The Unlikely Spy

I really loved reading this book. I've never read anything by Daniel Silva before and this was one of the best books I've ever read. The characters were full and interesting. The plot was so clever and complex. Complex, but not complicated to the point that you couldn't understand what was happening. I found the book difficult to put down at the beginning and near the end the suspense was so intense that I simply couldn't stop reading it. It's wonderful to read a book which has flawless grammar and excellent sentence structure, things I don't take for granted anymore. I plan to read as many of Daniel Silva's books as I can. A great book by an excellent author. It's hard to believe it's his first. Truly 5 stars.

This is a WWII spy thriller similar to some by Ken Follett such as Eye of the Needle. Quite enjoyable, but the only characters I really found myself rooting for ended badly. The character development was just something short of the best in my mind, but the story itself was interesting and good.

I find these stories about the British home front just prior the Normandy invasion very intriguing. I am also reading a book about the (real) decoding of the Enigma right now - so I have a lot of this on my mind.

Start with a John le Carré spy thriller, with perfect atmosphere. Now fill in all the elisions, with the plot, with the character sketches, with the dialog. Now elaborate every paragraph, and explain everything again. Repeat, elaborate it all a little bit more. Again.

I think Silva did get the atmosphere right, at least at the start. The plot is good, too. But this book is so overwritten and over-explained, it feels ridiculous.

i actually really enjoyed this book. i don't feel like i'm usually all that into spy stories, but this one, besides being really interesting, is quite well written. i generally think it's kind of impressive when an author takes a well known historical event (world war ii and who wins it) and still manages to create tension and suspense. the few details i looked up along the way (my world war ii knowledge is mostly holocaust centered; i had no idea about the story behind the d-day invasion at normandy) were all accurate, with his cast of fictitious characters (churchill, eisenhower, hitler, and himmler all play a small role as well). i'm not sure how this book ended up on my list, and i wasn't going in with high expectations, but this show more was a good read. i would definitely read him again, and maybe even change my mind about spy books in general if they're written as well as his. show less

The Unlikely Spy, the first of Daniel Silva's string of spy thrillers, should pique enough interest to lead one into a sampling of his other works. The novel is true to the history of MI5 and its desperate attempt to keep the location of the planned invasion of Europe from the Nazis. Professor Alfred Vicary is given the task by his friend Churchill who tells him to report ..."to Brigadier Sir Basil Boothby. He is the head of the division to which you will be assigned. He is also the complete English ass. He'd thwart me if he could, but he's too stupid for that. Man could fuck up a steel ball."
There is much in the way of deception and betrayal throughout the novel which moves swiftly into an exciting search for a highly skilled and show more murderous female spy, who, despicable as she is, has some appeal to the reader's sympathy. We are also brought into the Nazi's perspective and follow Kurt Vogel, master spy trainer and runner as he struggles to find the truth and deals with his loathing of Hitler.
The plot takes a surprising twist the last few pages which is worth the wait. show less

Good but not great. I think there are a few too many extraneous characters that muddied the waters. The story was good - even if I did not care for the final twist.

Disclaimer: I’m a sucker for WWII and / or spy books

Before I start – this is not a “Gabriel Allon” book as mentioned on the page title.

“The Unlikely Spy” is a fast paced page turner, set mostly in days preceding the Normandy invasion in WWII. The story’s unlikely hero is a university professor named Alfred Vicray who was recruited by none other then Winston Churchill himself to work for the British MI5.

Vicary is a spy catcher – he does his job well until realizing that a small group of German sleeper agents trained by Abwehr officer Kurt Vogel are still in Britain. The threat is that the German agents could discover the secrets to the invasion and allow the Germans to setup a proper defense line (or call the invasion show more off) and the invasion would fail.

Chief among the German spies is Anna Katerina von Steiner, known in Britain as Dutch tourist Catherine Blake. Catherine is an attractive woman and a top notch spy who has been a sleeper agent in London for six years - now she has been activated by Vogel.
Let the mind games and puzzles begin….

The plot twists and turns very cleverly and the ending caught me by surprise. Even though this is a big book, the narrative is told masterfully, the twists keep coming and it’s hard to stop reading.

The characters in the book are well drawn, they each are painted in shades of gray –the German spies have some redeeming qualities and the English MI5 agents are not depicted as saints doing G-d’s work. show less