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A Line in the Sand
In a village on the Suffolk coast, Frank Perry waits for his past to arrive. A decade before he spied for the Government on the Iranian chemical and biological weapon installations. His information damaged their killing capacity for years.
Now, Iran will have its revenge and has despatched their most deadly assassin to fulfil the task. Codenamed the Anvil, he will move with stealth towards his chosen objective unless Perry's protectors can reach him first.
As he draws nearer, the ring of steel around Perry grows tighter. But against a faceless adversary, and with the job fatally compromised by the stifling political bureaucracy surrounding it, there seems little chance that the past will not have its day once more...
Now, Iran will have its revenge and has despatched their most deadly assassin to fulfil the task. Codenamed the Anvil, he will move with stealth towards his chosen objective unless Perry's protectors can reach him first.
As he draws nearer, the ring of steel around Perry grows tighter. But against a faceless adversary, and with the job fatally compromised by the stifling political bureaucracy surrounding it, there seems little chance that the past will not have its day once more...
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
25 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Seymour
98 books284 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 8, 2024
Seymour never fails with his detailed, sophisticated, multilayered novels. He is the best incremental storyteller in his field. He ranks with the best - Greene, Le Carre, Deighton and Ludlum. 'A Line in the Sand' illustrates the financial and personal cost when one of their own MI5 members needs protection from an Iranian state sponsored terrorist sent for a revenge killing. As always, Seymour, has a great array of characters including Perry and his family, Barnaby, Fenton and Markham from MI5. There was police backup from Davies, Blake and also Paget and Rankin, as well as Littlebaum from US Conter-intelligence and a special appearance from Cathy Parker (who was a major character in his Northern Ireland stories). But, Seymour clashes these characters against community, family and friends and regular law abiding citizens who just want to live their day to day lives peacefully and away from guns and violence.
Seymour wrote about pyrrhic victories where the so called winners move on with what life they have left, while the losers end up either dead or in jail. But, this story was more than that, he illustrated choices that people have to make when faced with guns and the violence that they bring, as well as, the hardship that the job puts on these people who carry these weapons. He also asked the question, whether or not is it better to be a coward and just accept the problems in life or is it better to stand up for yourself and suffer the consequences? One of his very best! Excellent! 5 Stars.
Gerald Seymour has been writing thrillers for more than thirty five years. Here are a few of them:
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’, 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and ‘Harry’s Game’.
3 Stars ~ ‘A Song in the Morning', 'In Honour Bound’ & ‘The Untouchable’
2 Stars ~ ‘The Corporals Wife’ & 'The Unknown Soldier’.
Other similar authors that this person has read include: John le Carre, Len Deighton, Graham Greene, Alan Furst, Mick Herron, Ted Allbeury and Robert Ludlum who focused on spy novels, conflicts or on espionage.
Seymour wrote about pyrrhic victories where the so called winners move on with what life they have left, while the losers end up either dead or in jail. But, this story was more than that, he illustrated choices that people have to make when faced with guns and the violence that they bring, as well as, the hardship that the job puts on these people who carry these weapons. He also asked the question, whether or not is it better to be a coward and just accept the problems in life or is it better to stand up for yourself and suffer the consequences? One of his very best! Excellent! 5 Stars.
Gerald Seymour has been writing thrillers for more than thirty five years. Here are a few of them:
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’, 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and ‘Harry’s Game’.
3 Stars ~ ‘A Song in the Morning', 'In Honour Bound’ & ‘The Untouchable’
2 Stars ~ ‘The Corporals Wife’ & 'The Unknown Soldier’.
Other similar authors that this person has read include: John le Carre, Len Deighton, Graham Greene, Alan Furst, Mick Herron, Ted Allbeury and Robert Ludlum who focused on spy novels, conflicts or on espionage.
September 4, 2012
3.75 stars. I had to knock a quarter star off for a disjointed-feeling writing style. I listened to the audiobook version of this and it would change gears often without indication right away as to who that particular scene was about. It was jarring and would sometimes take a while to figure out where we were in the story because transitions like this often lacked a lead-in. All in all it was a good story though - heartbreaking in many respects because of how the community, in their fear, turned against the couple.
August 24, 2020
A focused tale of danger & moral aftermath for a somewhat polished salesman who gets in way over his head practicing deception for his needs & those of the service. Great, tense storytelling - as always with Mr. Seymour!
May 4, 2025
'A Line In The Sand' by Gerald Seymour is another of the authors thrillers - meant to keep you hanging on, (will it happen, wont it happen??) in Gerald Seymour's usual tense style.
At first the story succeeds. I began reading the story of a spy who has offended Islamic Iran with great anticipation. Another top thriller from a top writer who can add personal experience to his writing.
Unfortunately half-way through the book I started to lose interest, and by the end I was wishing it to finish. Too many characters adding their own little story to what turns out to be a rather limited overall plot. The jihadist chosen to eliminate our English Spy takes too long making the attempt; the circumstances surrounding the attempt are too spun out. And the end of the story finishes up as an anti-climax - I couldn't get to grips with any real depth of character portrayed by either the would be assassin or the man he was sent to assassinate.
Poor show! A long read only made 'readable' by the knowledge and expertise which Gerald Seymour
always adds to his novels.
At first the story succeeds. I began reading the story of a spy who has offended Islamic Iran with great anticipation. Another top thriller from a top writer who can add personal experience to his writing.
Unfortunately half-way through the book I started to lose interest, and by the end I was wishing it to finish. Too many characters adding their own little story to what turns out to be a rather limited overall plot. The jihadist chosen to eliminate our English Spy takes too long making the attempt; the circumstances surrounding the attempt are too spun out. And the end of the story finishes up as an anti-climax - I couldn't get to grips with any real depth of character portrayed by either the would be assassin or the man he was sent to assassinate.
Poor show! A long read only made 'readable' by the knowledge and expertise which Gerald Seymour
always adds to his novels.
August 25, 2025
Masterful storytelling.
I love Gerald Seymour's thrillers because they are complex and multi-layered.
In A Line in the Sand, there is no hero to follow. There are many characters, each playing a part in a bigger story. We are led into a small town and see the response to a crisis. Relationships that people thought were strong, crumble. Seymour dissects the human response to fear and confusion. He also presents a cynical portrayal of authority and the politics influencing decision making behind events.
He is not afraid to rock the reader's sense of complacency and challenges our expectations. There is no certainty of a happy ending with his stories.
This book kept me wondering how it would all end. I couldn't skip ahead; I had to know what would happen as well as how it would be resolved.
A true page-turner with great suspense.
I love Gerald Seymour's thrillers because they are complex and multi-layered.
In A Line in the Sand, there is no hero to follow. There are many characters, each playing a part in a bigger story. We are led into a small town and see the response to a crisis. Relationships that people thought were strong, crumble. Seymour dissects the human response to fear and confusion. He also presents a cynical portrayal of authority and the politics influencing decision making behind events.
He is not afraid to rock the reader's sense of complacency and challenges our expectations. There is no certainty of a happy ending with his stories.
This book kept me wondering how it would all end. I couldn't skip ahead; I had to know what would happen as well as how it would be resolved.
A true page-turner with great suspense.
April 25, 2022
Although the book is based in the 1990's its written like something from the 1950's, a bit Tally ho and old fashioned. Slow moving and action sparse, stuck with it hoping for a decent last 100 pages and it fell a bit flat, bit like the rest of the book, shame really...
June 13, 2025
didn't enjoy. didn't get in to it. maybe not my style
February 8, 2016
Line in the Sand is a great example of why I'm such a fan of Gerald Seymour. He's a talented writer who knows the business of spying, the Middle East, and police procedures, and he knows how to put together a story that truly engages the reader.
In this case, the main character happens to betray the wrong Iranians, he's holed up with an assumed identity in a small English coastal town, an assassin has been dispatched to gain revenge, and rather than running he elects to stay with his family under the 'protection' of the British government. Everyone knows the assassin is on the way, they just don't know who he is or how he plans to attack, and the book covers the preparation, the behind the scenes work to identify the attacker, and the eventual resolution.
I really loved this book, but in typical Seymour fashion he introduces viewpoints and characters that, at the time, you have no idea how they fit into the picture. They eventually do become part of the story, but to me it's a bit distracting in that I'm constantly trying to figure out how they'll be introduced into the action. Other than that, it's a great read, well-written with excellent character development and a satisfying conclusion. I recommend it highly!
In this case, the main character happens to betray the wrong Iranians, he's holed up with an assumed identity in a small English coastal town, an assassin has been dispatched to gain revenge, and rather than running he elects to stay with his family under the 'protection' of the British government. Everyone knows the assassin is on the way, they just don't know who he is or how he plans to attack, and the book covers the preparation, the behind the scenes work to identify the attacker, and the eventual resolution.
I really loved this book, but in typical Seymour fashion he introduces viewpoints and characters that, at the time, you have no idea how they fit into the picture. They eventually do become part of the story, but to me it's a bit distracting in that I'm constantly trying to figure out how they'll be introduced into the action. Other than that, it's a great read, well-written with excellent character development and a satisfying conclusion. I recommend it highly!
April 22, 2013
I am reviewing the novel A Line In The sand by Gerald Seymour which is a very good thriller and which I borrowed from a friend. The action goes along at a nice pace and it is about a fairly topical subject, the nuclear program in Iran. Interestingly this book was written in 1999 which is probably a little before that became big news. The plot is a british spy called Perry has spent years grooming contacts so that he can gain access to the Iranian nuclear project and destroys it in a way that will take years for them to recover. A while later they send one of their best hitmen to kill him and brings with him his partner an english lady who has become a muslim and become radicalized. When the security services tell Perry his life is in danger he is working in a civilian job and is rather dismissive but they keep an eye on him because they are desperate to catch this assassin. The assassin rapes and murders a lady and they realise he is wounded and there is a long chase at the end and there is a happy ending. Gerald used to be a television news reporter & achieved a lot of success with his first novel Harry's Game which was made into a film.
July 19, 2022
I’ll start my review with an anecdote: I picked up this book which I thought I had abandoned after a few chapters a couple years ago so to give it another go. As I reached the end, I realised it was not a DNF but I had actually finished the book...This qualifies A Line In The Sand as utterly forgettable.
The book has certainly a promising start, with the prospect of devious intrigues between Iran, its WMD program and the UK security services.
Then the story rambles on with a lengthy and rather repetitive description of the set up of the protection program for the protagonist, who came under the threat of retaliation by the Iranian services, and of the deadly consequences on his family and friends.
There is no character developed to a level to stand out and engage the reader; there’s no action (which certainly is not what I look for in an espionage thriller) nor intrigue, mindgames, subtle deceit, tradecraft (which certainly what makes me like such books)
The book has certainly a promising start, with the prospect of devious intrigues between Iran, its WMD program and the UK security services.
Then the story rambles on with a lengthy and rather repetitive description of the set up of the protection program for the protagonist, who came under the threat of retaliation by the Iranian services, and of the deadly consequences on his family and friends.
There is no character developed to a level to stand out and engage the reader; there’s no action (which certainly is not what I look for in an espionage thriller) nor intrigue, mindgames, subtle deceit, tradecraft (which certainly what makes me like such books)
June 20, 2009
I tried. I really, really tried, but I simply could NOT get into this book.
I usually give a novel one chapter to draw me in, but because of all the good reviews this book received, I read five. It was no good. I was bored. I just didn't care about the characters or the plot.
I love thrillers, but this one left me cold. It's not that Seymour is a bad writer, he just isn't a very good one. There was nothing wrong with his writing, aside from leaving the reader bored and wondering when the action would start.
There are too many good books out there to waste your time on a boring one. This is strictly my opinion. Several other reviewers loved this book, so to each his own.
This was my first Gerald Seymour book and will probably be my last.
I usually give a novel one chapter to draw me in, but because of all the good reviews this book received, I read five. It was no good. I was bored. I just didn't care about the characters or the plot.
I love thrillers, but this one left me cold. It's not that Seymour is a bad writer, he just isn't a very good one. There was nothing wrong with his writing, aside from leaving the reader bored and wondering when the action would start.
There are too many good books out there to waste your time on a boring one. This is strictly my opinion. Several other reviewers loved this book, so to each his own.
This was my first Gerald Seymour book and will probably be my last.
January 10, 2012
Good story, though a steady pace rather than fast. Like the getting to know people, didn't like the way a new paragraph would talk about 'he' and it could be any one of three main or other minor male characters as the featured 'he' of that paragraph - confusing and not needed, plot convoluted enough without this.
September 8, 2013
An interesting political thriller plot - Middle East espionage pre 9/11. But despite the book's good bones I gave up a third of the way in. Narrative perspective kept shifting and I was forced to re-read paragraphs repeatedly to figure out who was in play. The characters were drawn dispassionately, with everyone seeming to be a bureaucrat and no hope for a hero to emerge
March 23, 2011
Great tale of efforts to protect ex civilian spy when Iranian govt find out his new identity. description of community's reaction to the threat is awesome. Usual great pacing and characterisation I have come to expect from Seymour.
July 23, 2011
C1999. The review from the Mail on Sunday 'Brilliantly written and deserving of the Booker prize, if only it wasn't so populist' FWFTB: Suffolk, spied, Iranian, assassin, bureaucracy . FCN: Frank Perry, the Anvil, . “Always best to be careful and do the checks, it doesn't take a minute."
November 14, 2011
I found this to be an outstanding book, emotional and suspenseful. I have read others by this author and haven't been disappointed at all. I intend to read everything I can find by him. Highly recommend this to anyone.
February 24, 2017
A story about an undercover agent in Iran. The search to destroy him by Vahid Hossein and how the British Government takes responsibility to take care of their source. It is tragic that Meryl has to pay the price with her life. Religious fanatism is scary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2008
Brilliant, emotional, utterly believable
June 8, 2010
4.25--this guy is worth reading.
January 28, 2016
So-so reading.
May 14, 2015
Was quite gripped through most of the book but found the end play FAR to drawn out
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews