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Message from Absalom
Nine years had passed since she had last seen him and John Novak had come to say goodbye…
Until Susannah finds him waiting for her in her hotel room with a brief assignment.
She must deliver a message for him.
To no one else but the President!
This was the last Susannah saw of him.
She knew it was the last time when she saw him get shot in front of many other tourists. His cover had been blown, that much she was certain of. But who could have known?
Someone somewhere was going to a lot of trouble to ensure the Absalom operation was unmasked, especially since Novak’s boss, Jess Simpson, was murdered too.
She was safe, but only if no one knew who Novak had asked to continue his assignment …
Touring in a foreign country meant her only safe option would be to contact the American Embassy, but hadn’t Novak warned her against doing that? There was a leak there …
Her covert job with the CIA had ended five years earlier. Entrusted with Novak’s mission in Bulgaria, meant she had to be on guard. There’s was no one she could really trust.
She was on her own with this mission … it would be safer to act alone.
Staying close to her tour group would be her best cover. One that would have worked fine had a strange, mysterious Russian not captured their attention.
But he only had eyes for her.
With the Bulgarian security police questioning everyone, Susannah is very worried.
Why are they interested in her tour group and why would the police suspect them of having information that would help them eradicate a narcotics ring?
Working alone, against one of the best Russian KGB agents, she finds herself attracted to the one man who has the power to destroy her…
Until Susannah finds him waiting for her in her hotel room with a brief assignment.
She must deliver a message for him.
To no one else but the President!
This was the last Susannah saw of him.
She knew it was the last time when she saw him get shot in front of many other tourists. His cover had been blown, that much she was certain of. But who could have known?
Someone somewhere was going to a lot of trouble to ensure the Absalom operation was unmasked, especially since Novak’s boss, Jess Simpson, was murdered too.
She was safe, but only if no one knew who Novak had asked to continue his assignment …
Touring in a foreign country meant her only safe option would be to contact the American Embassy, but hadn’t Novak warned her against doing that? There was a leak there …
Her covert job with the CIA had ended five years earlier. Entrusted with Novak’s mission in Bulgaria, meant she had to be on guard. There’s was no one she could really trust.
She was on her own with this mission … it would be safer to act alone.
Staying close to her tour group would be her best cover. One that would have worked fine had a strange, mysterious Russian not captured their attention.
But he only had eyes for her.
With the Bulgarian security police questioning everyone, Susannah is very worried.
Why are they interested in her tour group and why would the police suspect them of having information that would help them eradicate a narcotics ring?
Working alone, against one of the best Russian KGB agents, she finds herself attracted to the one man who has the power to destroy her…
255 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1975
10 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Anne Armstrong Thompson
7 books15 followersAnne Armstrong Thompson received a B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky in 1960 and an M.A. in Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1961. She has traveled extensively and now lives in Frankfort, Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 2, 2017
What a quick fun read. Lots of spies and counter spies as our no-longer-employed-by-the-CIA heroine is on a tour group in Bulgaria. Lots of twists and turns, some scary moments with the KGB and a lie detector, a hijacking and a whole lot more until a somewhat happy ending. Published in 1975, I'm still trying to guess at who the president is in the book since he's never named.
December 28, 2018
A thrilling story about an ex-CIA agent who is dragged into an international situation when she is an innocent tourist in Bulgaria.
Here is a link to my review: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
Here is a link to my review: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
June 19, 2013
Susannah Clarke, former CIA agent and current antiquities dealer, is on vacation in Bulgaria when she unexpectedly meets a man from her past--a man from her CIA past--who needs her to get an urgent message back home to the States. And just like that, she's back in the game...and when things go from bad to worse, she's reminded what it's like to be stuck in a foreign country, far from home, with no one to turn to.
You can glean that much from the plot synopsis of this book. I enjoy tales of international intrigue, and even though the heroine of this story is in her mid-thirties and even though the tone of the story is quite different, when I read the summary I was reminded of Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series, one of my most favorite series ever (Mrs. P also went to Bulgaria, so that alone was enough to pique my attention, to have a second glimpse into the Soviet-controlled Bulgaria of the past). So that alone was enough to catch my attention. It was written in the seventies, and most of what I read is very contemporary, so I figured it would be a nice change of pace.
But there is a lot more here than just an action-packed international espionage story. Though there's plenty of that, believe me! The action never stops, and I really could not put this book down at all. I read it in the space of a day. Each chapter, each page, had me itching to find out what happened next. And there's an edge to it all, too, a palpable sense of danger. Oftentimes during the most tense scenes in the book, I felt like I was right there, experiencing it all with Susannah.
Though this book was written nearly forty years ago, it stands the test of time very well. Yes, it is clearly dated to its own time period--the seventies--but this doesn't detract at all from the storyline. Actually I found it to be a refreshing change to read a thriller that, while written in the present time at the time of publication, is now something almost nostalgic. There are some cultural references and socio-political attitudes that may have changed, sure, and some would even point out how it really isn't "politically correct" in twenty-first century terms, but I think that's one of the many reasons I like it. It is unabashedly blunt at times in ways that none of us would probably be today. There are a few sexual references, not graphic in depiction but a little graphic in description. And everyone was smoking up a storm--it seemed like every page, people were lighting up cigarettes! You definitely don't see that as much in today's prose. People were chain smoking in this about as nonchalantly as people stare at their smartphones now. It's kind of like an unconscious action, I guess.
The character of Susannah was pretty great, in my opinion. Yes, she had a couple of downsides--fickle at times, a little petty at other times, and even a bit judgmental...but that just made her real, because we're all like that from time to time. She kept a cool head, she kicked butt, and she was resourceful. This was written in a time where there still weren't a lot of good, strong female roles in action and adventure stories, which made me cheer for Susannah all the more. And the rest of the characters were all very well written, too...each with little bits of personality, many of them very deep, each in their own way.
The biography of Anne Armstrong Thompson says that she traveled extensively, and from her descriptions, I believe it. She has a fine attention to detail that was very realistic, and it was very interesting to see Bulgaria (and a few other places later in the book) from her eyes.
My copy of this book was my grandmother's, though I've just gotten around to reading it now. I am intrigued by the author. From her portrait on the back of the dust jacket, Anne Armstrong Thompson stares out confidently, a secret smile playing about her lips and a glint of intelligence--and more secrets--in her eyes. This was a really good book and I find myself wondering why she only wrote three books back in the seventies, when she was obviously so good at it. Her name (if it is the same Anne Armstrong Thompson) is credited as author, or co-author, of a couple of other nonfiction books over the past few decades, but she only wrote those three fiction books back in the '70s. I wonder why, and where she went after that. There is almost no information at all about her on the internet, not even a Wikipedia bio page, which is even more strange in this day and age, when there seems to be a biography of just about anyone, just a few keystrokes away.
Be that as it may, I have already ordered copies of her other two books, and I can't wait to read them. Message from Absalom is much more than a spy action-adventure story; there are some pretty awesome twists along the way, and this is definitely a book you will want to read a second time, once you know all of the surprises.
Very well done, Anne Armstrong Thompson. Thank you, wherever you are now, for sharing your writing with us.
You can glean that much from the plot synopsis of this book. I enjoy tales of international intrigue, and even though the heroine of this story is in her mid-thirties and even though the tone of the story is quite different, when I read the summary I was reminded of Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series, one of my most favorite series ever (Mrs. P also went to Bulgaria, so that alone was enough to pique my attention, to have a second glimpse into the Soviet-controlled Bulgaria of the past). So that alone was enough to catch my attention. It was written in the seventies, and most of what I read is very contemporary, so I figured it would be a nice change of pace.
But there is a lot more here than just an action-packed international espionage story. Though there's plenty of that, believe me! The action never stops, and I really could not put this book down at all. I read it in the space of a day. Each chapter, each page, had me itching to find out what happened next. And there's an edge to it all, too, a palpable sense of danger. Oftentimes during the most tense scenes in the book, I felt like I was right there, experiencing it all with Susannah.
Though this book was written nearly forty years ago, it stands the test of time very well. Yes, it is clearly dated to its own time period--the seventies--but this doesn't detract at all from the storyline. Actually I found it to be a refreshing change to read a thriller that, while written in the present time at the time of publication, is now something almost nostalgic. There are some cultural references and socio-political attitudes that may have changed, sure, and some would even point out how it really isn't "politically correct" in twenty-first century terms, but I think that's one of the many reasons I like it. It is unabashedly blunt at times in ways that none of us would probably be today. There are a few sexual references, not graphic in depiction but a little graphic in description. And everyone was smoking up a storm--it seemed like every page, people were lighting up cigarettes! You definitely don't see that as much in today's prose. People were chain smoking in this about as nonchalantly as people stare at their smartphones now. It's kind of like an unconscious action, I guess.
The character of Susannah was pretty great, in my opinion. Yes, she had a couple of downsides--fickle at times, a little petty at other times, and even a bit judgmental...but that just made her real, because we're all like that from time to time. She kept a cool head, she kicked butt, and she was resourceful. This was written in a time where there still weren't a lot of good, strong female roles in action and adventure stories, which made me cheer for Susannah all the more. And the rest of the characters were all very well written, too...each with little bits of personality, many of them very deep, each in their own way.
The biography of Anne Armstrong Thompson says that she traveled extensively, and from her descriptions, I believe it. She has a fine attention to detail that was very realistic, and it was very interesting to see Bulgaria (and a few other places later in the book) from her eyes.
My copy of this book was my grandmother's, though I've just gotten around to reading it now. I am intrigued by the author. From her portrait on the back of the dust jacket, Anne Armstrong Thompson stares out confidently, a secret smile playing about her lips and a glint of intelligence--and more secrets--in her eyes. This was a really good book and I find myself wondering why she only wrote three books back in the seventies, when she was obviously so good at it. Her name (if it is the same Anne Armstrong Thompson) is credited as author, or co-author, of a couple of other nonfiction books over the past few decades, but she only wrote those three fiction books back in the '70s. I wonder why, and where she went after that. There is almost no information at all about her on the internet, not even a Wikipedia bio page, which is even more strange in this day and age, when there seems to be a biography of just about anyone, just a few keystrokes away.
Be that as it may, I have already ordered copies of her other two books, and I can't wait to read them. Message from Absalom is much more than a spy action-adventure story; there are some pretty awesome twists along the way, and this is definitely a book you will want to read a second time, once you know all of the surprises.
Very well done, Anne Armstrong Thompson. Thank you, wherever you are now, for sharing your writing with us.
March 22, 2015
On the recommendation of the author Susanna Kearsley, I looked up this book. It sounded familiar, and I was pretty sure I had an old paperback from the seventies, which, alas, is in storage with the majority of my old books. So, I ordered a hardback online for all of $.15 plus shipping. I enjoyed this suspenseful 'woman in jeopardy' spy novel, where Susannah Clarke, a female ex-CIA agent, is recognized by another agent while she is on a tour of Bulgaria (part of the communist eastern block at that time) and is asked to pass on some critical espionage information. A mole has penetrated the CIA in Washington and the information must be delivered to the President. Then the other agent is shot down in front of her hotel. She and the rest of her tour group come under suspicion as possible contacts of the dead agent, and a high ranking KGB agent is intent upon discovering who was passed the critical information. The action is set primarily in Bulgaria and the desert of Syria, and Susannah Clarke is constantly afraid for her life, as well as the information she carries, despite the seemingly benign, but scrutinizing attentions of the KGB officer.
Though this was set in a different era when on the world stage the U.S. and Soviet Union vied for global influence and military might, and in western society, at least, women were exploring "liberation," it only seemed to emphasize to me that though many things may be different, similar struggles endure. Global alliances may be shaken and re-formed, but underlying suspicions and fears remain. Women may be independent, but many male attitudes are slower to change. Arab vs. Arab vs. Israeli conflicts seem more entrenched than ever. Reading this book, I was reminded of the days in the 1970's when terrorists were more successful at hijacking airplanes. I can remember visiting the Mediterranean in those years and walking airport corridors lined with machine gun armed soldiers. I remember being personally frisked before boarding a small island hopping airplane. I can remember bombs going off in Athens and the continual sound of ambulances. Some things change and re-arrange, while others, alas, seem as current as the daily dark tally of world news.
I would recommend this as a short but suspenseful read, and a look back into the not-so-distant past.
Though this was set in a different era when on the world stage the U.S. and Soviet Union vied for global influence and military might, and in western society, at least, women were exploring "liberation," it only seemed to emphasize to me that though many things may be different, similar struggles endure. Global alliances may be shaken and re-formed, but underlying suspicions and fears remain. Women may be independent, but many male attitudes are slower to change. Arab vs. Arab vs. Israeli conflicts seem more entrenched than ever. Reading this book, I was reminded of the days in the 1970's when terrorists were more successful at hijacking airplanes. I can remember visiting the Mediterranean in those years and walking airport corridors lined with machine gun armed soldiers. I remember being personally frisked before boarding a small island hopping airplane. I can remember bombs going off in Athens and the continual sound of ambulances. Some things change and re-arrange, while others, alas, seem as current as the daily dark tally of world news.
I would recommend this as a short but suspenseful read, and a look back into the not-so-distant past.
December 11, 2015
This book is on Susannah Kearsley's "keepers" list; in the past I've had good luck reading other books she listed there so I made a note of it. Since it wasn't in my local library system I requested it from interlibrary loan instead of purchasing it. So glad I did. I'm not sure if this was a case of toppling from expectation heights on my part, or read at just the right moment on hers, but this book fell flat for me. Passable (but not very plausible) romantic suspense, for me it had none of the atmospheric presence reminiscent of Mary Stewart's work that Kearsley found in it. (Perhaps the fact that the protagonist was named Susannah had something to do with it?) I also had a hard time equating the main character's background at the CIA with her white bread woman-in-peril thinking during the story, it was simply too far a stretch to allow me to suspend my disbelief for long.
At any rate, not a book I would go to great lengths to find. Simply okay.
At any rate, not a book I would go to great lengths to find. Simply okay.
January 5, 2013
I adored this book and have re-read it. The chemistry between the leads-- an American tourist w/a secret and the KGB agent perusing her is incredible. Also, neither character is what they seem. A romance novel for people who think they don't like romance novels. Hard to find...worth the effort.
August 20, 2025
Why aren't Anne Armstrong Thompson's books better known?
I read a scanned 1975 HB edition at archive.org/details/messagefromabsal00thom
I read a scanned 1975 HB edition at archive.org/details/messagefromabsal00thom
November 8, 2012
One of my old favorites. A re-read for many years. I hate when it is finished and this time re-read it about a week later.
October 9, 2009
The book is somewhat dated now, but but it is a good quick spy read.
March 13, 2022
Message from absalom by Anne Armstrong Thompson.
Nine years had passed since she had last seen him and John Novak had come to say goodbye…
Until Susannah finds him waiting for her in her hotel room with a brief assignment.
She must deliver a message for him. To no one else but the President! This was the last Susannah saw of him. She knew it was the last time when she saw him get shot in front of many other tourists. His cover had been blown, that much she was certain of. But who could have known? Someone somewhere was going to a lot of trouble to ensure the Absalom operation was unmasked, especially since Novak’s boss, Jess Simpson, was murdered too. She was safe, but only if no one knew who Novak had asked to continue his assignment …
Touring in a foreign country meant her only safe option would be to contact the American Embassy, but hadn’t Novak warned her against doing that? There was a leak there …
Her covert job with the CIA had ended five years earlier. Entrusted with Novak’s mission in Bulgaria, meant she had to be on guard. There’s was no one she could really trust. She was on her own with this mission … it would be safer to act alone. Staying close to her tour group would be her best cover. One that would have worked fine had a strange, mysterious Russian not captured their attention. But he only had eyes for her. With the Bulgarian security police questioning everyone, Susannah is very worried. Why are they interested in her tour group and why would the police suspect them of having information that would help them eradicate a narcotics ring? Working alone, against one of the best Russian KGB agents, she finds herself attracted to the one man who has the power to destroy her…
A very good read with good characters. Great story. 4*.
Nine years had passed since she had last seen him and John Novak had come to say goodbye…
Until Susannah finds him waiting for her in her hotel room with a brief assignment.
She must deliver a message for him. To no one else but the President! This was the last Susannah saw of him. She knew it was the last time when she saw him get shot in front of many other tourists. His cover had been blown, that much she was certain of. But who could have known? Someone somewhere was going to a lot of trouble to ensure the Absalom operation was unmasked, especially since Novak’s boss, Jess Simpson, was murdered too. She was safe, but only if no one knew who Novak had asked to continue his assignment …
Touring in a foreign country meant her only safe option would be to contact the American Embassy, but hadn’t Novak warned her against doing that? There was a leak there …
Her covert job with the CIA had ended five years earlier. Entrusted with Novak’s mission in Bulgaria, meant she had to be on guard. There’s was no one she could really trust. She was on her own with this mission … it would be safer to act alone. Staying close to her tour group would be her best cover. One that would have worked fine had a strange, mysterious Russian not captured their attention. But he only had eyes for her. With the Bulgarian security police questioning everyone, Susannah is very worried. Why are they interested in her tour group and why would the police suspect them of having information that would help them eradicate a narcotics ring? Working alone, against one of the best Russian KGB agents, she finds herself attracted to the one man who has the power to destroy her…
A very good read with good characters. Great story. 4*.
December 26, 2018
I am so glad I found this gem! Oldie but goodie. Susannah Kearsley listed it as an all-time favorite, and all it took was reading the description to know I’d love it. Written in the early 70’s, it is a Cold War suspense novel set in Bulgaria. Fast-paced and hard to put down. Loved the heroine. Plenty of smarmy supporting characters. Dobermans. Who is good? Who is bad? So. Many. Cigarettes.
I checked out an ancient copy (with a hilarious cover) from the library, which contributed to the whole charming experience (it had a checkout card inside filled with dates and signatures *preceding my birth*). I am happy to see this is available as an ebook and on Kindle Unlimited. I shared it with my mom and she likewise devoured it in a day and deemed it heartily satisfactory.
I checked out an ancient copy (with a hilarious cover) from the library, which contributed to the whole charming experience (it had a checkout card inside filled with dates and signatures *preceding my birth*). I am happy to see this is available as an ebook and on Kindle Unlimited. I shared it with my mom and she likewise devoured it in a day and deemed it heartily satisfactory.
January 12, 2022
Susannah Clarke, a thirty three year old former CIA agent, is in the middle of an escorted tour of 1970s Bulgaria when a figure from her past intercepts her. And thus begins a tense thriller. To discuss more of the plot would be the spoil the ride for the reader, but it's a nail-biter. Thompson doesn't spare her heroine any unpleasantness and there's a lot of it ahead. But for those who finish it, "Message from Absalom" is a short, but powerful spy novel.
March 13, 2022
excellent read
I usually read American historical books. I believe Message from Absalom was a book of the month from years ago. I read it and re-read every 3-4 years. It’s one I can’t put down. I can see the characters and scenery as I read. I have it in hardback, paperback and now Kindle. I’ll be back in a few years to read again.
I usually read American historical books. I believe Message from Absalom was a book of the month from years ago. I read it and re-read every 3-4 years. It’s one I can’t put down. I can see the characters and scenery as I read. I have it in hardback, paperback and now Kindle. I’ll be back in a few years to read again.
May 10, 2022
A reread of a 40+ year old book that is so well done. The story line still holds true today as when this book was written back in the early 70's. Russian spies, communist interrogators, terrorists hijacking, the book has it all. If you can find the book, you are in for a treat. Amazon has a kindle version and Ms. Thompson has two other books. She's worth your time.
June 8, 2020
I adored this book and have re-read it. The chemistry between the leads-- an American tourist w/a secret and the KGB agent perusing her is incredible. Also, neither character is what they seem. A romance novel for people who think they don't like romance novels. Hard to find...worth the effort.
September 7, 2022
Could not put it down, at almost 3 AM I forced myself to turn off the light to get some sleep.
July 8, 2009
My mom read this aloud years ago, and my sisters and I hung onto every word. And I still enjoy rereading it, although, since it was my first experience with a book of its "type" (i.e., romance/espionage), this review might not be entirely objective. Thompson writes in clipped, simple sentences, but her prose has more life than, say, Michael Crichton's, and she can make you sweat just about as much. Her story about a female CIA agent working alone in Eastern Europe will keep you turning those pages.
May 13, 2013
A dear friend gave me this old spy thriller reminiscent of Mary Stewart and others I read religiously in their day. I loved the ex CIA agent female protagonist traveling as a tourist in pre 1989 Bulgaria who is entwined in a dangerous game of smuggling important information out of that country and getting it to the President, all under the nose of a too friendly Russian Communist KGB agent. Best kind of chick spy thriller, with an old fashioned ending.
December 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book... it did remind me a bit of the old Mary Stewart suspense novels and also Helen MacInnes.. I didn't rate it higher because I thought it was a bit dated and I figured out the ending pretty early on.. but it was a good read.
August 11, 2025
Reread.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews