The Spy Novel - Graham Greene

Well, it rained most of the night but the weather cleared up this morning. Had a couple of nice surprises while I sat in the den this morning. The first was a hummingbird flitting around the plants. Just lovely. Then I noticed a sparrow or some small bird using the bird house outside the window. We may have some little ones sometime soon.

I haven't finished any books in the past few days but I've got my next five lined up depending on which challenge book I finish first.

1. 12 + 4 Challenge - Unconditional Surrender by Evelyn Waugh.
2. 1st in Series - The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri.
3. Next in Series - The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie.
4. Non-Series - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
5. May Author Feature - The Secret War by Dennis Wheatley.

Next, I'll continue with my look at the Spy novel.

The Spy / Thriller Novel - Graham Greene

Graham Greene

Henry Graham Greene (writing as Graham Greene) was born in Hertfordshire in 1904 and died in Switzerland in 1991. He was a prolific writer of fiction, non-fiction, crime stories and spy novels. I read a few of Greene's novels many years back and recently I've begun exploring his stories again, especially starting from his earliest works. I've picked a few that to me are spy novels. I hope you agree.

a. A Gun for Sale (1936).











"A Gun for Sale was Graham Greene's 7th novel, published originally in 1936. I've been slowly going through his books, especially his earlier works and he's become a favourite of mine. I can see inspirations for books like Brighton Rock in this book. In fact, it was his next published work.

The story is about Raven, a gun for hire, is sent to kill a foreign war minister. He is paid with stolen money, which makes him the subject of a police investigation by Scotland Yard (who don't know about his assassination). The officer in charge, Inspector Mather, is engaged to Anne, an aspiring actress about to go to Nottwich for a job in a panto show. Coincidentally, the man, Davis / Cholomondeley (he does go by various names) who paid Raven is on the train and being followed by Raven who wants to exact revenge for how he was tricked.

An undercurrent throughout the story is the ominous threat of war, partly due to the assassination, which is causing stress and mistrust within Europe.

The story is a string of coincidences; Anne is kidnapped by Raven as he tries to avoid the police; Anne goes to dinner with Davis and has her life threatened; Mather is assigned the case of trying to track down Raven; etc. It sounds convoluted but the story is presented in a straight-forward manner, tying up many aspects of the coincidences and making for an entertaining, interesting, tense story. The characters are well-crafted and you do get a good sense of who they are and why they are. All in all, a most enjoyable story. (4 stars)"

b. Our Man in Havana (1958). One of my favorite Greene stories.

"Wormold is a vacuum cleaner salesman in a city of power cuts. His adolescent daughter spends his money with a skill that amazes him, so when a mysterious Englishman offers him an extra income he's tempted. In return all he has to do is carry out a little espionage and file a few reports. But when his fake reports start coming true, things suddenly get more complicated and Havana becomes a threatening place." (4 stars)

c. The Human Factor (1978).









"Maurice Castle is a high-level operative in the British secret service during the Cold War. He is deeply in love with his African wife, who escaped apartheid South Africa with the help of his communist friend. Despite his misgivings, Castle decides to act as a double agent, passing information to the Soviets to help his in-laws in South Africa. In order to evade detection, he allows his assistant to be wrongly identified as the source of the leaks. But when suspicions remain, Castle is forced to make an even more excruciating sacrifice to save himself. Originally published in 1978, "The Human Factor "is an exciting novel of espionage drawn from Greene's own experiences in MI6 during World War II, and ultimately a deeply humanistic examination of the very nature of loyalty."

d. The Confidential Agent (1939).











"In a small continental country civil war is raging. Once a lecturer in medieval French, now a confidential agent, D is a scarred stranger in a seemingly casual England, sent on a mission to buy coal at any price. Initially, this seems to be a matter of straightforward negotiation, but soon, implicated in murder, accused of possessing false documents and theft, held responsible for the death of a young woman, D becomes a hunted man, tormented by allegiances, doubts and the love of others."

e. The Ministry of Fear (1943).

"For Arthur Rowe, the trip to the charity fete was a joyful step back into adolescence, a chance to forget the nightmare of the blitz and the aching guilt of having mercifully murdered his sick wife. He was surviving alone, aside from the war, until he happened to guess both the true and the false weight of the cake. From that moment, he finds himself ruthlessly hunted, the quarry of malign and shadowy forces, from which he endeavors to escape with a mind that remains obstinately out of focus."

Some examples of Greene's work for your perusal. The complete list of Greene's works is available at this link.