Helen MacInnes (1907–1985)
Author of The Salzburg Connection
About the Author
Helen MacInnes was born in Glasgow, Scotland on October 7, 1907. In 1928, she received a degree in French and German from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She later studied at University College in London and worked as a librarian. She got married in 1932, moved to New York in 1937, and show more became an American citizen in 1952. In 1939, she began writing suspense novels and won the Columbia Prize for Literature in 1966. Many of her novels were adapted into movies including Above Suspicion, Assignment in Brittany, The Venetian Affair, and The Salzburg Connection. She died from the effects of a stroke on September 30, 1985 at the age of 77. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Helen MacInnes
Series
Works by Helen MacInnes
Helen MacInnes: The Salzburg Connection / Assignment in Brittany / The Double Image / Agent in Place (1980) 29 copies
Helen Macinnes: Three Bestselling Novels of Terror & Espionage : Agent in Place : The Hidden Target : Cloak of Darkness (1993) 19 copies
Above Suspecion 1 copy
The Unconqerable 1 copy
Double agent 1 copy
A Confusion of Celts 1 copy
Aconteceu no Oeste 1 copy
North From Rome 1 copy
Associated Works
On the Firing Line: The Public Life of Our Public Figures (1989) — Contributor — 127 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Best Sellers 1967: Those Who Love | The Double Image | The Way of the Eagle | Churchill (1967) — Author — 31 copies
Modern Classics of Suspense: Rebecca, Death and the Sky Above, The Thin Man, The Circular Staircase, Above Suspicion, A Coffin for Dimitrios (1968) — Contributor — 20 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Highet, Helen
- Birthdate
- 1907-10-07
- Date of death
- 1985-09-30
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Glasgow (MA|1928 | French and German)
University College, London (Dipl. 1931) - Occupations
- librarian
spy novelist
translator - Awards and honors
- Columbia Prize for Literature (1966)
- Relationships
- Highet, Gilbert (husband)
- Short biography
- Helen MacInnes was a Scottish-born author of espionage novels. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in French and German. Working as a librarian in 1932, she met and married classics professor Gilbert Highet, and they moved to New York in 1937. She became a naturalized USA citizen in 1951. Although best known for her Cold War settings, MacInnes actually started writing spy novels during World War II. Her novels often feature some type of romance and a central character who is an innocent bystander – such as a reporter, writer, artist or architect – until they get drawn into dangerous spy games and must use their wits to survive. Several of her books were adapted as films.
- Cause of death
- complications of a stroke
- Nationality
- UK (birth)
USA (naturalized 1952) - Birthplace
- Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- Places of residence
- Glasgow, Scotland, UK
New York, New York, USA
East Hampton, New York, USA - Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Discussions
Above Suspicion - MacInnes in Combiners! (October 2024)
Reviews
This cold war spy thriller from 1958 is as nail-biting now as it was when it was written. The political background of the "the West" vs. Communism, particularly Soviet Communism is no longer topical, but it was VERY real at the time. Bill Lammiter, the protagonist, is a young American playwright who is unwittingly drawn into the thick of a complex political game. He has come to Italy to see if he can salvage his relationship with his ex-fiancée, who took a job in Rome when his sudden show more success drove a wedge between them. After receiving a "Dear Bill" letter informing him that she has moved on and is now engaged to an Italian count, he had followed her in hopes of remedying the situation, to no avail. But when a mysterious Italian woman is nearly abducted in front of his hotel balcony, he finds himself sucked into the middle of the "great game" between the East and West. Especially when he learns that the rival Count may be all part of this as well . . . .
Don't be fooled thinking that because Helen Macinnes was female, that her novels are romantic suspense. Though there is a romantic subplot here, this book, and all her thrillers are much more in the style of John LeCarre than Mary Stewart. Her husband, a British man who after WWII took a job as a professor of Classics at Columbia University in the US, was also, quietly, a long time agent for MI-6, British Intelligence, and this gave her inside knowledge of the workings of spycraft.
It's not a modern book, but it's still a riveting one. show less
Don't be fooled thinking that because Helen Macinnes was female, that her novels are romantic suspense. Though there is a romantic subplot here, this book, and all her thrillers are much more in the style of John LeCarre than Mary Stewart. Her husband, a British man who after WWII took a job as a professor of Classics at Columbia University in the US, was also, quietly, a long time agent for MI-6, British Intelligence, and this gave her inside knowledge of the workings of spycraft.
It's not a modern book, but it's still a riveting one. show less
I can remember reading novels by Helen MacInnes as my very first introduction to spy thrillers, still one of my favorite genres. In Cloak of Darkness we again catch up with Robert Renwick, hero of Prelude to Terror and Hidden Target. He's married to Nina O'Connell and still working for Interintell, an organization supported by some of the NATO governments. He's contacted by an old acquaintance on his secure telephone number who reveals that Renwick's name is on a hit list that was developed show more by the owner of an international munitions firm. He must try to protect Nina, and at the same time, stop whatever global destruction the munitions executive has planned.
This book was written in 1982 and has a nostalgic feel for an espionage thriller. While many of the concerns she wrote about were unrealized at the time, there are a remarkable number that have actually happened. MacInnes fills her narrative with everything you need in a spy thriller, including double agents, triple agents, and innocent bystanders, all set in the famous capitals of Europe and Africa. Thirty five years later, I find her novels are still very readable. Not many women have made their mark as espionage storytellers, but Helen MacInnes is one one of my favorite authors of the international intrigue genre. show less
This book was written in 1982 and has a nostalgic feel for an espionage thriller. While many of the concerns she wrote about were unrealized at the time, there are a remarkable number that have actually happened. MacInnes fills her narrative with everything you need in a spy thriller, including double agents, triple agents, and innocent bystanders, all set in the famous capitals of Europe and Africa. Thirty five years later, I find her novels are still very readable. Not many women have made their mark as espionage storytellers, but Helen MacInnes is one one of my favorite authors of the international intrigue genre. show less
This was the first book by MacInnes that I've read. Wow! It was clever and exciting. After the sale of the artwork, it was hard to believe we were only two-thirds through the story.
Colin Grant finally finds his niche regarding what to do with his life, especially after his bout of depression after the murder of his wife. But it is a long and winding road to that destination.
The author sums up the problem with terrorists (published in 1978!): "They came in all dimensions: groups of political show more fanatics with blind obedience and perverted social conscience; the trained assassin tracking down their victim in a peaceful Austrian village; a boy on a quiet Washington street killing on vicious impulse. All of them, however different they seemed, bent on destruction. All of them, however motivated, with total contempt for human life." Not much has changed, unfortunately.
I loved discovering the "good guys" from the "bad guys" and watching the novice, Colin, learn the ropes. show less
Colin Grant finally finds his niche regarding what to do with his life, especially after his bout of depression after the murder of his wife. But it is a long and winding road to that destination.
The author sums up the problem with terrorists (published in 1978!): "They came in all dimensions: groups of political show more fanatics with blind obedience and perverted social conscience; the trained assassin tracking down their victim in a peaceful Austrian village; a boy on a quiet Washington street killing on vicious impulse. All of them, however different they seemed, bent on destruction. All of them, however motivated, with total contempt for human life." Not much has changed, unfortunately.
I loved discovering the "good guys" from the "bad guys" and watching the novice, Colin, learn the ropes. show less
One of my favorite thrillers of all time, written by espionage queen Helen MacInnes in 1944, while WWII was still raging, set during and after the fall of Warsaw, and chronicling the early days of the Polish resistance. The first time I read it, I was impressed with how tightly it was crafted and the total lack of sugar coating, despite the main character being a young woman. And saddened to think it would take more than 40 years after the defeat of the Nazis for the Poles to regain true show more independence out from the shadow of the Iron Curtain.
On this subsequent reading, I am still impressed at Ms. MacInnes prowess as a suspense writer, and was also drawn to reflect on the parallels between the fight of the Poles against the Nazis and the current fight of the Ukrainians against Russia. The more things change, the more they stay the same. show less
On this subsequent reading, I am still impressed at Ms. MacInnes prowess as a suspense writer, and was also drawn to reflect on the parallels between the fight of the Poles against the Nazis and the current fight of the Ukrainians against Russia. The more things change, the more they stay the same. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 39
- Also by
- 12
- Members
- 7,993
- Popularity
- #3,029
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 124
- ISBNs
- 447
- Languages
- 8
- Favorited
- 12
