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False Flags
It is 1983, the freezing point of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Behind the headlines, unknown to most private citizens, the two super powers bumble toward nuclear confrontation....and in the back streets and back alleys of world capitals, spies and recalled spies fight for a part of a missile guidance system that could tip the balance during nuclear confrontation. And at the center is a woman with a terrible secret.
From the author of Flowers From Berlin, Conspiracy in Kiev and two dozen other best selling thrillers, comes a newly revised 'endgame' spy story, based on the events of 1983 that were all too real.
"Noel Hynd knows the ins and outs of Washington's institutions, public and private." –Publishers Weekly
"The novels of Noel Hynd stand out like emeralds." -–NY Times Book Review
"A few notches above the Ludlums and Clancys of the world" –Booklist
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 1979
112 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Noel Hynd
62 books218 followers I've been a published novelist for longer than I care to admit, since 1976. I'm frequently asked, however, how I first got published. It's an interesting story and involved both Robert Ludlum and James Baldwin, even though neither of them knew it --- or me --- at the time.
My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.
The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."
The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.
That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.
My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.
Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.
That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.
Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve
My first agent, a wonderful thorughly perofessional gentleman named Robert Lantz was representing Mr. Baldwin at the time. This was around 1975. Balwin, while a brilliant writer, had had some nasty dealings with the head of Dell Publishing. Dell held Jimmy's contract at the time and he could not legally write for anyone else until he gave Dell a book that was due to them. Nonetheless, he refused to deliver a manuscript to Dell and went to Paris to sit things out.
The book was due to The Dial Press, which Dell owned. Baldwin was widely quoted as saying....and I'm cleaning up the quote here, "that he was no longer picking cotton on Dell's planatation."
The book was due to The Dial Press. The editor in chief of The Dial Press was a stellar editor who was making a name for himself and a fair bit of money for the company publishing thriller-author Robert Ludlum. A best seller every year will do that for an editor. Anyway, Baldwin fled New York for Paris. The editor followed, the asignment being to get him to come happily back to Dial. As soon as the editor arrived, Baldwin fled to Algeria. Or maybe Tunisia. It hardly mattered because Baldwin was furious and simply wouldn 't do a book for Dell/Dial. The editor returned to NY without his quarry. Things were at a standstill.
That's where I entered the story, unpublished at age 27 and knowing enough to keep my mouth shut while these things went down. I had given 124 pages of a first novel to Mr. Lantz ten days eariler. Miraculously, his reader liked it and then HE liked it. It was in the same genre that Ludlum wrote in and which the editor at Dial excelled at editing and marketing.
My agent and the editor ran into each other one afternoon in July of 1974 in one of those swank Manhattan places where people used to have three martinis for lunch. The agent asked how things had gone in Europe. The editor told him, knowing full well that the agent already knew. The next steps would be lawyers, Baldwin dragged into US Courts, major authors boycotting Doubleday/Dell, Dial, maybe some civil rights demonstrations and.......but no so fast.
Mr. Lantz offered Dial the first look at a new adventure/espionage novelist (me). IF Dial wanted me after reading my 124 pages, he could sign me, but only IF Baldwin was released from his obligations at Doubleday. I was the literary bribe, so to speak, that would get Jimmy free from Dial. It seemed like a great idea to everyone. It seemed that way because it was. Paperwork was prepapred and paperwork was signed. Voila!...To make a much longer story short, Dial accepted my novel. The editor instructed me on how to raise it to a professional level as I finished writing it over the next ten months. I followed orders perfectly. I even felt prosperous on my $7500 advance. He then had Dial release Mr. Balwin from his obligation. Not surpringly, he went on to create fine books for other publishers. Ludlum did even batter. Of the three, I'm the pauper but I've gotten my fair share and I'm alive with books coming out again now in the very near future, no small accmplishment. So no complaints from me.
That''s how I got published. I met Ludlum many times later on and Baldwin once. Ludlum liked my name "Noel" and used it for an then-upcoming charcter named Noel Holcroft. That amused me. I don't know if either of them even knew that my career had been in their orbits for a month 1975. They would have been amused. They were both smart gifted men and fine writers in dfferent ways. This story was told to me by one of the principals two years later and another one confirmed it.
Me, I came out of it with my first publishing contract, for a book titled 'Reve
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 5, 2018
I started False Flags fired up by the discovery of its author via Truman's Spy, which left me in total awe, so my expectations were high indeed also due to the good reviews of this book, defined by some readers as the best by Noel Hynd.
Well that was not my experience, in fact I was rather disappointed by this book.
The story is kind of diluted due to the fact that the author interweaves the actual plot with long sections dedicated to the political events of the past 30 years, a sort of compendium of the Cold War history, which lowers the focus and the tension of the narration
Moreover, on top of being fragmented by the above approach, the plot is rather disjointed in its own right, it keeps departing for so many tangents that you loose the sense of where it is going.
All in all, a less enjoyable read that what I would have hoped....
Well that was not my experience, in fact I was rather disappointed by this book.
The story is kind of diluted due to the fact that the author interweaves the actual plot with long sections dedicated to the political events of the past 30 years, a sort of compendium of the Cold War history, which lowers the focus and the tension of the narration
Moreover, on top of being fragmented by the above approach, the plot is rather disjointed in its own right, it keeps departing for so many tangents that you loose the sense of where it is going.
All in all, a less enjoyable read that what I would have hoped....
October 21, 2018
I always enjoy Noel Hynd's novels. They are well researched and center around true historical events. While this one is not one of his best, I still enjoyed it very much. I certainly was unaware that in 1983 the world came as close to a nuclear holocaust as during the Cuban missile crisis. Some may not enjoy the tutorial of historical events that intervenes between fictional scenes, but I found it fascinating. I had no idea that the Grenada invasion, a seemingly isolated event, could have almost caused a disastrous nuclear exchange. The novel is a bit confusing at first but the historical events blend well with the plot and the result is another fine effort by a top notch author.
January 16, 2017
A first class cold war thriller
This is my third Noel Hynd book and the best so far. I almost figured it out. But still got fooled. Should be read on one or two sessions. I will be reading more!
This is my third Noel Hynd book and the best so far. I almost figured it out. But still got fooled. Should be read on one or two sessions. I will be reading more!
August 24, 2018
Good read. Very good pace. I liked the characters.
Recommend this book.
Recommend this book.
May 5, 2019
Nukes and Spooks
Hynd gives his own special kind of spin to 80's relations between the mega powers that be, the U.S. and the USSR, showing how close we came to nuclear war.
Hynd gives his own special kind of spin to 80's relations between the mega powers that be, the U.S. and the USSR, showing how close we came to nuclear war.
June 16, 2019
Like this guys style and historical fiction
January 25, 2023
Another masterpiece
Noel Hynd captures the essence of the intelligence realm and consistently delivers.
I've read a majority of his books and haven't been disappointed.
Noel Hynd captures the essence of the intelligence realm and consistently delivers.
I've read a majority of his books and haven't been disappointed.
September 18, 2015
This book was so exciting that when found it after a multi-month haitus, I put it back down, again. Billed as history, it turned out to be a novel. How disappointing? Put this one in the category of "did not finish and don't expect to--ever."
September 6, 2016
A very worthy read
I saw some reviews that hinted at unhappiness with some aspect of this book. I can't imagine why, and I've read every syllable from the greats like Len Deighton.
I consider myself lucky to have stumbled onto this writer, and am delighted there are more.
I saw some reviews that hinted at unhappiness with some aspect of this book. I can't imagine why, and I've read every syllable from the greats like Len Deighton.
I consider myself lucky to have stumbled onto this writer, and am delighted there are more.
July 22, 2012
good read. ending is sure to be. surprise
May 15, 2016
A good story to read - update your cold war history... Very entertaining... However it was a little slow in places, but also packed with a few surprises...
September 9, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I especially appreciated the epilogue.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews