2.5 stars, the roller-coaster ride towards the end saved the book for me. Told from multiple POVs, I knew that the disparate threads of storylines wou2.5 stars, the roller-coaster ride towards the end saved the book for me. Told from multiple POVs, I knew that the disparate threads of storylines would converge at one point but admit I was confused about the "how" for much of the novel. Roy K. is an FBI agent in the Seattle area stuck in the archives section of the office. A recovering alcoholic with a failed marriage, he is eager to move and do something a little more exciting. He jumps at the chance to be part of a clandestine operation that is kept secret even from his current colleagues. Little does he know how tangled the web is & how much jeopardy he is about to step into. The two other "good guy" characters are Jay & Marlene. Both are being used by a cruel liaison for a dealer in secrets and arms. One knows it, the other does not. Some of the story stretches credulity. especially with Jay, a musician at night and a sailing teacher during the day.
I kept putting this book down as it did not reel me in the way most espionage thrillers do. I did root for Roy the most as he got sucked into the game and let some of his demons back into his life. I wanted him to survive and find his way back to an improving life path....more
Debut espionage thriller written in 1974. Enjoyable and fast-paced "spy" on the run story. I put spy in quotations because Malcolm aka Condor is a preDebut espionage thriller written in 1974. Enjoyable and fast-paced "spy" on the run story. I put spy in quotations because Malcolm aka Condor is a pretty low-level employee of the CIA. In the low tech environment of the times, he reads mysteries and suspense novels to cull information on how-to techniques and plausible scenarios that could impact the security of the U.S. for the Agency. Another employee has stumbled on a discrepancy in the receipt of inventory and wants to explore further, not knowing that it is a piece of a clandestine operation. He shares his concerns with Malcolm who really pays little mind to it. Those involved do not want anything to come to light and decides all in this small department might have been informed and have to be eliminated. Malcolm is sent out on an errand to fetch lunch for everybody, it saves his life and thus begins his race to stay alive.
Who is after him? Why can't he be brought into the fold right away? Who in the Agency can be trusted? How can he manage to stay ahead of a ruthless killer? Many law enforcement agencies get involved and not always working in concert. Some of the story strains credulity, but it is part of the thrill.
If you want a great review of this book. look up Jeffrey Keeten's. In fact, I'll go back to like and comment and then it will end up in some people's feeds.
I remember a movie with Robert Redford as Condor. I think I'll have to watch it again....more
Read like a police procedural even though it was a spy novel, set in the midst of the Cold War. Lots of detail about spycraft and organizational strucRead like a police procedural even though it was a spy novel, set in the midst of the Cold War. Lots of detail about spycraft and organizational structures. Sometimes it bogged down the story. The story itself was good, riveting at times. I always enjoy Forsyth books....more