Deep Purple

by Ted Allbeury

Promoted in the army to the Intelligence Corps, and later through the ranks of MI6, Eddie Hoggart is one tough customer. His current task is to debrief a defector named Yakunin. But he must first prove that he himself is not a mole.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

1917 - 2005. Also wrote under the pseudonyms Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly.

Ted Allbeury was a lieutenant-colonel in the Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later a successful executive in the fields of marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one highly-praised general novel, THE CHOICE, and a short story collection, OTHER KINDS OF TREASON. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died on 4th December 2005.


See also: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/j...
and
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/t...

Reviews

[Nigel Pinkus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reader thought that this story was too short, out of date and unrealistic for his liking. Actually, given that the book was only only 235 pages in length and while it had a plethora of characters, it could have been much longer. The key to the story, as with most spy thrillers (and whodunnits), would be usually found in the endings. Given this was the case in this story, this reader thought that even more information should have been given about the poor unfortunate life of the main character in the story: Eddie Hoggart (* Spoiler Alert*) You see, Eddie was tough guy and could handle himself in a fight, but he made a bad mistake in life that lead to some terrible consequences. More troubling was the unrealistic storyline because back in the Cold-War days when Europe was divided, there were very few Western spies that defectored to the East with only Philby, Burgess and McClean coming to mind (and the later two then wanted to come back!). This story didn't do it for me on this occasion. 2 Stars.

Ted Allbeury wrote a staggering 42 novels and used two other pen names ~ Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly. Here are 29 of them rated accordingly:

THE GOOD (Four to Five Stars): ‘The Lantern Network’, ’Shadow of a Doubt’, ’A Wilderness of Mirrors', 'A Time Without Shadows' aka 'The Rules of the Game', 'The Only Good German' aka ‘Mission Berlin’, 'The Dangerous Edge', ‘Palomino Blonde’ aka 'Omega- minus', 'The Lonely Margins', ’The Crossing' aka ‘The Berlin Exchange’, 'Seeds of Treason', 'Other Kinds of Treason', 'Special Forces' aka 'Moscow Quadrille', the feel good, 'The Girl From Addis', 'Pay Any Price' and the rather exceptional, and this person's favourite, 'The Line-Crosser' (published in 1993). (15)

THE AVERAGE (Two or Three Stars): 'Show Me a Hero', 'No Place to Hide' aka ‘Hostage’, ‘The Reckoning’, ’The Twentieth Day of January’ a.k.a. ‘Cold Tactics’ 'The Long Run' and ‘Deep Purple’. He also wrote, ’The Choice' which is not espionage and this reader thought (even though it was critically acclaimed) not a good one. (7).

THE UGLY (One or two stars): It’s, however, probably best to stay away from: ‘Aid and Comfort’, ‘The Assets' aka “Due Process’, 'The Secret Whispers’, 'The Alpha List', ’Consequences of Fear' aka ‘Smokescreen’, The Reaper' aka 'The Stalking Angel’ and ’The Spirit of Liberty'. (7).

[Nik Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Allbeury’s 1989 espionage thriller has all the hallmarks of his earlier books: authentic background, knowledge of the inner workings of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.

It all begins with Yakunin, a KGB walk-in at the British embassy in Washington. He is swiftly flown to a safe house in England where he will be questioned by Eddie Hoggart, a man who worked his way up from a deprived childhood to become a seasoned interrogator. Hoggart is married to Jacqui, a sex worker with a past that includes a Soho hard-man, Harry Gardner. In effect, Eddie and Jacqui are two sides of the same coin, surviving the hard knocks of society. Eddie was helped up by an adoptive parent and he wants to help Jacqui. Only Gardner has other ideas…

Confusing the mix is yet another defection: KGB man Belinsky, who appears to contradict the revelations of Yakunin. Which one is the genuine defector, and which is the plant? Or are they both not what they seem?

The big question is: do they know about a mole in the higher echelons of MI6?

Here we can understand the lonely existence of spies. Yes, orphans definitely make the best recruits.

There are some poignant and tragic moments in this story, which rings true, thanks to Allbeury’s attention to the details that matter.

The title of the book is relevant: it relates to the old tune of the same name.

[Jak60 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely not Allbeury at his best...Deep Purple is not very compelling nor riveting. The main flaw of the story is its lack of cohesiveness: too many storylines and too many characters competing for the main role. So the reader's attention is diluted (I lost track of how many defectors had piled up by half way), and it becomes difficult to get involved with any of the characters.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligent, well written, fun, this spy story, as in all of Allbeury's novels, is totally believable and elegantly told. Allbeury writes spy stories that I wish would go on and on. He has written so many good books. He's far better than the James Bond books, on a level with John le Carre but most people have never heard of him. I would read his books again, but would have to search in used book stores. It's a pity most are no longer available and none in English as ebooks. Too bad. If anyone comes across him in libraries, grab his books.

[Nate Krenkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought for 75cents at the North Haven Public Library.

[Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few spots that were real page-turners, mostly in the middle section, but overall an unsatisfying story.