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Available
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Brilliance Audio (2015), Edition: Unabridged
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silvaâ??s celebrated debut novel, The Unlikely Spy, is â??A ROLLER-COASTER WORLD WAR II ADVENTURE that conjures up memories of the best of Ken Follett and Frederick Forsythâ?ť (The Orlando Sentinel). â??In wartime,â?ť Winston Churchill wrote, â??truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.â?ť For Britainâ??s counterintelligence operations, this meant finding the unlikeliest agent imaginableâ??a history professor named Alfred Vicary, handpicked by Churchill himself to expose a highly dangerous, but unknown, traitor. The Nazis, however, have also chosen an unlikely agent. Catherine Blake is the beautiful widow of a war hero, a hospital volunteerâ??and a Nazi spy under direct orders from Hitler: uncover the… (more)
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User reviews
LibraryThing member RonWelton
The Unlikely Spy, the first of Daniel Silva's string of spy thrillers, should pique enough interest to lead one into a sampling of his other works. The novel is true to the history of MI5 and its desperate attempt to keep the location of the planned invasion of Europe from the Nazis. Professor
There is much in the way of deception and betrayal throughout the novel which moves swiftly into an exciting search for a highly skilled and murderous female spy, who, despicable as she is, has some appeal to the reader's sympathy. We are also brought into the Nazi's perspective and follow Kurt Vogel, master spy trainer and runner as he struggles to find the truth and deals with his loathing of Hitler.
The plot takes a surprising twist the last few pages which is worth the wait.
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Alfred Vicary is given the task by his friend Churchill who tells him to report ..."to Brigadier Sir Basil Boothby. He is the head of the division to which you will be assigned. He is also the complete English ass. He'd thwart me if he could, but he's too stupid for that. Man could fuck up a steel ball."There is much in the way of deception and betrayal throughout the novel which moves swiftly into an exciting search for a highly skilled and murderous female spy, who, despicable as she is, has some appeal to the reader's sympathy. We are also brought into the Nazi's perspective and follow Kurt Vogel, master spy trainer and runner as he struggles to find the truth and deals with his loathing of Hitler.
The plot takes a surprising twist the last few pages which is worth the wait.
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LibraryThing member ScottKalas
This is my 2nd Daniel Silva book and though I enjoyed the plot, and would have given it 5 stars but I once again was disappointed in Silva's use of graphic sex scenes, at times it read like a pornographic novel. Some would say I'm a Christian prude or what derogatory word is in these days, but
As for the overall story line it is one of those stories where it jumps form various locations and sub plots and the number of characters in the story at times can be challenging keeping them all organized if you should happen to have to set the book down for a couple of days. Which was the case for me especially in the first half of the book as it was slow and did not become can't set it down well into the second half.
If you like a good spy novel type book and or are a WWII fan, you will probably enjoy it, even more so if you aren't a Christian prude and not be bothered by the sex stuff.
I plan to give Silva another try with one of his latest books to see if overtime he has toned down the sex, but if not I'll most likely quit reading his work
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bottom line I feel he incorporates to much sex in his stories thus only 4 starsAs for the overall story line it is one of those stories where it jumps form various locations and sub plots and the number of characters in the story at times can be challenging keeping them all organized if you should happen to have to set the book down for a couple of days. Which was the case for me especially in the first half of the book as it was slow and did not become can't set it down well into the second half.
If you like a good spy novel type book and or are a WWII fan, you will probably enjoy it, even more so if you aren't a Christian prude and not be bothered by the sex stuff.
I plan to give Silva another try with one of his latest books to see if overtime he has toned down the sex, but if not I'll most likely quit reading his work
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LibraryThing member ZoharLaor
Disclaimer: I’m a sucker for WWII and / or spy books
Before I start – this is not a “Gabriel Allon” book as mentioned on the page title.
“The Unlikely Spy” is a fast paced page turner, set mostly in days preceding the Normandy invasion in WWII. The story’s unlikely hero is a university
Vicary is a spy catcher – he does his job well until realizing that a small group of German sleeper agents trained by Abwehr officer Kurt Vogel are still in Britain. The threat is that the German agents could discover the secrets to the invasion and allow the Germans to setup a proper defense line (or call the invasion off) and the invasion would fail.
Chief among the German spies is Anna Katerina von Steiner, known in Britain as Dutch tourist Catherine Blake. Catherine is an attractive woman and a top notch spy who has been a sleeper agent in London for six years - now she has been activated by Vogel.
Let the mind games and puzzles begin….
The plot twists and turns very cleverly and the ending caught me by surprise. Even though this is a big book, the narrative is told masterfully, the twists keep coming and it’s hard to stop reading.
The characters in the book are well drawn, they each are painted in shades of gray –the German spies have some redeeming qualities and the English MI5 agents are not depicted as saints doing G-d’s work.
Before I start – this is not a “Gabriel Allon” book as mentioned on the page title.
“The Unlikely Spy” is a fast paced page turner, set mostly in days preceding the Normandy invasion in WWII. The story’s unlikely hero is a university
Show More
professor named Alfred Vicray who was recruited by none other then Winston Churchill himself to work for the British MI5.Vicary is a spy catcher – he does his job well until realizing that a small group of German sleeper agents trained by Abwehr officer Kurt Vogel are still in Britain. The threat is that the German agents could discover the secrets to the invasion and allow the Germans to setup a proper defense line (or call the invasion off) and the invasion would fail.
Chief among the German spies is Anna Katerina von Steiner, known in Britain as Dutch tourist Catherine Blake. Catherine is an attractive woman and a top notch spy who has been a sleeper agent in London for six years - now she has been activated by Vogel.
Let the mind games and puzzles begin….
The plot twists and turns very cleverly and the ending caught me by surprise. Even though this is a big book, the narrative is told masterfully, the twists keep coming and it’s hard to stop reading.
The characters in the book are well drawn, they each are painted in shades of gray –the German spies have some redeeming qualities and the English MI5 agents are not depicted as saints doing G-d’s work.
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LibraryThing member hmskip
This is a WWII spy thriller similar to some by Ken Follett such as Eye of the Needle. Quite enjoyable, but the only characters I really found myself rooting for ended badly. The character development was just something short of the best in my mind, but the story itself was interesting and good.
I
The historical basis of this book, the Mulberry harbor crafts, was something I had never heard of before.
I
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find these stories about the British home front just prior the Normandy invasion very intriguing. I am also reading a book about the (real) decoding of the Enigma right now - so I have a lot of this on my mind. The historical basis of this book, the Mulberry harbor crafts, was something I had never heard of before.
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LibraryThing member mrtall
The Unlikely Spy is a solid, but fairly standard-issue spy thriller.
The eponymous spy is a university professor who’s been drafted into the intelligence service in the UK. As D-Day approaches, the consequences of leaked (or faked but believed) intelligence are potentially catastrophic. The
Silva’s cast of characters is quite good, although some clichés sneak in (could there ever be a female spy who lacked mesmerizing eyes, a wide, sexy mouth, and a taut, flawless figure?)
Oddly for books in this genre, The Unlikely Spy is best through its middle section. The book’s opening chapters introduce characters in disparate times and places, and feel a bit prosaic. The ending is overwritten; there’s too much recapping and rehashing of facts and events we readers already know all about.
Recommended for beach reading only.
The eponymous spy is a university professor who’s been drafted into the intelligence service in the UK. As D-Day approaches, the consequences of leaked (or faked but believed) intelligence are potentially catastrophic. The
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Germans have activated an elite sleeper agent, and the outcome of the war itself may turn on our protagonist’s ability to track her down.Silva’s cast of characters is quite good, although some clichés sneak in (could there ever be a female spy who lacked mesmerizing eyes, a wide, sexy mouth, and a taut, flawless figure?)
Oddly for books in this genre, The Unlikely Spy is best through its middle section. The book’s opening chapters introduce characters in disparate times and places, and feel a bit prosaic. The ending is overwritten; there’s too much recapping and rehashing of facts and events we readers already know all about.
Recommended for beach reading only.
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LibraryThing member Neilsantos
Yes, I pick books at random that have swastikas or wehrmacht eagles. It was good, the title is misleading. The spy is quite likely in fact and the ending was a self-pitying, which is annoying. I don't think I liked Silva to try another of his outside this genre.
LibraryThing member annettebr
This was the first book I read by Mr. Silva, and will pick up his other books to read too.
I really enjoyed this story, and the characters, and was drawn into the climax, rooting for both the good guys and the bad guys and hoping it all worked out to save the world.
The end was not satisfying
I really enjoyed this story, and the characters, and was drawn into the climax, rooting for both the good guys and the bad guys and hoping it all worked out to save the world.
The end was not satisfying
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however. Our Hero maybe wasn't such a hero, and maybe all the time reading was itn't worth it. Still, it was a fun ride. Show Less
LibraryThing member theportal2002
I enjoyed this book very much.
LibraryThing member ashergabbay
I was introduced to Daniel Silva by my boss, who gave me “Portrait of a Spy” to read. Having enjoyed that book, I decided to read more of Silva and downloaded his first novel “The Unlikely Spy”, thinking I’m in for more modern secret service action. Turns out this novel is unique in not
Britain is preparing for D-Day and the location of the invasion of mainland Europe is kept as a top secret. Germany is desperate to find out where the Allies are planning to land (Calais or Normandy) in order to prepare their defences. Alfred Vicary, a university professor recruited to MI5 is in charge of feeding false information to Germans via the network of amateurish spies Germany sent to England, all rounded up by the Brits early on in the war. But Vicary feels there is one more German spy who managed to escape the British net. And he is correct.
Catherina Blake is the “unlikely spy”. She infiltrated England years back, killing an innocent woman to hide her traces and blend into London society. Blake is now activated to find out the secret that will determine the outcome of the war. She finds it out by seducing an American engineer working on the project and is now desperately trying to escape the clutches of MI5, hot on her heels, and pass it on to Berlin. Who wins the race? I won’t tell you, but I’ll give you a hint: the Allies won the war.
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belonging to the Gabriel Allon series (the fictional Mossad agent Silva wrote 12 books about to date). This book is actually about the German and British spy games during World War II.Britain is preparing for D-Day and the location of the invasion of mainland Europe is kept as a top secret. Germany is desperate to find out where the Allies are planning to land (Calais or Normandy) in order to prepare their defences. Alfred Vicary, a university professor recruited to MI5 is in charge of feeding false information to Germans via the network of amateurish spies Germany sent to England, all rounded up by the Brits early on in the war. But Vicary feels there is one more German spy who managed to escape the British net. And he is correct.
Catherina Blake is the “unlikely spy”. She infiltrated England years back, killing an innocent woman to hide her traces and blend into London society. Blake is now activated to find out the secret that will determine the outcome of the war. She finds it out by seducing an American engineer working on the project and is now desperately trying to escape the clutches of MI5, hot on her heels, and pass it on to Berlin. Who wins the race? I won’t tell you, but I’ll give you a hint: the Allies won the war.
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LibraryThing member LaBibliophille
Daniel Siva's debut novel, The Unlikely Spy, was first published in 1996.Because I so enjoyed two of his newer books, I thought I'd give this one a try. And I'm glad I did!
This is the utterly compelling story of Britain's MI-5 and Germany's Abwehr, the military intelligence services, during
The Unlikely Spy is meticulously researched. Many of the characters are, of course, fiction. But there are realistic and compelling portraits of historical figures we know much about (Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler, to name just two) and those most of us have never heard of. Chief among these is the head of the Abwehr, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. Admiral Canaris was involved in a plot to depose Hitler and was actually executed by the Nazis for treason.
This book can be very confusing with its tales of spies, military intelligence, and counter-intelligence. There are many characters, and it's not always easy to figure out who is really working for who, and which of the characters is who they purport to be. The main character is Alfred Vicary, history professor at University College, London. Vicary is recruited for work at MI-5 by none other than Winston Churchill. He soon finds that he enjoys intelligence work, and is contributing to the war effort. In 1943 his boss, Brigadier Sir Basil Boothby, sets him to work on Operation Mulberry, Britain's plan to deceive the Nazis. Vicary soon realizes there is much he is not being told about Mulberry, and also that he is being misled. Is Boothby a traitor? Or is he manipulating Vicary for other reasons?
At the same time, there is much turmoil at the Abwehr. Germany is losing the war effort. They know that the Allies are planning an invasion of Europe, but they cannot figure out when and where the invasion will take place. The Abwehr activates one of its sleeper agents in Britain to ascertain this information. It is this person that Vicary is responsible for apprehending before it is too late. Kurt Vogel is the Abwehr administrator in charge of the sleeper agents, and he is no fan of Admiral Canaris. Vogel is ambitious, and willing to do anything to unseat Canaris and control the Abwehr himself.
There is so much more to this book but it would be a disservice to write any more about it. It is thrilling, interesting, and will keep you guessing until the very end.
This is the utterly compelling story of Britain's MI-5 and Germany's Abwehr, the military intelligence services, during
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World War II. Many German spies in Britain were arrested and either hanged or "turned" by MI-5. However, a number of agents were in the country in deep cover. The British suspected that those sleeper agents existed, but had no idea who they were. As the British and the Americans began planning for the Normandy invasion, they became concerned that knowledge of the date and location of the landing would end up in German hands. So began a massive, complex and, we know, successful plan to mislead the Germans.The Unlikely Spy is meticulously researched. Many of the characters are, of course, fiction. But there are realistic and compelling portraits of historical figures we know much about (Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler, to name just two) and those most of us have never heard of. Chief among these is the head of the Abwehr, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. Admiral Canaris was involved in a plot to depose Hitler and was actually executed by the Nazis for treason.
This book can be very confusing with its tales of spies, military intelligence, and counter-intelligence. There are many characters, and it's not always easy to figure out who is really working for who, and which of the characters is who they purport to be. The main character is Alfred Vicary, history professor at University College, London. Vicary is recruited for work at MI-5 by none other than Winston Churchill. He soon finds that he enjoys intelligence work, and is contributing to the war effort. In 1943 his boss, Brigadier Sir Basil Boothby, sets him to work on Operation Mulberry, Britain's plan to deceive the Nazis. Vicary soon realizes there is much he is not being told about Mulberry, and also that he is being misled. Is Boothby a traitor? Or is he manipulating Vicary for other reasons?
At the same time, there is much turmoil at the Abwehr. Germany is losing the war effort. They know that the Allies are planning an invasion of Europe, but they cannot figure out when and where the invasion will take place. The Abwehr activates one of its sleeper agents in Britain to ascertain this information. It is this person that Vicary is responsible for apprehending before it is too late. Kurt Vogel is the Abwehr administrator in charge of the sleeper agents, and he is no fan of Admiral Canaris. Vogel is ambitious, and willing to do anything to unseat Canaris and control the Abwehr himself.
There is so much more to this book but it would be a disservice to write any more about it. It is thrilling, interesting, and will keep you guessing until the very end.
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LibraryThing member Bruce_Deming
Very good spy book. I have read many that have followed this one by Daniel Silva.
I like the premise of the hero Gabriel Allon being a master painting restorer and artist at heart.
The book held me and was suspenseful.
I like the premise of the hero Gabriel Allon being a master painting restorer and artist at heart.
The book held me and was suspenseful.
LibraryThing member Veeralpadhiar
Overall this book was good. It is pretty similar to "Eye of the Needle" by Ken Follett. But Needle is better. But if you are interested in world war-II as well as espionage fiction, this novel is worth a try.
LibraryThing member FKarr
very cool, Alfred Vicary is a spymaster, being used as a spy by Boothby his boss; spies, counterspies, double crosses & this doesn't even describe the main story
LibraryThing member miyurose
I am a big fan of Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up this, his debut novel. Though it was in danger of being a bit too long, I found the plot engaging and it definitely kept me reading. Just when you thought you had the whole thing figured out, you find out you were
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wrong. The pacing at the climax was great, and really drove home the importance of what was happening. You almost find yourself rooting for Catherine, wanting her to find some peace. I’m happy to add this to my collection of WWII historical novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member ck2935
I read this at the beach several years ago and it is a really good WWII spy novel.
LibraryThing member dondemaio
Great spy story encumbered by clumsy, almost laughable, erotic scenes. ("She arched her back to meet his pulsating .... ") But the plot is really good and kept me plowing through seemingly unending erotica. If you can stand the junk you'll enjoy the story.
LibraryThing member utbw42
Another outstanding early work from Silva. This is probably one of the best 2 or 3 books I've read this year. Silva masterly weaves fiction into the history of the events leading up to D-Day. I was riveted to the pages right to the end. I recommend this book to anyone.
LibraryThing member bcrowl399
I really loved reading this book. I've never read anything by Daniel Silva before and this was one of the best books I've ever read. The characters were full and interesting. The plot was so clever and complex. Complex, but not complicated to the point that you couldn't understand what was
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happening. I found the book difficult to put down at the beginning and near the end the suspense was so intense that I simply couldn't stop reading it. It's wonderful to read a book which has flawless grammar and excellent sentence structure, things I don't take for granted anymore. I plan to read as many of Daniel Silva's books as I can. A great book by an excellent author. It's hard to believe it's his first. Truly 5 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
We visited the D-Day beaches in November 2014, and that visit was fresh in my mind when I read this book. On the visit we learned that the essential key to the success of any invasion of the continent was a harbor, in order to supply the tons and tons of materials necessary to support the war
This WW II novel is about the German spies attempting to discover where the allies intended to land when they eventually invaded the continent. A female German spy insinuates herself into the life of an engineer working on the secret harbor technology that would enable the allies to stage their invasion at a site where there was no natural harbor.
I liked most of the book. The characters are a mixture of real and fictional. One of the reviews on Amazon from a "real" spy said that the book captures the duplicity of governments during wartime with espionage and counter-espionage, obtaining information and disseminating misinformation. I liked most of the book, but I found the ending (the obligatory "chase" scene) very illogical.
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effort. There was no natural harbor in Normandy, and if the allies were to rely on a natural harbor they would have to land further north, which is where the Germans expected them to land. Instead, the allies developed the means to establish an artificial harbor at the Normandy beaches, and this is one of the greatest accomplishments of the allies in pulling off the D-Day invasion.This WW II novel is about the German spies attempting to discover where the allies intended to land when they eventually invaded the continent. A female German spy insinuates herself into the life of an engineer working on the secret harbor technology that would enable the allies to stage their invasion at a site where there was no natural harbor.
I liked most of the book. The characters are a mixture of real and fictional. One of the reviews on Amazon from a "real" spy said that the book captures the duplicity of governments during wartime with espionage and counter-espionage, obtaining information and disseminating misinformation. I liked most of the book, but I found the ending (the obligatory "chase" scene) very illogical.
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LibraryThing member TromboneAl
I abandoned this because I didn't like the writing style, and because there were too many things that didn't make sense.
For example, the first sentence says that Pymm died because she missed the bus. But a few pages later, we read that her murder was planned. So, she may have died ON THAT NIGHT,
For example, the first sentence says that Pymm died because she missed the bus. But a few pages later, we read that her murder was planned. So, she may have died ON THAT NIGHT,
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because she missed the bus, but that's not why she died. Show Less
LibraryThing member breic
Start with a John le Carré spy thriller, with perfect atmosphere. Now fill in all the elisions, with the plot, with the character sketches, with the dialog. Now elaborate every paragraph, and explain everything again. Repeat, elaborate it all a little bit more. Again.
I think Silva did get the
I think Silva did get the
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atmosphere right, at least at the start. The plot is good, too. But this book is so overwritten and over-explained, it feels ridiculous. Show Less
LibraryThing member ikeman100
Silva writes good solid thrillers. This was an unusual departure for him as it is written about WWII spies. Loved it as I love all his books.
LibraryThing member ikeman100
As usual Silva writes a good thriller. This one is set in the UK in WWII. Near perfect. I really enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member steller0707
An unusual book for me - WWII spy thriller. But it was a good, entertaining yarn and a fast read
LibraryThing member drmom62
Scanned certain parts. Decided I did not want to finish it because it was fiction. I like to know what really happened and not confuse my understanding with fictional accounts where I don't know what is true and what is not
ISBN
1501230115 / 9781501230110
UPC
889290382245