Great early Deighton
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Len Deighton is a prolific author, and many of his books fall into the genre of "spy stories". Much of his later work in this area comprises a number of trilogies (Game, Set, & Match, and Hook, Line & Sinker, for example), but I believe that the earlier works, written in the sixties / seventies, are in fact his best work. These works (such as Spy Story, Yesterday's Spy, Horse Under Water, The Ipcress File etc etc) are taut, spare, and very well written - not an ounce of flab to be seen anywhere. They are very much of their time (very redolent of the 60s / 70s), but still very readable (better than Le Carre, for example, in my opinion at least).
I know these volumes very well, having read them all many times over the last 30 years, but I have recently discovered the joys of listening to, rather than reading, my old favourites. This audiobook (Yesterday's Spy) has given me particular pleasure. James Faulkner makes a perfect narrator for this story: his voice is just right (gravelly, but precise), and he brings the whole text alive. His differentiation of the characters is subtle (rather than the caricature approach favoured by some narrators I've heard), and it sounds as though he's enjoying himself as well, rather than just going through the motions.
If you like 60s / 70s thrillers / spy stories, or Deighton, or just a good listening experience, I can highly recommend this audiobook.
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