Hope

George Kazinsky, Bernard's brother in law, is behaving oddly. Apparently driven off the deep end by his wife's murder on the chaotic night of Fiona Sampson's return, he has vanished from his Zurich home after meeting with some very sady characters and gone back to his family in Poland. The Bernie and Dicky show go on the road again to track him down, surviving killer thugs in a black market in Warsaw and dining with the tattered remains of an aristocratic family in a remote house in the Polish countryside, riddled with remains of the Nazi defensive network from the second world war, under a repressive regime trying to appear more liberal while fiercely resisting all reforms. Is George alive or dead? Whose is the body being hacked out of show more the frozen ground in the woods? Why are George's family exorcising their house? Despite the dangers and deceptions, this is a world Bernie is perfectly at home in, more so than in his actual home where the strain of living with Fiona and resisting his feelings for Gloria are becoming unbearable. The problem isn't so much that Bernie doesn't know what's going on, it's waiting for everyone else to catch up. show less

It's hard to provide a capsule summary of this book without spoiling previous installments in the Bernard Samson series. Let us just say that Bernard is required to track down his wife's brother-in-law, George, who has gone missing from his home in Switzerland and is rumoured to be hiding out in Poland. This takes place in the late 1980s; the Wall is close to coming down (although the characters don't know that yet) and Bernard is feeling particularly vulnerable as a middle-aged field agent on a temporary contract in an organization that's suffering cutbacks. At the same time, he and his wife are still trying to piece together their relationship, and there's still the matter of his former mistress, Gloria, to attend to. That's enough show more for any spy to be handling.

This was an okay book in the series. I probably started it at the wrong time; it took a while to get into, but once I did I managed to finish it fairly quickly. Bernard continues to amuse with his observations, even as the reader tries to figure out what he's exaggerating and what he's holding back on. It's probably best read soon after its predecessor, Faith, to keep the details fresh. Charity is next, and should probably be read soon. show less

The 8th book in the Bernard Sampson series.
This book started off well enough, but the story line seemed less tense and dramatic than what I expected based on the previous books. However, there were enough twits and surprises towards the end to entertain.
The story filled in some gaps the complex relationships of the lead char from prior books as well as leaving you wanting to find out how the remaining loose ends may develop.
Another great read.

British espionage novel featuring Bernard Samson, spy extraordinaire.

series: Faith, Hope, Charity.