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A Deniable Death
Covert Rural Observation Posts are places where men like Danny 'Badger' Baxter hide for endless, motionless hours, secretly recording criminal or terrorist activity.But now Badger has a bigger job than photographing dissident Republicans in muddy Ulster fields or Islamic extremists on rainswept Yorkshire Improvised Explosive Devices are the roadside bombs which account for 80% of British casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.MI6 have a plan to assassinate the leading maker of these weapons when he leaves his house in Iran to visit Europe. But first, they need to know when he is leaving, and where he is going.So it is that Badger finds himself on the wrong side of the Iranian border, lumbered with a partner he loathes, lying under a merciless sun in a mosquito-infested marsh, observing the house. And knowing that if they are caught, Her Majesty's Government will deny all knowledge of them.Welcome to A Deniable Death.
439 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
92 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Seymour
98 books285 followersGerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
March 10, 2013
Gerald Seymour’s A Deniable Death is a must-read for lovers of thrillers, particularly those focusing on clandestine operations. In this novel, British intelligence is trying to take out an Iranian genius in developing IEDs (improvised explosive devices) whose efforts have resulted in hundreds of casualties. A two-man team is sent into Iran to stake out his home, based on the report that he may be leaving home to take his wife to Germany for a desperately needed operation to remove a brain tumor. The team plants listening devices that they monitor while hidden in Ghillie suits in the swamp around his home. The description of lying undercover in a swamp and performing all bodily functions unseen is riveting, as is, indeed, the entire plot.
I have a slight background in intelligence operations. Although I am nowhere in the same universe as the real operators, such as the ones that Seymour portrays, I do know enough to know that his descriptions are spot on. One of the reviews on the book jacket says that he is the best suspense novelist since John le Carré, but I think that he is better. This thriller could be considered for a literary fiction award. Nonetheless, this novel is a can’t put down mounting suspense thriller that really exposes the complexities of today’s often clandestine war in the Middle East. Five of five stars.
I have a slight background in intelligence operations. Although I am nowhere in the same universe as the real operators, such as the ones that Seymour portrays, I do know enough to know that his descriptions are spot on. One of the reviews on the book jacket says that he is the best suspense novelist since John le Carré, but I think that he is better. This thriller could be considered for a literary fiction award. Nonetheless, this novel is a can’t put down mounting suspense thriller that really exposes the complexities of today’s often clandestine war in the Middle East. Five of five stars.
August 31, 2012
Two strange blokes sit in a hide in a reed marsh for the first 400 pages, watching another strange bloke. A few miles away, a strange woman waits to take the first two strange blokes home - whilst another strange bloke waits in Europe to hear from the first two strange blokes so that he can arrange the death of the other strange bloke.
There are some strange, illogical plot twists - and some other, pretty inconsequential, strange additional characters who aren't really necessary. They just add to the strange confusion we're already suffering from.
There are also some very jarring factual mistakes in the book - the author keeps referring to the "Brecon Mountains", or "The Brecons" - when everyone who lives within a few hundred miles of them knows they're called the "Brecon Beacons" or just "the Beacons" - when a gaffe as big as that appears, you wonder how many other oversights have been made.
Many sentences seem to be half written, propositions made almost whimsically, with no real purpose to them - other than, maybe, to create this further sense of detachment from reality in the whole book?
The title suggests a death that can be denied - the reality is an extremely disappointing book the reading of which I wish I could deny.
There are some strange, illogical plot twists - and some other, pretty inconsequential, strange additional characters who aren't really necessary. They just add to the strange confusion we're already suffering from.
There are also some very jarring factual mistakes in the book - the author keeps referring to the "Brecon Mountains", or "The Brecons" - when everyone who lives within a few hundred miles of them knows they're called the "Brecon Beacons" or just "the Beacons" - when a gaffe as big as that appears, you wonder how many other oversights have been made.
Many sentences seem to be half written, propositions made almost whimsically, with no real purpose to them - other than, maybe, to create this further sense of detachment from reality in the whole book?
The title suggests a death that can be denied - the reality is an extremely disappointing book the reading of which I wish I could deny.
March 4, 2013
This is the first book I've read by Gerald Seymour and I thought the plot was excellent and I enjoyed the range of characters inhabiting the pages. For the most part I think the book was well-written and gripping. It must have taken a huge amount of research and I respect that together with the attention to detail regarding descriptions of the vehicles and weapons involved, but having said that, there are a couple of elements of Seymour's style that I did not like.
Perhaps it was because I listened to this as an audible book, but I found his habit of starting new sections with 'he' or 'she' rather than the name of the character, at first inconvenient and later, irritating. It's a device that works if an author doesn't over-use it, which, in my opinion, Seymour did.
Also annoying was his habit of listing things a character 'would not do' or 'would not say'. Again, if not overused, this device can add depth to a character, but I became frustrated when Seymour used it on several occasions since it's irrelevant for me to know what someone will 'not' do or 'not' say.
I also had a problem with the intense hatred between Foxy and Badger. Of course I have never done the jobs they did nor been in a situation similar to the one in which they found themselves, but I would have thought that, considering the importance of their mission, in the interests of doing a professional job, they would have been men enough to put their differences aside. I accept there could be conflict, but I couldn't buy into Foxy playing the practical joke he did on Badger when not only a critical mission but also their lives... or rather the very high chance of torturous deaths... were on the line.
For me the above spoiled what otherwise was an excellent story, but it won't put me off reading another of his books.
Perhaps it was because I listened to this as an audible book, but I found his habit of starting new sections with 'he' or 'she' rather than the name of the character, at first inconvenient and later, irritating. It's a device that works if an author doesn't over-use it, which, in my opinion, Seymour did.
Also annoying was his habit of listing things a character 'would not do' or 'would not say'. Again, if not overused, this device can add depth to a character, but I became frustrated when Seymour used it on several occasions since it's irrelevant for me to know what someone will 'not' do or 'not' say.
I also had a problem with the intense hatred between Foxy and Badger. Of course I have never done the jobs they did nor been in a situation similar to the one in which they found themselves, but I would have thought that, considering the importance of their mission, in the interests of doing a professional job, they would have been men enough to put their differences aside. I accept there could be conflict, but I couldn't buy into Foxy playing the practical joke he did on Badger when not only a critical mission but also their lives... or rather the very high chance of torturous deaths... were on the line.
For me the above spoiled what otherwise was an excellent story, but it won't put me off reading another of his books.
October 4, 2011
Disappointingly dull and not very exciting thriller
OK, I won't explain the plot or introduce you to the characters - there are plenty of other reviews that cover that angle. I will start by pointing out that I am not a particular fan of the action/adventure political/military thriller genre that this novel seems to align with. I read, many years ago, most of Tom Clancy's early thrillers (if my memory serves me well, Deniable Death is quite close in its premise to Clear and Present Danger) and enjoyed them a lot, but never felt the urge to explore the style any further, so I'm coming to this book as a bit of a tyro.
The other confession is that I failed to finish it - I read faithfully to about half way and then started skimming, giving up entirely at around p300 - and here beginneth the review...
It's about 400 or more pages in length, so not a small book by any means, but neither is it the longest that I've ever read. However it's very badly in need of a short-back-and-sides, reading as it does as if the author was aiming for a page count and felt it necessary to pad it out with a lot of unnecessary waffle. Again, I can cope with that sort of thing (think Clancy. Think Stephen King) but the waffle needs to progress the plot and I felt that Seymour failed in that respect; the padding is just padding - it's in context but of little relevance. What would make up for the size of the book (and both Clancy and King could do this to perfection) would be to make it exciting, but again Seymour fails. The action sequences (and there aren't many of them in the first half) are brief, sterile and dull. Even the capture & torture sequence failed to spark. Perhaps this all changes at the very end, but if the book can't make a stock escape-and-evade scene exciting then there's not much hope in my opinion.
A major failing of A Deniable Death is that it takes so many points of view (the main protagonists, their "handler", their back-up team, their target, the target's bodyguard, the target's bodyguard's wire-haired terrier Nigel* and several more) and jumps mercilessly between them, often all in a single chapter. This sort of thing is of course not uncommon and, done well, it has the potential to enhance the flow of the story. Done to excess (as it is in this book) and it fractures the flow and, for instance, I would just begin to settle into the hide with the covert observers when Seymour transported me back to the control room in the UK and then to a shooting range in Israel and thence to a hospital in Germany, etc etc. Another problem is that it breaks the bond between the reader and the characters, which leads to yet another criticism: none of the characters are sympathetic or even particuarly likeable.
Take the two protagonists, Foxy & Badger who, we are led to believe are highly professional and experienced covert observation specialists, capable of lying up in a hide for days on end, drinking little & eating less, not moving, speaking and barely breathing, weeing and pooing into bags and so-on. Well, they spend the entire book, in the hide and out, bickering, sniping, carping at one another and even trading blows (in the hide, I ask you!). Neither has (from the pov of the reader) a moral advantage in this little war, so it is impossible to forgive one or the other for this apparent gross unprofessionalism. I wouldn't choose either to pop to the shops for a packet of ciggies, let alone do what the author has them doing (what idiot /planned/ this operation for heaven's sake?). Another example is a minor character who appears a couple of times in the book - a British Legion standard bearer who we first meet in the prologue during a Wooton Basset military repatriation. He has no apparent part to play in the plot but /still/ Seymour managed to make me dislike him by pointing out, unnecessarily, that his military service was spent in the Pay Corps, he worked with numbers rather than weapons, never left the UK and never heard a shot fired in anger. What on earth does this little act of authorship achieve? How can I like the book, if I dislike even unobtrusive, undeserving characters so much? I wondered if the Wooton Basset scene was supposed to be a "nice touch", a tribute to the town that has figured so large in the British psyche in the last decade. Not so. It's just plonked there at the beginning of the book (it does figure again later) with nothing much to say and what is does say comes across as petty and unfair.
Well, I have a number of other complaints and criticisms, but perhaps I'll park them for now and finish on a relatively high note. I found the book to be a page-turner - not, by any means unputdownable, but certainly compelling and if you like the author's other work and enjoy the genre I'm sure you'll get on well enough with this. Having read this sort of stuff mostly back in the 80's I'm used to the premise being either Northern Ireland or the Cold War so there was some culture shock in finding that this novel is set, bang up to date, in the Iraq/post 9-11 context. That added some interest for me, although I expect it will come as no surprise to genre devotees.
OK, I won't explain the plot or introduce you to the characters - there are plenty of other reviews that cover that angle. I will start by pointing out that I am not a particular fan of the action/adventure political/military thriller genre that this novel seems to align with. I read, many years ago, most of Tom Clancy's early thrillers (if my memory serves me well, Deniable Death is quite close in its premise to Clear and Present Danger) and enjoyed them a lot, but never felt the urge to explore the style any further, so I'm coming to this book as a bit of a tyro.
The other confession is that I failed to finish it - I read faithfully to about half way and then started skimming, giving up entirely at around p300 - and here beginneth the review...
It's about 400 or more pages in length, so not a small book by any means, but neither is it the longest that I've ever read. However it's very badly in need of a short-back-and-sides, reading as it does as if the author was aiming for a page count and felt it necessary to pad it out with a lot of unnecessary waffle. Again, I can cope with that sort of thing (think Clancy. Think Stephen King) but the waffle needs to progress the plot and I felt that Seymour failed in that respect; the padding is just padding - it's in context but of little relevance. What would make up for the size of the book (and both Clancy and King could do this to perfection) would be to make it exciting, but again Seymour fails. The action sequences (and there aren't many of them in the first half) are brief, sterile and dull. Even the capture & torture sequence failed to spark. Perhaps this all changes at the very end, but if the book can't make a stock escape-and-evade scene exciting then there's not much hope in my opinion.
A major failing of A Deniable Death is that it takes so many points of view (the main protagonists, their "handler", their back-up team, their target, the target's bodyguard, the target's bodyguard's wire-haired terrier Nigel* and several more) and jumps mercilessly between them, often all in a single chapter. This sort of thing is of course not uncommon and, done well, it has the potential to enhance the flow of the story. Done to excess (as it is in this book) and it fractures the flow and, for instance, I would just begin to settle into the hide with the covert observers when Seymour transported me back to the control room in the UK and then to a shooting range in Israel and thence to a hospital in Germany, etc etc. Another problem is that it breaks the bond between the reader and the characters, which leads to yet another criticism: none of the characters are sympathetic or even particuarly likeable.
Take the two protagonists, Foxy & Badger who, we are led to believe are highly professional and experienced covert observation specialists, capable of lying up in a hide for days on end, drinking little & eating less, not moving, speaking and barely breathing, weeing and pooing into bags and so-on. Well, they spend the entire book, in the hide and out, bickering, sniping, carping at one another and even trading blows (in the hide, I ask you!). Neither has (from the pov of the reader) a moral advantage in this little war, so it is impossible to forgive one or the other for this apparent gross unprofessionalism. I wouldn't choose either to pop to the shops for a packet of ciggies, let alone do what the author has them doing (what idiot /planned/ this operation for heaven's sake?). Another example is a minor character who appears a couple of times in the book - a British Legion standard bearer who we first meet in the prologue during a Wooton Basset military repatriation. He has no apparent part to play in the plot but /still/ Seymour managed to make me dislike him by pointing out, unnecessarily, that his military service was spent in the Pay Corps, he worked with numbers rather than weapons, never left the UK and never heard a shot fired in anger. What on earth does this little act of authorship achieve? How can I like the book, if I dislike even unobtrusive, undeserving characters so much? I wondered if the Wooton Basset scene was supposed to be a "nice touch", a tribute to the town that has figured so large in the British psyche in the last decade. Not so. It's just plonked there at the beginning of the book (it does figure again later) with nothing much to say and what is does say comes across as petty and unfair.
Well, I have a number of other complaints and criticisms, but perhaps I'll park them for now and finish on a relatively high note. I found the book to be a page-turner - not, by any means unputdownable, but certainly compelling and if you like the author's other work and enjoy the genre I'm sure you'll get on well enough with this. Having read this sort of stuff mostly back in the 80's I'm used to the premise being either Northern Ireland or the Cold War so there was some culture shock in finding that this novel is set, bang up to date, in the Iraq/post 9-11 context. That added some interest for me, although I expect it will come as no surprise to genre devotees.
July 3, 2013
One of Gerald Seymour's best IMHO.
It's a typical Seymour political thriller. Based on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the plot hinges on the identification by the British spy services of a master Iranian bomb-maker, responsible for the technologies in IEDs (improvisd explosive devices, or road-side bombs) that have taken a toll on allied soldiers, both physical and mental. The decision is made to assassinate the bomb-maker.
I'd hate to give much away, so let me just say that the plot is the usual Seymour acceleration into chaos, with the story told as a fast-faced series of vignettes that take the point of view of each of the major players in the drama in turn. Much of Seymour's immense skill is his ability to place the reader inside the mindsets of so many protagonists without seeming to take sides.
Most (if not all) of his novels turn on the moral dilemmas exposed by the actions of the more powerful parties in his dramas. For example, the Iranian bomb-maker is portrayed as a devoted family man whose elegant, high-born wife is an active and devoted participant in mine clearance programmes designed to save children and farmers from injury or death. Yet this wife is identified as a chink in his Iranian government sponsored armour. The bomb-maker is depicted as a man devoted to his country, but pleased to see student demonstrators hung in public.
Much of the story centres on two British covert 'observers', people skilled in fieldcraft, who have to get close enough to the bomb-maker just inside the Iraq-Iran border (and on the 'wrong' side) to be able to establish his likely movements. The two observers are opposites in almost every possible facet, which allows Seymour to develop interpersonal conflicts which have a major bearing on the plot. Even so, his great skill as a novelist is to make these characters (and many others, including the bomb-maker) into credible, sympathetic characters. The sympathy differs from character to character, of course, and each reader may empathise with different characters in differing ways. Seymour does, however, draw each of the main characters in broadly sympathetic ways.
Many Seymour stories have almost inevitable, often unhappy ends. He seems to believe in the power of the sheer bureaucratic momentum and inertia of major government security agencies over the actions of individuals and, especially, the moral choices that might be applied by individuals. (Lest I be a spoilsport, Seymour is very good at surprises.) 'A Deniable Death' has elements of this, but I can almost guarantee you will not guess the eventual outcome of this roller-coaster of a novel.
I found this to be a 'can't put down' novel, certainly one of Gerald Seymour's best. It's fast paced. There are frequent plot turns. The characters are all emminently believable and mostly sympathetic. The book starts quickly and accelerates to a desparate and thrilling climax.
If you like political thrillers, I'd highly recommend this.
It's a typical Seymour political thriller. Based on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the plot hinges on the identification by the British spy services of a master Iranian bomb-maker, responsible for the technologies in IEDs (improvisd explosive devices, or road-side bombs) that have taken a toll on allied soldiers, both physical and mental. The decision is made to assassinate the bomb-maker.
I'd hate to give much away, so let me just say that the plot is the usual Seymour acceleration into chaos, with the story told as a fast-faced series of vignettes that take the point of view of each of the major players in the drama in turn. Much of Seymour's immense skill is his ability to place the reader inside the mindsets of so many protagonists without seeming to take sides.
Most (if not all) of his novels turn on the moral dilemmas exposed by the actions of the more powerful parties in his dramas. For example, the Iranian bomb-maker is portrayed as a devoted family man whose elegant, high-born wife is an active and devoted participant in mine clearance programmes designed to save children and farmers from injury or death. Yet this wife is identified as a chink in his Iranian government sponsored armour. The bomb-maker is depicted as a man devoted to his country, but pleased to see student demonstrators hung in public.
Much of the story centres on two British covert 'observers', people skilled in fieldcraft, who have to get close enough to the bomb-maker just inside the Iraq-Iran border (and on the 'wrong' side) to be able to establish his likely movements. The two observers are opposites in almost every possible facet, which allows Seymour to develop interpersonal conflicts which have a major bearing on the plot. Even so, his great skill as a novelist is to make these characters (and many others, including the bomb-maker) into credible, sympathetic characters. The sympathy differs from character to character, of course, and each reader may empathise with different characters in differing ways. Seymour does, however, draw each of the main characters in broadly sympathetic ways.
Many Seymour stories have almost inevitable, often unhappy ends. He seems to believe in the power of the sheer bureaucratic momentum and inertia of major government security agencies over the actions of individuals and, especially, the moral choices that might be applied by individuals. (Lest I be a spoilsport, Seymour is very good at surprises.) 'A Deniable Death' has elements of this, but I can almost guarantee you will not guess the eventual outcome of this roller-coaster of a novel.
I found this to be a 'can't put down' novel, certainly one of Gerald Seymour's best. It's fast paced. There are frequent plot turns. The characters are all emminently believable and mostly sympathetic. The book starts quickly and accelerates to a desparate and thrilling climax.
If you like political thrillers, I'd highly recommend this.
July 25, 2017
Many things went very wrong with this book.. lets see which:
1.This book could have been shorter and hence, crispier... crunchier. The author kept on and on about it with too much of description and mental debate, which actually served no special purpose. Instead, it makes the book dull and you want to just tell the author to get done with it!
I confess I resorted to speed reading after around 300 pages. I just wanted the damn thing to conclude! (Please excuse my expression.)
2.Shallow. I guess that the author wanted to build some emotional connect here, wanted the readers to feel for the poor loser team in this book, which seemed doomed from the beginning... but, all that emotional drama didn't do anything for me. I have not taken Foxy or Badger with me after the last word was read. The characters somehow, just do not 'linger' as the author, probably, wished them too.
3.Incongrous. Personally, all that 'moral' or 'ethical' angle that was introduced here, as regards assassination, seemed so meaningless and out of place! It was a job given to people who are trained to follow orders. Plus, trying to drum up sympathy for supposed terrorists..? Ummm... I for one, am not tormented with such conflicting thoughts! I sadly did not feel anything even for Naghmeh... somehow, she was too much of a caricature, like a 'cardboard' cut-out! Too clichéd and uni-dimensional... too 'perfect'... -- the Tragic Heroine of a Classic Tragedy. Bored already.
4.Too much pushed in. The author has tried to fit in too much into one story. But, the problem is, unlike a movie or sharing of sweets among kids, equal amount of screen space (or word space here) Does Not amount to equal justice! Okay, I grant that we understand the characters pretty well here... but, we feel zilch for any of them.
5.Predictable. Somehow, I knew how it is going to end. (Shrugs) That added to the boredom quotient. I just wasn't surprised.
6.Forced additional torture. Really. There was no need, truly, to stretch it so far( this is the speed reading part. I simply switched off my mind. For a book --- a BIG negative). If it was added so that the readers start sympathising and respecting 'the old fool', well, it did neither in my case. Also, the mental disorientation at the end, of the Badger... again, maybe justified, maybe I would get same in similar situation, but, seemed a tad bit fake and dramatic.
Well, not wanting to rip this book completely apart, I just wish to conclude by saying, this could have been a much better book. Much shorter and crunchier. Although, the premise is quite slow, there could have been a better version.
Give it a miss. Not a huge loss.
1.This book could have been shorter and hence, crispier... crunchier. The author kept on and on about it with too much of description and mental debate, which actually served no special purpose. Instead, it makes the book dull and you want to just tell the author to get done with it!
I confess I resorted to speed reading after around 300 pages. I just wanted the damn thing to conclude! (Please excuse my expression.)
2.Shallow. I guess that the author wanted to build some emotional connect here, wanted the readers to feel for the poor loser team in this book, which seemed doomed from the beginning... but, all that emotional drama didn't do anything for me. I have not taken Foxy or Badger with me after the last word was read. The characters somehow, just do not 'linger' as the author, probably, wished them too.
3.Incongrous. Personally, all that 'moral' or 'ethical' angle that was introduced here, as regards assassination, seemed so meaningless and out of place! It was a job given to people who are trained to follow orders. Plus, trying to drum up sympathy for supposed terrorists..? Ummm... I for one, am not tormented with such conflicting thoughts! I sadly did not feel anything even for Naghmeh... somehow, she was too much of a caricature, like a 'cardboard' cut-out! Too clichéd and uni-dimensional... too 'perfect'... -- the Tragic Heroine of a Classic Tragedy. Bored already.
4.Too much pushed in. The author has tried to fit in too much into one story. But, the problem is, unlike a movie or sharing of sweets among kids, equal amount of screen space (or word space here) Does Not amount to equal justice! Okay, I grant that we understand the characters pretty well here... but, we feel zilch for any of them.
5.Predictable. Somehow, I knew how it is going to end. (Shrugs) That added to the boredom quotient. I just wasn't surprised.
6.Forced additional torture. Really. There was no need, truly, to stretch it so far( this is the speed reading part. I simply switched off my mind. For a book --- a BIG negative). If it was added so that the readers start sympathising and respecting 'the old fool', well, it did neither in my case. Also, the mental disorientation at the end, of the Badger... again, maybe justified, maybe I would get same in similar situation, but, seemed a tad bit fake and dramatic.
Well, not wanting to rip this book completely apart, I just wish to conclude by saying, this could have been a much better book. Much shorter and crunchier. Although, the premise is quite slow, there could have been a better version.
Give it a miss. Not a huge loss.
January 4, 2016
In the end I was utterly gripped by this extraordinary thriller. It has a slow, meticulously developed beginning which gradually reeled me in and left me quite unable to put it down for the last hundred pages or so.
The story is of an intelligence operation to attempt discover where a key Iraqi bomb-maker is travelling to for medical help for his wife, and there to kill him. Seymour's research is exceptionally detailed into all aspects of the operation, and he gives us the minutiae of the intelligence work and of the characters of those involved. I found myself thoroughly involved with many of the characters, even though many aren't all that likeable. Seymour really manages to put us in the position of the people involved and to help us understand their difficulties, fear and suffering, and the slow racking up of tension, particularly during the second half of the book, is quite masterly. (Do be aware that there are some shockingly grisly scenes. They are absolutely justified and an integral part of the narrative, but some readers may wish to be warned.)
The book does have its flaws. Generally the detail and character develoment is very successful, but I found the character stuff a little much at times: there are quite a number of key players, including the target and his wife, and Seymour gives us significant accounts of the lives and motivations of many of them. All this, plus the sheer weight of operational detail, began to drag the book down a bit around page 150, and I thought a bit of judicious editing would have helped. There is some rather heavy-handed moralising in places, too, and one speech in particular read less like spontaneous angry whisperings in a hideously uncomfortable observation hide and more like a carefully prepared address to a political rally.
Nevertheless, after finishing the book I was left with the sensation that I had been through something truly memorable, so in spite of some minor reservations this is highly recommended as an intelligent, absorbing read and, in the end, an exceptionally exciting and involving thriller.
The story is of an intelligence operation to attempt discover where a key Iraqi bomb-maker is travelling to for medical help for his wife, and there to kill him. Seymour's research is exceptionally detailed into all aspects of the operation, and he gives us the minutiae of the intelligence work and of the characters of those involved. I found myself thoroughly involved with many of the characters, even though many aren't all that likeable. Seymour really manages to put us in the position of the people involved and to help us understand their difficulties, fear and suffering, and the slow racking up of tension, particularly during the second half of the book, is quite masterly. (Do be aware that there are some shockingly grisly scenes. They are absolutely justified and an integral part of the narrative, but some readers may wish to be warned.)
The book does have its flaws. Generally the detail and character develoment is very successful, but I found the character stuff a little much at times: there are quite a number of key players, including the target and his wife, and Seymour gives us significant accounts of the lives and motivations of many of them. All this, plus the sheer weight of operational detail, began to drag the book down a bit around page 150, and I thought a bit of judicious editing would have helped. There is some rather heavy-handed moralising in places, too, and one speech in particular read less like spontaneous angry whisperings in a hideously uncomfortable observation hide and more like a carefully prepared address to a political rally.
Nevertheless, after finishing the book I was left with the sensation that I had been through something truly memorable, so in spite of some minor reservations this is highly recommended as an intelligent, absorbing read and, in the end, an exceptionally exciting and involving thriller.
August 3, 2012
You'd think, on the face of it, that this would be a book that would be right up my dark and twisty alley but for some reason A DENIABLE DEATH took an age to read, and I came away from it with a mild sense of disappointment.
And try as I might, I can't quite put my finger on why, as there was much about the book that I did like. It's very much a contemporary thriller, with a very strong idea as the central plot, delivered with pace and authority. I suspect what didn't quite work for me was the contrivance of the classic lone wolf - Badger - trudging through a very dangerous mission with a partner in tow that he can't stand. For some reason that didn't quite gel. Perhaps it's a device that seemed designed overtly to create a bit of tension. Whatever it was, the sniping and bitching got me flipping too many pages, and struggling to maintain focus at points.
Which was annoying as the idea of C.R.O.P. agents somehow seemed very realistic, possible, interesting. I just couldn't get the whole scenario to make sense - even though it is perfectly feasible that at some point in your life, everybody is going to be stuck in some sort of boat with somebody you'd happily rather throw overboard. On one level the whole thing seemed like a reasonable situation - yet at the same time it just refused to work for me in this book.
Of course, it's also very very possible that this simply was the wrong book at the wrong time, and something about those two central characters just got up my nose for no particular reason. Stranger things have been known to happen, and despite any slight sense of disappointment in A DENIABLE DEATH, there are lots of other books by this author that I have loved, and will continue to seek out.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
And try as I might, I can't quite put my finger on why, as there was much about the book that I did like. It's very much a contemporary thriller, with a very strong idea as the central plot, delivered with pace and authority. I suspect what didn't quite work for me was the contrivance of the classic lone wolf - Badger - trudging through a very dangerous mission with a partner in tow that he can't stand. For some reason that didn't quite gel. Perhaps it's a device that seemed designed overtly to create a bit of tension. Whatever it was, the sniping and bitching got me flipping too many pages, and struggling to maintain focus at points.
Which was annoying as the idea of C.R.O.P. agents somehow seemed very realistic, possible, interesting. I just couldn't get the whole scenario to make sense - even though it is perfectly feasible that at some point in your life, everybody is going to be stuck in some sort of boat with somebody you'd happily rather throw overboard. On one level the whole thing seemed like a reasonable situation - yet at the same time it just refused to work for me in this book.
Of course, it's also very very possible that this simply was the wrong book at the wrong time, and something about those two central characters just got up my nose for no particular reason. Stranger things have been known to happen, and despite any slight sense of disappointment in A DENIABLE DEATH, there are lots of other books by this author that I have loved, and will continue to seek out.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
August 5, 2013
This book is a truly gripping story of an unsanctioned covert operation on the Iran Iraq border. Months of dangerous fieldwork have uncovered the identity and location of the senior bomb engineer in Iran - a man responsible for the deaths of countless soldiers and civilians and the deteriorating situation in Iraq as the Allied troops are withdrawing.
A small team of British and Americans is sent to set up an assassination, with no official status and no back up beyond themselves - deniability is paramount.
The book is rich in characters - Foxy and Badger, the two British cops and covert surveillance experts who are sent over the Iranian border to listen till they can find out where and when the Engineer will be travelling, Abigail Jones, and her mercenary support team who identified and found the engineer, delivered the watchers and must wait to get them out when their mission is accomplished, the Engineer and his wife who runs a group that is disabling land mines, Gibbons the MI6 man seeking redemption and his American and Israeli counterparts, the Iranian surgeon living in Lubeck who is coerced by the Iranian government to operate on the wife of the Engineer.
Seymour brings each of them to life and makes the reader care about all of them, flaws and all; even the Engineer is understandable and in some measure sympathetic.
The narrative moves back and forth between the watchers and the watched, and those who wait for the call to action. The descriptions of the covert side of modern war, the qualities of character it demands and the physical and psychological toll it takes are outstanding.
A small team of British and Americans is sent to set up an assassination, with no official status and no back up beyond themselves - deniability is paramount.
The book is rich in characters - Foxy and Badger, the two British cops and covert surveillance experts who are sent over the Iranian border to listen till they can find out where and when the Engineer will be travelling, Abigail Jones, and her mercenary support team who identified and found the engineer, delivered the watchers and must wait to get them out when their mission is accomplished, the Engineer and his wife who runs a group that is disabling land mines, Gibbons the MI6 man seeking redemption and his American and Israeli counterparts, the Iranian surgeon living in Lubeck who is coerced by the Iranian government to operate on the wife of the Engineer.
Seymour brings each of them to life and makes the reader care about all of them, flaws and all; even the Engineer is understandable and in some measure sympathetic.
The narrative moves back and forth between the watchers and the watched, and those who wait for the call to action. The descriptions of the covert side of modern war, the qualities of character it demands and the physical and psychological toll it takes are outstanding.
June 27, 2018
Another tense thriller from a master of the genre. What starts as a simple mission slowly unravels as nature and antagonisms work against the two surveillance operatives sent into enemy territory. Seymour has that knack of getting the narrative to pick up pace as the tension mounts, leaving you relieved at the finish no matter what the ending brings.
June 9, 2017
Fantastic thriller. Gripping from start to end, Seymour is quite a find. The marshlands of Iran come alive and you can feel the tension slowly mounting as the story head towards an inexorable climax. One of the best spy thrillers I've read in ages.
March 25, 2013
amazing. couldn't put it down.
complex characters with real interactions. realistic plot and beautifully written.
brutal and touching conclusion.
complex characters with real interactions. realistic plot and beautifully written.
brutal and touching conclusion.
February 12, 2018
Probably very like the real thing. Modern espionage is more bureaucrat than James Bond.
Boring. I gave not a hoot about any of the characters.
Boring. I gave not a hoot about any of the characters.
May 23, 2025
Excellent, excellent, excellent!!! Well written and gripping novel, characters fleshed-out and believable. Proper page-turner.
November 27, 2022
Simply excellent
February 6, 2022
The Target – An engineer known to be behind the roadside bombs that are killing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Wife – The targets wife is in need of specialist medical treatment and will have to travel to Europe to get it.
The Doctor – Iranian by birth, his past has caught up with him and he is left no choice, he will treat the patient.
The Agencies – Multi agencies working together under a cloud of secrecy, not willing to strike an unarmed non-combatant in his own country and they need to know where the wife and her husband will be getting specialist treatment, a hit on neutral territory makes their involvement utterly deniable.
The covert surveillance operatives – Foxy in his fifties and no longer operational, a self opinionated lecturer who has the experience they need. Badger, a mere 28 years old, resourceful and totally dependable.
The Mission – To covertly take up position near the engineer's house on the Iraq/Iran border and listen until they can get the information required and relay it back.
The Support – The impressive Alpha Juliet and her team of private security contractors, the Jones Boys.
The Problem – Foxy and Badger hate each other on sight and as the hours turn into days in a mosquito infested marsh things don't get better.
This was a book of two halves for me, the first laying the groundwork and introducing the many characters. Slow moving and detailed I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it. By the time I'd turned the final pages I was completely blown away by what a terrific book it was, staying awake until 3am to finish it even though I had to get up for work in the morning.
Having finished it I realised that without the groundwork, the in-depth characterisation and background this wouldn't have been the story it was. It's a book about relationships; the most important of which was the team of Foxy and Badger, two totally different people, together in a harsh environment, hating each other but when it counts their inner strength and loyalty shines through.
If you're looking for a fast-paced all action thriller, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you like a well researched novel with great characterisation I wholeheartedly recommend it.
The Wife – The targets wife is in need of specialist medical treatment and will have to travel to Europe to get it.
The Doctor – Iranian by birth, his past has caught up with him and he is left no choice, he will treat the patient.
The Agencies – Multi agencies working together under a cloud of secrecy, not willing to strike an unarmed non-combatant in his own country and they need to know where the wife and her husband will be getting specialist treatment, a hit on neutral territory makes their involvement utterly deniable.
The covert surveillance operatives – Foxy in his fifties and no longer operational, a self opinionated lecturer who has the experience they need. Badger, a mere 28 years old, resourceful and totally dependable.
The Mission – To covertly take up position near the engineer's house on the Iraq/Iran border and listen until they can get the information required and relay it back.
The Support – The impressive Alpha Juliet and her team of private security contractors, the Jones Boys.
The Problem – Foxy and Badger hate each other on sight and as the hours turn into days in a mosquito infested marsh things don't get better.
This was a book of two halves for me, the first laying the groundwork and introducing the many characters. Slow moving and detailed I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it. By the time I'd turned the final pages I was completely blown away by what a terrific book it was, staying awake until 3am to finish it even though I had to get up for work in the morning.
Having finished it I realised that without the groundwork, the in-depth characterisation and background this wouldn't have been the story it was. It's a book about relationships; the most important of which was the team of Foxy and Badger, two totally different people, together in a harsh environment, hating each other but when it counts their inner strength and loyalty shines through.
If you're looking for a fast-paced all action thriller, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you like a well researched novel with great characterisation I wholeheartedly recommend it.
August 8, 2020
Seymour is up there with Le Carre, Deighton, Greene and Eric Ambler (which was a long time ago). He wrote a well researched, a vivid account of war torn areas and characters and allowed you to come along for the ride. In this episode, he took you initially to Basra, Iraq and then onto highway 6 where you learn about forward operation bases (FOP), marsh birds, golden hours, land mines, 'croppies', bund lines and berms, gillie suits and interdictions- all in the first 150 pages or so.
But, what sets Seymour apart from many other writers is that it's also a thriller and really set a cracking pace in the last half of the story. As usual, there was an array characters, all with a story to tell and Seymour kept you guessing who will succeed, who won't and who will survive in the end. There aren't glamorous heroes like Bond and or for that matter, even really badass villains, but Seymour shows what it's like to live with war, corruption and regime violence seemingly on a daily basis. He writes a story that was never black and white, predictable or foreseeable, rather it was all about shades of grey, if's and buts, murky decisions in war and, of course, it's all deniable! Excellent stuff! 4 Stars.
Gerald Seymour has been writing thrillers for more than thirty five years. Here are a few ranked accordingly:
5 Stars ~ ‘A Line in the Sand’ and ‘Home Run’.
4 Stars ~ ‘The Waiting Time’, ‘Holding the Zero’, ‘The Dealer and the Dead’, ‘’No Mortal Thing’, The Outsiders’, ‘A Deniable Death’, ‘A Damn Serious Business’, ‘Archangel’, ‘No Mortal Thing’, ‘The Collaborator’ and ‘Killing Ground’ ,’ The Journeyman Tailor’, ‘Field of Blood’ and ‘Harry’s Game’.
3 Stars ~ ‘A Song in the Morning', 'In Honour Bound’ & ‘The Untouchable’
2 Stars ~ ‘The Corporals Wife’ & 'The Unknown Soldier’.
But, what sets Seymour apart from many other writers is that it's also a thriller and really set a cracking pace in the last half of the story. As usual, there was an array characters, all with a story to tell and Seymour kept you guessing who will succeed, who won't and who will survive in the end. There aren't glamorous heroes like Bond and or for that matter, even really badass villains, but Seymour shows what it's like to live with war, corruption and regime violence seemingly on a daily basis. He writes a story that was never black and white, predictable or foreseeable, rather it was all about shades of grey, if's and buts, murky decisions in war and, of course, it's all deniable! Excellent stuff! 4 Stars.
Gerald Seymour has been writing thrillers for more than thirty five years. Here are a few ranked accordingly:
5 Stars ~ ‘A Line in the Sand’ and ‘Home Run’.
4 Stars ~ ‘The Waiting Time’, ‘Holding the Zero’, ‘The Dealer and the Dead’, ‘’No Mortal Thing’, The Outsiders’, ‘A Deniable Death’, ‘A Damn Serious Business’, ‘Archangel’, ‘No Mortal Thing’, ‘The Collaborator’ and ‘Killing Ground’ ,’ The Journeyman Tailor’, ‘Field of Blood’ and ‘Harry’s Game’.
3 Stars ~ ‘A Song in the Morning', 'In Honour Bound’ & ‘The Untouchable’
2 Stars ~ ‘The Corporals Wife’ & 'The Unknown Soldier’.
August 6, 2016
I 'discovered' Gerald Seymour about a year ago and have cycled through several of his books. This is a pretty good effort, albeit a bit long.
The plot is interesting and he seems to know a lot about clandestine activities, which I think is one of his strengths. The story is basically about the surveillance preceding an unsanctioned government 'hit' on a bad guy who had been responsible for a lot of allied death and destruction during the war on terror. Most of it is pretty believable.
The writing is strong, with his trademark narrative from several key players' perspectives. I think that technique tends to make his books a bit longer than necessary, but also succeeds in really fleshing out the characters. Although fleshed out, the characters in this book weren't particularly likable and in some ways their actions didn't really pass the believe-ability test, meaning it's hard to believe some of what they did could actually happen.
The conclusion was a bit too choreographed. Without spoiling the story, it seemed like a 'written for Hollywood' ending.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the book but it was a little long and several sections were a little unbelievable. If you like Seymour, you should enjoy it.
The plot is interesting and he seems to know a lot about clandestine activities, which I think is one of his strengths. The story is basically about the surveillance preceding an unsanctioned government 'hit' on a bad guy who had been responsible for a lot of allied death and destruction during the war on terror. Most of it is pretty believable.
The writing is strong, with his trademark narrative from several key players' perspectives. I think that technique tends to make his books a bit longer than necessary, but also succeeds in really fleshing out the characters. Although fleshed out, the characters in this book weren't particularly likable and in some ways their actions didn't really pass the believe-ability test, meaning it's hard to believe some of what they did could actually happen.
The conclusion was a bit too choreographed. Without spoiling the story, it seemed like a 'written for Hollywood' ending.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the book but it was a little long and several sections were a little unbelievable. If you like Seymour, you should enjoy it.
August 2, 2011
I haven't read a Gerald Seymour thriller in a long time. On the basis of A Deniable Death more fool me. This is a brilliantly constructed contemporary thriller. The storyline involves an Iranian bomb maker who is considered the best of the best, personally responsible of inventing the IED's that result in hundreds of coalition throops heading home in body bags from Iraq & Afghanistan. Then the Allied spooks get a break and think they have an in to catching or despatching him. That's where two diverse characters, Foxy & Badger, are tasked with the job of imbedding themselves into Iran itself to see if they can find out where the bomb taker is about to take his potentially terminally ill wife for treatment. While it takes a long time for the tension to build the plot of skilfully weaved into a tense and ultimately fatal conclusion. Great writing from another classy thriller writer
December 10, 2011
A highly skilled Iranian IED bomber makes one crucial mistake and is identified by UK/US intelligence, who also determine that he needs to travel to Europe with his terminally ill wife, for a last ditch operation that may save her. In the waning days of Allied involvement in Iraq two "croppies" or police surveillance men, are dropped into Iran to wait and listen for any indication of where the operation will take place. Once that happens an Israeli hit man will finish the job. All will be deniable.
The familiar Seymour style is on full view here to great effect. Multiple threads involving many characters come to a cliff hanger conclusion with a twist in the tale. The characters, almost without exception (and I stress almost) do nasty things for a living, but Seymour lets us see the humanity below the hard skin of many of them and this is what makes it satisfying.
The familiar Seymour style is on full view here to great effect. Multiple threads involving many characters come to a cliff hanger conclusion with a twist in the tale. The characters, almost without exception (and I stress almost) do nasty things for a living, but Seymour lets us see the humanity below the hard skin of many of them and this is what makes it satisfying.
February 2, 2013
Once again Gerald Seymour knocks it out of the park. The plot centers on an effort by British, American, and Israeli security agencies to assassinate an Iranian known as "The Engineer" who manufactures the sophisticated IEDs used by the Iraqi insurgency. Two English surveillance experts, Foxy and Badger, travel from the marshes of southern Iraq across the border into Iran to discover when the target will travel overseas with his wife so she can have surgery for a brain tumor. However this information turns out to be elusive and the tension between the two watchers grows as each day in the marshes becomes longer, hotter, and more dangerous.
This is an absolutely spellbinding thriller. The writing style is excellent and both the dialogue and characterization are impeccable. A great read and very hard to put down when it reaches it's climax. Recommended.
This is an absolutely spellbinding thriller. The writing style is excellent and both the dialogue and characterization are impeccable. A great read and very hard to put down when it reaches it's climax. Recommended.
October 16, 2013
A truly outstanding espionage thriller, and I am not a huge fan of the genre. Filled with both physical and moral conflicts, This is a tale of an off-the-books assassination plot against one of Iran's premier bomb makers. There are many characters, from the two on the ground operators who despise each other, to the female-led team they are dependent upon for rescue, to the target of the plot and his family. Seymour takes quite a bit of time insetting up background and characters, and it richly pays off in a mesmerizing book. There is quite a bit of unsubtle symbolism throughout, and probably a few vignettes could have been cut out without harming the book. But this is more than made up for by Seymour's descriptive passages; one can practically feel the bug bites and the heat he describes. If you are an espionage fan--or, like me, think they are just OK--you will like this book
November 5, 2013
A fantastic read. As with a lot of ex journalist Seymour's work, you end up learning about a location (the Iraq/Iran border "badlands"), a discipline (covert rural surveillance) and much else besides.
Characters are complex, no silly stereotypical "heroes", all have flaws and many unlikeable. Not the world of your Jack Ryan/Dirk Pitts this one. The build up is measured but the actual denouement, dragged out over more than 100 pages is almost unbelievably tense. From characters you thought you had little invested in, by the end you are tremendously effected by their suffering and/or progress.
Does not pull punches, and the ending was truly satisfying. Had me thinking about it for days after, had to leave a review.
Characters are complex, no silly stereotypical "heroes", all have flaws and many unlikeable. Not the world of your Jack Ryan/Dirk Pitts this one. The build up is measured but the actual denouement, dragged out over more than 100 pages is almost unbelievably tense. From characters you thought you had little invested in, by the end you are tremendously effected by their suffering and/or progress.
Does not pull punches, and the ending was truly satisfying. Had me thinking about it for days after, had to leave a review.
December 3, 2013
I have read several Gerald Seymour books, and they've all been highly entertaining and thoughtful, as we dive into the innards of terrorist activities, covert operations, and the people that undertake them. Yes, there is action in these books - the last pages of this one are gripping - but I've come to appreciate more so the intertwining that he does of the various characters' lives, the threads that we follow of, say, assassin, victim, and high and low level MI6 operators, all brought together around some operation. We go back and forth between them, into and out of their worlds, and he uses this technique to ratchet up the tension, as we see the operation from all angles, from all perspectives. It's all a great deal of fictional fun.
September 25, 2018
A deniable death appears to have divided opinions on goodreads. The lovers extol the nail biting finale and the haters bemoan the slog through the opening, actually first 300 pages. I am firmly a lover who however can only agree with the reviewer who pointed out that the first 400 pages are two strange blokes sitting in discomfort. It’s sounds boring and indeed it is monotonous but in a kind of morbidly forensic unglamorous way that ratchets up the tension until in the last 50 pages of glorious nerve shredding festival of schlock. I stayed up well past my bedtime because I just could not bear waiting another minute to find out what happened next.
April 25, 2013
In the thriller genre, this book has to be right in the top few of my list. About a covert op into Iran with the goal of eliminating an engineer who is responsible for the manufacture of IEDs (road-side bombs), it builds to a truly breath-holding, not-put-downable finish. It is beautifully written with great characters and obvious understanding of the world of soldiers, spies and their handlers. It is not for the faint-hearted. Almost 5 stars.
October 19, 2013
Reading reviews I expected this book to be slow and detail heavy, reading it though I found the pace moved along nicely, with the work of the operatives explained well.
As the book moved on the tension raised along with questions on the ethics of such operations, although with out introducing a spoiler, as ex army, no such dilemma was in question.
This is the first Gerald Seymour book I've read, but I think, won't be the last.
As the book moved on the tension raised along with questions on the ethics of such operations, although with out introducing a spoiler, as ex army, no such dilemma was in question.
This is the first Gerald Seymour book I've read, but I think, won't be the last.
October 24, 2012
I think all his books are great. Probably all security agencies should read his books to alert themselves to possible threats!
If a government needs to plan an assassination, then do as the title of this book suggests. Don't go doing it in a blaze of publicity and triumaphalism leading to a revenge attack.....perhaps.
February 22, 2013
Giving it a 5 since I ended up reading in one sitting. I would say that to me this is similar to Dogs of War, involving a lot of setup, but that's because it follows the flow of events over a short period of time in an evenly paced way. I read some reviews that said the time spent waiting was dragged out, but the interleaving of multiple story lines was well done.
August 21, 2013
A solid thriller about marginal players in the covert operations world. A couple of croppies (Covert Rural Observation P-somethings) hide out and watch an Iraqi bombmaker. Lots of detail about the techniques of surveillance, and a great relationship between the experienced but whiny older guy and the ruthlessly efficient but naive younger guy.
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