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The Agent Runner
Ed found it difficult to explain why he felt such a strong allegiance to Britain, perhaps because he found it difficult to define what it meant to be British.
British by birth, foreign by descent and agnostic by conviction, Edward Henry Malik is an MI6 agent-runner.
For four years he has been running an agent codenamed Nightingale inside the ISI, Pakistan’s Hydra-headed spying agency. Then, in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, Nightingale is unmasked and Ed’s world dramatically falls apart.
Dismissed from MI6 and with his reputation in tatters, Ed returns to his roots in the immigrant enclave of Whitechapel in London’s East End. He finds a job at a freight forwarding office and unexpectedly falls in love with the proprietor’s daughter. It seems as if he has finally found respite from his demons.
But you can’t escape your past. Ed knows too much and he has come to the attention of the Hidden Hand – Pakistan’s legendary spy of spies – Major-General Javid Aslam Khan.
From the teeming city of Lahore to the anarchic tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, with a plot to detonate the dirtiest bomb imaginable, The Agent Runner carves a dramatic arc across modern Pakistan and reaches a thunderous climax in the mountains of the Hindu Kush.
Praise for A Loyal Spy:
“It's sprawling, violent and contemporary, with whiffs of authenticity that lift it above the crowd” The Spectator
“Conway has concocted a credible, and wholly cynical, tale of dirt, death and double-dealing” The Times
“A LOYAL SPY is so vivid, so real, that reading it you sense Simon Conway must almost have lived it himself” Jon Snow
British by birth, foreign by descent and agnostic by conviction, Edward Henry Malik is an MI6 agent-runner.
For four years he has been running an agent codenamed Nightingale inside the ISI, Pakistan’s Hydra-headed spying agency. Then, in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, Nightingale is unmasked and Ed’s world dramatically falls apart.
Dismissed from MI6 and with his reputation in tatters, Ed returns to his roots in the immigrant enclave of Whitechapel in London’s East End. He finds a job at a freight forwarding office and unexpectedly falls in love with the proprietor’s daughter. It seems as if he has finally found respite from his demons.
But you can’t escape your past. Ed knows too much and he has come to the attention of the Hidden Hand – Pakistan’s legendary spy of spies – Major-General Javid Aslam Khan.
From the teeming city of Lahore to the anarchic tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, with a plot to detonate the dirtiest bomb imaginable, The Agent Runner carves a dramatic arc across modern Pakistan and reaches a thunderous climax in the mountains of the Hindu Kush.
Praise for A Loyal Spy:
“It's sprawling, violent and contemporary, with whiffs of authenticity that lift it above the crowd” The Spectator
“Conway has concocted a credible, and wholly cynical, tale of dirt, death and double-dealing” The Times
“A LOYAL SPY is so vivid, so real, that reading it you sense Simon Conway must almost have lived it himself” Jon Snow
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2014
67 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Simon Conway
16 books113 followersSimon Conway is a former British Army officer and international aid worker. With The HALO Trust and later as director of Landmine Action he cleared landmines and unexploded bombs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
As Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition he successfully campaigned to achieve an international ban on cluster bombs.In 2014 he returned to The HALO Trust to lead the organisation's effort to address urban conflict in the Middle East.
He lives in Glasgow with his wife the journalist and broadcaster Sarah Smith. He has two daughters.
As Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition he successfully campaigned to achieve an international ban on cluster bombs.In 2014 he returned to The HALO Trust to lead the organisation's effort to address urban conflict in the Middle East.
He lives in Glasgow with his wife the journalist and broadcaster Sarah Smith. He has two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 23, 2017
OMG! I could not put THE AGENT RUNNER down once I started; it's the best book I've read in a while! The central character is Edward Malik who is British and an agent runner in Pakistan. When bin Ladin is killed the agent he has been running for 4 years is exposed and murdered. As the story develops, everyone seems to be playing someone, and everyone seems expendable. I highly recommend giving this book a try.
February 5, 2017
THE AGENT RUNNER by Simon Conway is a modern take on the spy novel. Mr. Conway writes this book in the style of John Le Carre, where the predominant factor is the reality of the people and the methodology behind their actions, rather than action itself. his is a reality based spy novel, as opposed to the Bond/Bourne school of story. This is a very good thing for fans of this type of tale.
I tend to lean towards the escapist, shoot-en-up style, but that is just me.
The Agent Runner is a Brit called Ed Malik. His man is in Pakistan, in a position overlooking the house Bin Laden is hiding in. The Seal Team assault on that compound, and the subsequent killing of Bin Laden, is the action that ignites the events in this book. Ed's man ends up dead and Ed returns to England in disgrace.
The majority of the story rests in Pakistan, within the leadership of ISI Intelligence and the give and take battle between Noman Butt and his brutal father-in-law, Khan, head of ISI. It is their dance of intrigue that fuels the tale. One of the pair is a traitor to their cause, an informant for the British, and the other is destined to destroy the rat or die trying.
Ed Malik finds himself a stooge for his government, sent back to Pakistan as an agent provocateur in this dance of death. The only question is will he survive.
Well written with an on-the-ground perspective of the ongoing war both between the combatants and within the various sides, THE AGENT RUNNER just might make me a convert to this style of novel.
I tend to lean towards the escapist, shoot-en-up style, but that is just me.
The Agent Runner is a Brit called Ed Malik. His man is in Pakistan, in a position overlooking the house Bin Laden is hiding in. The Seal Team assault on that compound, and the subsequent killing of Bin Laden, is the action that ignites the events in this book. Ed's man ends up dead and Ed returns to England in disgrace.
The majority of the story rests in Pakistan, within the leadership of ISI Intelligence and the give and take battle between Noman Butt and his brutal father-in-law, Khan, head of ISI. It is their dance of intrigue that fuels the tale. One of the pair is a traitor to their cause, an informant for the British, and the other is destined to destroy the rat or die trying.
Ed Malik finds himself a stooge for his government, sent back to Pakistan as an agent provocateur in this dance of death. The only question is will he survive.
Well written with an on-the-ground perspective of the ongoing war both between the combatants and within the various sides, THE AGENT RUNNER just might make me a convert to this style of novel.
September 10, 2023
2.5 stars
June 19, 2017
Book started out a decent 4, but ended on a 2 note; so I give it a good solid 3 stars. Conway writes well enough, and does a good job conveying what totally f@*ked up quagmires Afghanistan and Pakistan are. However, his protagonist really isn't all that good at his job - when you look back and think about it, he largely fails at all his assignments. He's kinda like James Bond in the older movies - not really that good at anything except escaping after he is repeatedly and all-too-easily captured.
Plus, after reading a good number of spy books and binging on shows like "The Americans," I find it highly implausible that an MI6 officer would spend four whole years doing nothing but running one agent. It appears that they only met once every few months or so; that seems like a helluva lot of downtime for a full-time spy. Couldn't MI6 find something productive for him to do between meetings? Philip and Elizabeth seem to have a new assignment every episode!
Plus, after reading a good number of spy books and binging on shows like "The Americans," I find it highly implausible that an MI6 officer would spend four whole years doing nothing but running one agent. It appears that they only met once every few months or so; that seems like a helluva lot of downtime for a full-time spy. Couldn't MI6 find something productive for him to do between meetings? Philip and Elizabeth seem to have a new assignment every episode!
September 10, 2015
This highly charged conspiracy espionage thriller centres around Ed Malik a British spy working for MI6, who runs a valuable asset Nightingale in the ISI (Pakistani intelligence). In the aftermath of the CIA's successful assassination of Bin Laden, Nightingale's cover is blown putting him in mortal danger. Ed is devastated about losing his asset and finds himself in a situation where he loses his job but it drawn back into the espionage game to find the one who may have been responsible for the leak in intelligence regarding Bin Laden's whereabouts and Nightingale's death.
This complex but highly engaging thriller was very easy to read and get into. Drawn into the dark world of espionage, where the good guys and bad guys are hard to tell apart and morality takes a backseat to power, this is one conspiracy thriller that definitely has it all.
A definite must-read.
This complex but highly engaging thriller was very easy to read and get into. Drawn into the dark world of espionage, where the good guys and bad guys are hard to tell apart and morality takes a backseat to power, this is one conspiracy thriller that definitely has it all.
A definite must-read.
August 30, 2020
War on Terror “Allies” at Cross Purposes
The author creates three authentic characters: Edward Malik, a cashiered British spy; Kahn , a “retired “Pakistani ISI behind -the scenes string puller whose aim is to keep events across the border at a controlled boil that stays within the pot; Kahn’s son in law Norman, a ruthless and resentful underling whose goals are as chaotic as his proclivities. Simon Conway handles the plot twists masterfully.
The author creates three authentic characters: Edward Malik, a cashiered British spy; Kahn , a “retired “Pakistani ISI behind -the scenes string puller whose aim is to keep events across the border at a controlled boil that stays within the pot; Kahn’s son in law Norman, a ruthless and resentful underling whose goals are as chaotic as his proclivities. Simon Conway handles the plot twists masterfully.
January 3, 2018
Tense, action-packed and exciting spy drama.
March 23, 2019
2.5 out of 5
Filthy and gritty.
Those are the two words which come to mind when thinking about this novel.
Conway has a way with words. There's no denying that. He has this -- if I may be so bold -- a distinct British ability to talk in background, to Convey in the buzz, to propel the narrative in subtext. It's like watching a piece of art, in its distinct, brilliant parts.
Separately, these pieces are breathtaking. But taken collectively, it's a mess and a great missed opportunity.
The novel is mostly set in Pakistan, and being an Indian, I fully appreciate the accuracy of his description of the land, the customs, the social structure and most of all, use of the words from local languages. He depicts, quite accurately, the sorry state Pakistan currently is in, and how army and ISI had swindled the west for money and resources.
It's gritty, the sights, the smells, the people and the poverty. The filth around tribal areas and even in major cities, around which even the big shots like Noman Butt often wakes up. He's the most interesting character in the novel by the way. At first, I groaned at him, thinking him as 'just another Sherlock' who couldn't function properly without a case and needs a world of intoxicants without. But he grew on me later.
The protagonist, (if we can call him that), Ed Malik, too is interesting enough, but has nothing that we haven't seen before. But his girlfriend Leyla, is a gem. Her determination and fiery nature, later unfortunately turns into a starry eyed helpless in love damsel caricature.
The bomb boy, too, is perhaps a quite unique character readers would surely like.
Conway needs too much sex, however. And he does not mince words around it. "Arse" and "cunt" both are fare game in his novel for characters. At times, it feels like nothing but titillation.
But the biggest flaw is the story itself, the first 20% of it, seems to have been taken straight from "Zero Dark Thirty" . The 'House Of War' mystery, as interesting as it initially sounded, isn't the main plot. And it absolutely doesn't help, that the main story, starts when the novel is already past 60% mark. It's like Conway is purposely dithering behind his fancy narration and word play.
Therein lies the problem of 'The Agent Runner' -- lack of focus. It's scattered all over the place, it lacks conviction. Of sorts. Conway brings a supposedly brilliant twist to 'The Spy Who Came in From The Cold.' but by then it's too late. Because the twist and the facts that Ed narrates to Noman, to support that twist, comes totally out of blue. It would have been brilliant if foreshadowing hints have been there for readers from the start. Finally, it does not make sense in the first place, to send Ed, to do that "entrapment operation" -- as the in-novel-parlance call it, specifically 'because' of that twist. I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I'm talking about when you reach there.
And now the elephant in the room : the near plagiarizing symmetry to Le Carre's legendary Novel and even managing to botch it. A great storyline like that ; which, I admit, was the biggest surprise for me.
Conway does acknowledge it in the his 'Thank You notes' when he talks about Graham Greene's 'Our man from Havana' and Le Carre's 'The tailor of Panama'. But that does not take away the fact that at the center of it all, if we see the whole picture, from a distance; we have to admit that despite individual, subtly beautiful subtext-y parts, there's absolutely nothing creative here. It's a fake, and botched attempt at recreating 'MonaLisa of spy novels.'
Filthy and gritty.
Those are the two words which come to mind when thinking about this novel.
Conway has a way with words. There's no denying that. He has this -- if I may be so bold -- a distinct British ability to talk in background, to Convey in the buzz, to propel the narrative in subtext. It's like watching a piece of art, in its distinct, brilliant parts.
Separately, these pieces are breathtaking. But taken collectively, it's a mess and a great missed opportunity.
The novel is mostly set in Pakistan, and being an Indian, I fully appreciate the accuracy of his description of the land, the customs, the social structure and most of all, use of the words from local languages. He depicts, quite accurately, the sorry state Pakistan currently is in, and how army and ISI had swindled the west for money and resources.
It's gritty, the sights, the smells, the people and the poverty. The filth around tribal areas and even in major cities, around which even the big shots like Noman Butt often wakes up. He's the most interesting character in the novel by the way. At first, I groaned at him, thinking him as 'just another Sherlock' who couldn't function properly without a case and needs a world of intoxicants without. But he grew on me later.
The protagonist, (if we can call him that), Ed Malik, too is interesting enough, but has nothing that we haven't seen before. But his girlfriend Leyla, is a gem. Her determination and fiery nature, later unfortunately turns into a starry eyed helpless in love damsel caricature.
The bomb boy, too, is perhaps a quite unique character readers would surely like.
Conway needs too much sex, however. And he does not mince words around it. "Arse" and "cunt" both are fare game in his novel for characters. At times, it feels like nothing but titillation.
But the biggest flaw is the story itself, the first 20% of it, seems to have been taken straight from "Zero Dark Thirty" . The 'House Of War' mystery, as interesting as it initially sounded, isn't the main plot. And it absolutely doesn't help, that the main story, starts when the novel is already past 60% mark. It's like Conway is purposely dithering behind his fancy narration and word play.
Therein lies the problem of 'The Agent Runner' -- lack of focus. It's scattered all over the place, it lacks conviction. Of sorts. Conway brings a supposedly brilliant twist to 'The Spy Who Came in From The Cold.' but by then it's too late. Because the twist and the facts that Ed narrates to Noman, to support that twist, comes totally out of blue. It would have been brilliant if foreshadowing hints have been there for readers from the start. Finally, it does not make sense in the first place, to send Ed, to do that "entrapment operation" -- as the in-novel-parlance call it, specifically 'because' of that twist. I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I'm talking about when you reach there.
And now the elephant in the room : the near plagiarizing symmetry to Le Carre's legendary Novel and even managing to botch it. A great storyline like that ; which, I admit, was the biggest surprise for me.
Conway does acknowledge it in the his 'Thank You notes' when he talks about Graham Greene's 'Our man from Havana' and Le Carre's 'The tailor of Panama'. But that does not take away the fact that at the center of it all, if we see the whole picture, from a distance; we have to admit that despite individual, subtly beautiful subtext-y parts, there's absolutely nothing creative here. It's a fake, and botched attempt at recreating 'MonaLisa of spy novels.'
March 12, 2022
Gritty, but Chaotic!
For the first one-third of this novel, the plot line is confused and chaotic. It is not at all clear what the aim of the story might be. It appears to be a fictionalized version about the assassination of Osama bin Laden, and related events of that era. We are told a lot about the Pakistani intelligence agency that is commonly known as the Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI.
The title of the book refers to a British agent of MI6, and his mission to recruit and handle spies within the country of Pakistan, especially double agents. Edward Malik is his name, and he is very good at what he does. He has recruited a young man who serves on the staff of ISI chief Major General Javid Aslam Khan. The young man's name is Tariq, but he has a code name from British Intelligence. It is "Nightingale." Tariq gets close to the safe house where Osama bin Laden is living, but the Americans have not notified the British of their intentions of attacking the house and killing bin Laden, so Tariq is still there when the attack goes down. He tries to leave with the Americans, but nobody has informed them of his presence, or of his code name. All he gets in return for his pleas is an American rifle butt to the head. Subsequently, he is killed by ISI. The loss of the U.K.'s best asset in the region leads to a rift between Ed Malik and the CIA station chief in Kabul that ends with violence, and with Ed returning to England. When he gets there, he is summarily fired by MI6. Or is he?
Ed makes a courier run to Dubai for a member of the MI6 operations team as a side job, and he eventually makes his way back to Pakistan. The same day he arrives, he is kidnapped in broad daylight and taken to an ISI facility where he is water boarded into telling the agents who took him everything he knows about MI6 and their operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ed's girlfriend makes her way to Pakistan to look for Ed, and she is also promptly kidnapped by the same people.
An apparent thrust of the story is the attempt by wannabe terrorists to build a "dirty bomb" using radioactive waste from a medical facility. The descriptions of the events, the people, and the motivations, do not paint a very pretty picture of that part of the world -- a place where I would never want to live, or even visit. In the end, a form of justice seems to be served, but we never learn if Ed and his girlfriend are able to live happily ever after back in London. I found this to be a bit unsatisfying.
All in all, I didn't really like this book very much. Perhaps it is too realistic. Perhaps it is too gritty and explicit. For whatever reason, I will award three stars and advise readers to skip this novel if they are even a little bit squeamish.
For the first one-third of this novel, the plot line is confused and chaotic. It is not at all clear what the aim of the story might be. It appears to be a fictionalized version about the assassination of Osama bin Laden, and related events of that era. We are told a lot about the Pakistani intelligence agency that is commonly known as the Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI.
The title of the book refers to a British agent of MI6, and his mission to recruit and handle spies within the country of Pakistan, especially double agents. Edward Malik is his name, and he is very good at what he does. He has recruited a young man who serves on the staff of ISI chief Major General Javid Aslam Khan. The young man's name is Tariq, but he has a code name from British Intelligence. It is "Nightingale." Tariq gets close to the safe house where Osama bin Laden is living, but the Americans have not notified the British of their intentions of attacking the house and killing bin Laden, so Tariq is still there when the attack goes down. He tries to leave with the Americans, but nobody has informed them of his presence, or of his code name. All he gets in return for his pleas is an American rifle butt to the head. Subsequently, he is killed by ISI. The loss of the U.K.'s best asset in the region leads to a rift between Ed Malik and the CIA station chief in Kabul that ends with violence, and with Ed returning to England. When he gets there, he is summarily fired by MI6. Or is he?
Ed makes a courier run to Dubai for a member of the MI6 operations team as a side job, and he eventually makes his way back to Pakistan. The same day he arrives, he is kidnapped in broad daylight and taken to an ISI facility where he is water boarded into telling the agents who took him everything he knows about MI6 and their operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ed's girlfriend makes her way to Pakistan to look for Ed, and she is also promptly kidnapped by the same people.
An apparent thrust of the story is the attempt by wannabe terrorists to build a "dirty bomb" using radioactive waste from a medical facility. The descriptions of the events, the people, and the motivations, do not paint a very pretty picture of that part of the world -- a place where I would never want to live, or even visit. In the end, a form of justice seems to be served, but we never learn if Ed and his girlfriend are able to live happily ever after back in London. I found this to be a bit unsatisfying.
All in all, I didn't really like this book very much. Perhaps it is too realistic. Perhaps it is too gritty and explicit. For whatever reason, I will award three stars and advise readers to skip this novel if they are even a little bit squeamish.
May 7, 2017
Recommended novel of espionage
" The Agent Runner" by Simon Conway is an espionage novel in the old style in the sense that it depends on motive and character development and not on epic violence.To put it another way, the book is about those who live lives of constant lies. They are lives where lies are both a weapon and a defense.
Don't expect super secret agents who wield machine in both hands or who can fight their way through a horde of enemies without barely a scratch.
The hero is Edward Malik the son of a Pakistani father and a British mother who has found his way into MI6. He is running a double agent in Pakistan, Tariq, whose boss is a close associate of the head of the Pakistani Amy Inteligence, ISI.
Chasing them is Manon, a dissolute, brutal but efficient counter-espionage agent, son-in- law of Gen. Khan, the chief of ISI.
The book delves deeply into their characters, giving us an appreciation of the stress under which they live. Each has to take decisions influenced by their own morality or amorality . They are decisions that affect the lives of everyone.
"The Agent Runner" reminds me of the spy novels of Graham Greene or, to some extent, of John LeCarre, though not as murky and verbose as the latter .It is a book where agents are asked to do dangerous things for a master who is fully aware that they are expendable when expedient . The agent's most important tool is the fact that the enemy is not that much different than they, except maybe a bit more corruptible.
Notes: The book is less than 300 pages long and quick, exciting and enjoyable. There is some scenes of violence and references to torture , not explicit. Also, a few, brief male-female romantic interludes, and also references to homosexual eroticism, thankfully brief.
The Agent Runner earned almost a full five stars except for a few times in the narrative where this reader felt that he had been led into the woods but the author quickly cleared up matters with a quick paragraph of exposition.
"The Agent Runner" is worth reading and well with the price.
" The Agent Runner" by Simon Conway is an espionage novel in the old style in the sense that it depends on motive and character development and not on epic violence.To put it another way, the book is about those who live lives of constant lies. They are lives where lies are both a weapon and a defense.
Don't expect super secret agents who wield machine in both hands or who can fight their way through a horde of enemies without barely a scratch.
The hero is Edward Malik the son of a Pakistani father and a British mother who has found his way into MI6. He is running a double agent in Pakistan, Tariq, whose boss is a close associate of the head of the Pakistani Amy Inteligence, ISI.
Chasing them is Manon, a dissolute, brutal but efficient counter-espionage agent, son-in- law of Gen. Khan, the chief of ISI.
The book delves deeply into their characters, giving us an appreciation of the stress under which they live. Each has to take decisions influenced by their own morality or amorality . They are decisions that affect the lives of everyone.
"The Agent Runner" reminds me of the spy novels of Graham Greene or, to some extent, of John LeCarre, though not as murky and verbose as the latter .It is a book where agents are asked to do dangerous things for a master who is fully aware that they are expendable when expedient . The agent's most important tool is the fact that the enemy is not that much different than they, except maybe a bit more corruptible.
Notes: The book is less than 300 pages long and quick, exciting and enjoyable. There is some scenes of violence and references to torture , not explicit. Also, a few, brief male-female romantic interludes, and also references to homosexual eroticism, thankfully brief.
The Agent Runner earned almost a full five stars except for a few times in the narrative where this reader felt that he had been led into the woods but the author quickly cleared up matters with a quick paragraph of exposition.
"The Agent Runner" is worth reading and well with the price.
October 8, 2021
Yet another authoritative and complex spy novel from Simon Conway, set in Pakistan and Afghanistan mostly.
Conway writes very well and the plots are usually complex and intricate. This time involving a MI6 officer running an agent within the Pakistan's ISI spy agency.
I have to give 5 star for his description of Pakistan's complex socio, ethnic, religious and political landscape. Not to mention the mazy zones between the army, government and the ISI. I thought the first part was outstanding.
However, the 2nd part was less impressive and the plot loses steam and the ending a little disappointing. I also have issues with his description of the lives of the three spies in question - Noma, Khan and Ed. I am very doubtful that these men will lead the lives as described. It is unlikely that such powerful men within ISI will be walking around unprotected and behaving in such cavalier manner when there is a price on their head by various terrorist groups and constantly targeted by them.
Nevertheless, the story deserves a 4-star rating for its sheer authenticity and originality.
Conway writes very well and the plots are usually complex and intricate. This time involving a MI6 officer running an agent within the Pakistan's ISI spy agency.
I have to give 5 star for his description of Pakistan's complex socio, ethnic, religious and political landscape. Not to mention the mazy zones between the army, government and the ISI. I thought the first part was outstanding.
However, the 2nd part was less impressive and the plot loses steam and the ending a little disappointing. I also have issues with his description of the lives of the three spies in question - Noma, Khan and Ed. I am very doubtful that these men will lead the lives as described. It is unlikely that such powerful men within ISI will be walking around unprotected and behaving in such cavalier manner when there is a price on their head by various terrorist groups and constantly targeted by them.
Nevertheless, the story deserves a 4-star rating for its sheer authenticity and originality.
September 22, 2020
Edwrd Malik is an agent runner in pakistan, his inforamnt is killed in the aid on Bin Laden. He is recalled to London , where is is dismissed. His boss gives him another job to do to , to restore his reputation and getto the true meaning of the agent he was running. it took awile for the story to introduce ll he charcters and the story to unfold. Half way thru the book it started getting real intersting, a decent spy novel..
June 6, 2023
Conway knows how, more than any author I have encountered, to draw portraits of the overindulgent who know how to capitalize on advantages that come their way. Then there are the self-sacrificing who are taken advantage of by the overindulgent, but who, through their knowledge and the path they have been put on, can play a part in toppling the arrogant. The backdrop is southwest Asia in the decades after 9/11. Enjoyed this one.
February 7, 2022
This was very good and somewhat reminded me of Mick Herron's Slough House books in what it has to say about MI5 and MI6 and the treatment of their people and agents. If there is truth in this then it's rather appalling. Nevertheless, a gripping story with interesting and well-drawn characters. I'd read another of Simon Conway's books.
January 18, 2024
Not for me in several ways. The "spy, thriller, love story" descriptor was none of those things for me. The story line didn't hold together, the love part was basically sex, the spy stuff was trite, underwhelming and at points brutal without real context or sense. Scanned through quickly to confirm expected ending and made a note to avoid this author in future.
May 5, 2017
I mostly enjoyed reading this book. I did however find it confusing at times.
July 23, 2017
Basically Spy Who Came in From the Cold but around Pakistan. Well written and interesting characterization, an easy read. But not the most original.
May 21, 2019
I loved this spy novel. It was fast paced, believable and very modern. Simon Conway knows how to write and kept me guessing the whole time. It is a great read.
August 29, 2019
Enjoyed The Agent Runner. I did however find it confusing at times trying to keep track of who's who. If you like spy books and give it a try.
September 30, 2020
Started out well.ended poorly
Liked the descriptions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Khan character confusing and couldn’t understand the ending.killing Homs elf was not logical.
Liked the descriptions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Khan character confusing and couldn’t understand the ending.killing Homs elf was not logical.
June 28, 2021
Well-written, fast-paced, and authentic.
November 13, 2021
Well written taut thriller
A thrilling ride through Pakistan and Afghanistan, war on terror and espionage. Keeps one on the edge, keeps one guessing.
A thrilling ride through Pakistan and Afghanistan, war on terror and espionage. Keeps one on the edge, keeps one guessing.
November 23, 2021
a plodding derivative of The Spy Who Came In From the Cold.
..imitation may be the best form of flattery but this needed more work than follow the footprints of Le Carre.
..imitation may be the best form of flattery but this needed more work than follow the footprints of Le Carre.
March 20, 2017
I picked this up to learn a bit more about the mysterious (to me) Pakistan. The Brits are 'handling' agents in Pakistan to get intel on ISI, the Taliban etc. I appears that the handling is going both ways.
I found the situations depressing and tragically cynical.
I found the situations depressing and tragically cynical.
May 3, 2023
An excellent spy thriller set in in a part of the world that takes their spying seriously. Pakistan, ISI, Mad Mullahs... it's all here.
September 25, 2014
This is the latest high-octane thriller from the award winning Simon Conway ('A Loyal Spy', CWA Steel Dagger Award 2010). Conway's speciality is the world of espionage and terrorism in the murky middle ground where heroes and villains become inter-changeable. Conway is one of those enormously talented, literary writers who both use and explore the thriller genre to pursue some very uncomfortable truths about the modern world of politics and power, while keeping the reader on a roller coaster ride of thrills and danger. His new novel is an ingenious tale of cross, double-cross and triple-cross in the perilous borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan where spies from MI6 and ISI fight a game with the highest of stakes. With a nod to the Realpolitik of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, 'The Agent Runner' sets the bar for the modern thriller higher than ever before. An unforgettable read and Conway's best book yet.
May 10, 2017
Too predictable.
April 11, 2017
Good Reading
I enjoyed this book. At times it was hard to put it down. I will be reading more by this author.
I enjoyed this book. At times it was hard to put it down. I will be reading more by this author.
March 1, 2019
The agent runner is simply a masterpiece. Utterly brutally ridiculously crazy!!!!!!!!!! Loved it. Couldn't put it down once I started. Wow in all honesty it's been a while since I read any spy thriller so this was an amazing breaker
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