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2015 Book Review #45: Istanbul Passage
Title: Istanbul Passage
Author: Joseph Kanon
Genre: Cold War thriller
Thingummies: 4.5
Synopsis: In the aftermath of World War II, an American expat in Istanbul plays at being spy, until the game turns out to be for higher stakes than he'd realized.
Thoughts: This is a spy novel in the mold of John le Carre--weariness and horror slowly leaching out the fun of spycraft. The author, however cynical about the ability for espionage to actually improve the world or even really advance any nation's best interests, still finds it addictive. It's deeply intricate. Everyone has hidden motives, double and triple crosses everyone else, and is still not entirely sure what happened by the end. I'll warn you right off the bat--this is not a Tom Clancy novel. In the end, no one is pure of heart or clean of hands or even particularly happy with the result. But the details--from the spycraft to the layered characterization to the descriptions of the city--are engrossing.
Author: Joseph Kanon
Genre: Cold War thriller
Thingummies: 4.5
Synopsis: In the aftermath of World War II, an American expat in Istanbul plays at being spy, until the game turns out to be for higher stakes than he'd realized.
Thoughts: This is a spy novel in the mold of John le Carre--weariness and horror slowly leaching out the fun of spycraft. The author, however cynical about the ability for espionage to actually improve the world or even really advance any nation's best interests, still finds it addictive. It's deeply intricate. Everyone has hidden motives, double and triple crosses everyone else, and is still not entirely sure what happened by the end. I'll warn you right off the bat--this is not a Tom Clancy novel. In the end, no one is pure of heart or clean of hands or even particularly happy with the result. But the details--from the spycraft to the layered characterization to the descriptions of the city--are engrossing.