency has lost operatives and cannot contact their head man at the top of the chain. So off they go, first to a nightclub in Paris where an arranged meeting ends with Richard being slipped a guide to Southern Germany. After deciphering pin pricks on the maps and pencil dots in margins. he sees an itinerary of train stations, hotels, and villages emerge. Clues include hats with roses, snippets of song, chessmen. On their journey they link up with allies, meet old acquaintances who are now dangerous, and strangers who get them out of tight spots. Of course, in the end nothing goes as planned and instead of being mere observers they are embroiled in Nazi evil.

Above Suspicions is a fun read, another example of the good guys being more clever and braver than the bad guys who do some incredibly silly things. It is a romantic adventure not to be taken too seriously full of noble ideals flung in the faces of the not-too-bright enemy. ( )

I love this book from the very beginning.
The couple has so much dimension, they work together as a real married couple does. The impulsive nature of one is offset by the precision of the other and they make friends and influence people in real ways.
One of my favorite touches was the use of the Christmas Carol in such a way that reveals the truth without totally blowing their cover, even though it is badly destroyed by an old German acquaintance who is the enemy.
Real body language and actions reveals them to trouble again and again, yet the good guys prevail! ( )

Copyright 1941 by Helen Highet

I enjoyed this first book by Helen MacInnes - made into a movie with Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford in 1943. The movie of course wasn't as good as the book. It tells the story of an Oxford don and his wife who take a trip to the continent just before the start of World War II and get involved with spies. Quiet but entertaining. ( )

Prehaps when this book was first published its genre was all new. That would explain all the extra printings in 1941. As a child of the 2nd half of the 20th century who has read many,many thrillers and spy novels over the years this one seemed very hard to follow! I could never get the real sense of exactly what is was Richard and Frances were to pull off! I liked trying to imagine the beautiful areas they traveled to but the dense,rambling no dialogue to speak of style of writing just left me cold.
I kept thinking how innocent it all seemed as I look back with the all knowing eyes of history and the horror that was the second world war.
One of the good guys in the book says"I don't want to be the skeleton at the feast". I found this very interesting as first of all,until I read Chris Bohijian's book with that title I had never heard that expression before. And,just to think about the part of WW II that his novel was about once again brought the thought of how little they in the novel could imagine of what was to come.
Ms.MacInnes must have improved her style because I know I read many of her books as a teenager back in the late 60's,early 70's. ( )