I’m almost finished up with Jazz so I went ahead and gathered some more books to read. This time I went with a spy novel theme. Initially I just wanted to read some Ian Fleming, but after some consideration I figured why not just read all the big spy novelists?
First up will be a novel by John le Carre, ‘The Spy Who Came in From the Cold,’ which my dad says is one of the best books he’s ever read. When Alec Leamas, a cold war era spy, sees his last agent shot down by East German sentries, he thinks he’s done with the war. Just as he’s facing retirement though, he gets a new opportunity to take revenge. By offering himself as bait, he hopes to trap the director of the East German Intelligence Service, a big fish indeed. This is the novel that got le Carre’s career really going, so I have high expectations.
Next I’ll read the Bond book, ‘From Russia With Love.’ In this episode, the titular hero must survive a trip on the legendary Orient Express while escorting a prized asset who I have no doubt will have some prized assets. Double crosses, Bond girls, assassins, its everything a Bond story has ever had.
I’ll cap things off by reading the novel that one of my favorite movies is based on, Tom Clancy’s ‘The Hunt for Red October.’ In this one, Jack Ryan discovers that the Soviet Union’s prized new submarine has gone missing. A first strike weapon that could take out millions, the new sub could kick off World War 3 in the wrong hands. I’m hoping this one has the same marvelous pacing and suspense as the movie. It’s actually Clancy’s first novel, so I guess I’ll find out what it takes to have an international best seller for your debut.
That’s about it for this book haul. The review for ‘Jazz’ will be out soon, and then I’ll start on the spy novels. Should be an interesting few weeks!
Thank you for reading,
Benjamin Hawley
Dangerous Day Job 
6 responses to “Day 157: Book Haul!”
Great idea to theme it. I think I tried Red October for a while and didn’t get far.
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Thanks! And what was it that turned you away?
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It’s a long time ago but I think the technical and military stuff, it’s a bit man cave for my taste
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Interested in real unadulterated intelligence, encryption, espionage and ungentlemanly warfare? Do read the epic fact based spy thriller, Bill Fairclough’s Beyond Enkription, the first stand-alone novel of six in TheBurlingtonFiles series. He was one of Pemberton’s People in MI6.
Beyond Enkription follows the real life of a real spy, Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington who worked for British Intelligence, the CIA et al. It’s the stuff memorable spy films are made of, unadulterated, realistic yet punchy, pacy and provocative; a super read as long as you don’t expect John le Carré’s delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots.
For the synopsis of Beyond Enkription see TheBurlingtonFiles website. This thriller is like nothing we have ever come across before. Indeed, we wonder what The Burlington Files would have been like if David Cornwell aka John le Carré had collaborated with Bill Fairclough. They did consider it and even though they didn’t collaborate, Beyond Enkription is still described as ”up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”. Why? The novel explores the exploitation of the ignorance and naivety of agents to the same extent as MI6 does in real life.
As for Bill Fairclough, he has even been described as a real life posh Harry Palmer; there are many intriguing bios of him on the web. As for Beyond Enkription, it’s a must read for espionage cognoscenti. To relish in this totally different fact based espionage thriller best do some research first. Try reading three brief news articles published on TheBurlingtonFiles website. One is about Bill Fairclough (August 2023), characters’ identities (September 2021) and Pemberton’s People (October 2022). What is amazing is that these articles were only published many years after Beyond Enkription itself was. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world!
As for TheBurlingtonFiles website, it is like a living espionage museum and as breathtaking as a compelling thriller in its own right. You can find the articles at https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2021.09.26.php and https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2022.10.31.php.
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Hey thanks, I’ll check it out!
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Before reading Beyond Enkription I recommend you read three brief news articles published on TheBurlingtonFiles website. One is about Bill Fairclough (August 2023), characters’ identities (September 2021) and Pemberton’s People (October 2022). What is amazing is that these articles were only published several years after Beyond Enkription itself was. You’ll soon be immersed in a whole new world
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