City of Gold

City of Gold is an atmospheric but dissipated espionage novel, following a trio of more-or-less unlikable characters around, but failing to make much of them. Cairo in 1942 is trembling before Rommel's next strike, but a city about to fall is an opportunity to make a big score. The Western Desert is littered with abandoned weapons, Jews and Arabs and buying up guns, and somewhere is Rommel's spy; a man with perfect access to British orders and intelligence. The Nazi general knows what the British are going to do before they know it, and as long as he has his source, he'll take Cairo.

Ross is a murderer and deserter, yet a decent man who is avoiding the firing squad by assuming the identity of a dead officer. Ordered to find Rommel's spy, show more Ross's needs to fake being a detective and figure out his next move. Ross's story was the one I thought most interesting, but it doesn't really go anywhere.

Peggy West is a British Jew, a nurse, and a longtime resident of Cairo caught up in the treacherous world of espionage, and trying to figure out where her loyalties really lie.

Wallingford is a deserter and black marketeer, creating a fictional commando unit to disguise his actions. Unfortunately, he lacks any sort of dash and charm. He's just an overgrown schoolboy, using his bully habits to get enough money, because getting money is what you do.

Along with some minor characters, they wander around Cairo drinking, lying, and otherwise deceiving themselves and each other. But in the end, all their effort is fruitless (you can google up the historical source of Rommel's information), and they are released to their just ends. show less

City of Gold read to me like the start of a much longer novel that was suddenly abandoned due to a deadline or the author losing interest. It has a lot of characters and a lot of plot threads are set up. They are then either left as loose ends or resolved perfunctorily in the last couple of chapters.

There is also almost no action and not really much suspense. And it really isn't about the hunt for Rommel's spy in Cairo.

Overall: a disappointment, and from one of my favourite authors.

Having previously read & enjoyed several other Len Deighton books I had high hopes; world war 2, nazis, intrigue, murder, escaped prisoners & army deserters, Erwin Rommel beating a path to Cairo in 1942... it has all the elements of a great novel.

Sadly however, despite the excellently pictured atmosphere and the layers of sub plots it all just doesn't quite come together. It's decent but not anywhere near as good as his other novels I've read (SS-GB, XPD, MAMista).

This is a competent thriller with lots of historical minutiae, good characters and nice pacing. Set in Egypt in 1942.

Deighton's City of Gold is another one of his great reads. Combining WWII British Army efforts in North Africa with his ususal twists of his spy novels makes this an entertaining and engaging read. But I am biased - I really do enjoy his works.

Deighton shows his usual skill in blending fact with fiction to set up an exciting hunt for Rommel's spy in WWII Cairo.

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