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