British Library Spy Classics
2 total works
"The Great Impersonation" is one of the most successful mystery stories ever written. It's exploitation of the hitherto unsuspected is a triumph of construction and treatment that holds the attention of the reader from first to last. It's a great read. It also has a charming love story. A complete novel in many senses!
'The men who work for you, General', he observed, 'should rid themselves of any fear of death'. Rome, 1934. Martin Fawley leaves the American secret service and is recruited by General Berati, the most feared man in fascist Italy, as a spy. After a brief encounter with a glamorous yet murderous Italian princess, Fawley's mission takes him undercover to Monaco. Suave and worldly, Fawley is quite at home in the casinos and golf courses of Monte Carlo - but he is soon entangled in a game with higher stakes. As the nations of Europe vie for power, Fawley reveals the secret weapon that will determine the outcome of the looming war. This classic thriller - undoubtedly an influence on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels - is now republished for the first time since the 1930s. With its yachts and cocktail parties, its steely hero and brutal assassins, and its cinematic range across the cities of Europe, this is a gripping and sophisticated tale of a spy who saves the world.