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Hopscotch
Since being forced into retirement by the CIA, Miles Kendig had tried everything in an effort to satisfy his hunger for excitement. But he could not recreate the ultimate conflict of life or death with no rules, the experience of pitting himself against the enemy with no holds barred.
Despite his bitterness at being shelved by the CIA, Miles was still scrupulously American--so when he found himself tempted by an offer from the Russians, he realized the time had come for him to put up or give up.
Miles has been waiting, carefully planning, for years--and, finally, he's ready. By threatening to expose the espionage secrets of the major powers, he set himself up as the quarry of an international manhunt. Now he would either prove to himself that after twenty-five years of playing the game he was still a winner, or he would meet his death at the hands of younger men.
Despite his bitterness at being shelved by the CIA, Miles was still scrupulously American--so when he found himself tempted by an offer from the Russians, he realized the time had come for him to put up or give up.
Miles has been waiting, carefully planning, for years--and, finally, he's ready. By threatening to expose the espionage secrets of the major powers, he set himself up as the quarry of an international manhunt. Now he would either prove to himself that after twenty-five years of playing the game he was still a winner, or he would meet his death at the hands of younger men.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1967
119 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Brian Garfield
106 books78 followersBrian Francis Wynne Garfield was a novelist and screenwriter. He wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen, and gained prominence with 1975 his book Hopscotch, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. He is best known for his 1972 novel Death Wish, which was adapted for the 1974 film of the same title, followed by four sequels, and a remake starring Bruce Willis.
His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.
Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne
His follow-up 1975 sequel to Death Wish, Death Sentence, was very loosely adapted into a film of the same name which was released to theaters in late 2007, though an entirely different storyline, but with the novel's same look on vigilantism. Garfield is also the author of The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Garfield's latest book, published in 2007, is Meinertzhagen, the biography of controversial British intelligence officer Richard Meinertzhagen.
Brian Garfield was the author of more than 70 books that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and 19 of his works were made into films or TV shows. He also served as president of the Western Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.
Pseudonyms:
• Bennett Garland
• John Ives
• Drew Mallory
• Frank O'Brian
• Brian Wynne
• Frank Wynne
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
November 29, 2011
I've not read Garfield before, but will now pick up whatever I can find. This is not what most would call literary fiction. Fine. That said, I have a real soft spot for seventies thrillers like this one which was about as charming and suspenseful and fast as William Goldman's classic MARATHON MAN. Apparently Garfield also wrote DEATH WISH, which sounds perfect for a tough airplane ride. Which is exactly where I read HOPSCOTCH, on the way to see the in-laws for Thanksgiving. Barry Hannah and Dostoyevsky were in the bag too, but HOPSCOTCH was exactly what I needed to get me through. Not bad for a dollar find at Goodwill.
July 27, 2021
Quirky 1970s spy fiction. A disenfranchised former spy decides to play a game with the CIA, MI5 and the KGB, by writing a book and telling the truth. He has to skip around the globe avoiding getting caught while mailing out new chapters to his publishers. It's goofy fun filled with serious tradcraft and a refreshingly dyspeptic attitude towards patriotism and the usual driving forces of spy novels. Miles Kendig is a most unusual protagonist and this is a highly unusual novel. It is bloodless, snarky and life-affirming and really rather joyous.
January 21, 2020
It's slightly ironic that I read this just after Claire North's 'The Gameshouse,' as that book also features a main character who is on the run from a massive surveillance operation with only his wits to guide him. Where that novella felt a bit underwritten, 'Hopscotch' is all about the details of prematurely retired spy Miles Kendig outwits the intelligence agencies chasing him.
It's an entertaining read, and I can understand why it won an Edgar award. I have two mild quibbles. The first is that we're told Kendig is independently wealthy due to a successful career as a gambler after his retirement from espionage, so for most of the book, if he needs a fake ID, or a plane ticket, or a stooge to act as a decoy for him, he can easily pull some cash from his Swiss bank account to pay for it. It's only fairly late in the game when he's cut off from his wealth that he's really pushed to his limits. It makes sense that someone as focused and well-prepared as Kendig wouldn't start a feud with the intelligence agencies of the world without the resources to pull it off, but it made things feel a bit too easy for a bit too long.
The second quibble is that the climax of the book is a bit of a non-event: when Kendig realizes the stakes of the game he's playing, and what he stands to lose, he decides to withdraw from it as gracefully as possible. Without spoiling anything, there's a central conflict that the book seems to be setting up from early on that then never really pays off.
Entertaining enough, though, and worth a look for fans of more realistic spy fiction.
It's an entertaining read, and I can understand why it won an Edgar award. I have two mild quibbles. The first is that we're told Kendig is independently wealthy due to a successful career as a gambler after his retirement from espionage, so for most of the book, if he needs a fake ID, or a plane ticket, or a stooge to act as a decoy for him, he can easily pull some cash from his Swiss bank account to pay for it. It's only fairly late in the game when he's cut off from his wealth that he's really pushed to his limits. It makes sense that someone as focused and well-prepared as Kendig wouldn't start a feud with the intelligence agencies of the world without the resources to pull it off, but it made things feel a bit too easy for a bit too long.
The second quibble is that the climax of the book is a bit of a non-event: when Kendig realizes the stakes of the game he's playing, and what he stands to lose, he decides to withdraw from it as gracefully as possible. Without spoiling anything, there's a central conflict that the book seems to be setting up from early on that then never really pays off.
Entertaining enough, though, and worth a look for fans of more realistic spy fiction.
April 8, 2011
I saw this book, and remembered seeing the movie with Walter Matthau. I thought the movie was funny. I found the book even better. Yes, it's a suspense story, but on top of that, it's a black comedy. What does a retired CIA agent who feels he was put out to pasture too early do to put a spark back into his life? He writes a tell all book, not just about the CIA, but the KGB and MI-6 too. Then, he sends one chapter at a time to publishers, daring all those agencies to catch him before he can send in the final chapter. It had some edge of seat moments, and some laugh out loud moments. The story may not be for everyone. If you like pure suspense like Ludlum, this may not be heavy enough for you. If you like out and out slapstick, this won't do it for you, either. But I think Brian Garfield masterfully blended suspense and humor for this story.
March 2, 2021
A retired CIA operative leads the CIA and its intelligence allies on a global chase after he decides to publish a tell-all memoir. Smart, well-plotted, and engaging, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of the 1970s novel. It was a fun spy caper, and Kendig, the protagonist, might be one of my favorite fictional spies. Garfield has fun with the typical tropes of spy novels and uses them but also had enough knowledge of reality to ground the tale.
The 1980 film starring Walter Matthau and co-written by Garfield deviates from the book but still works. The movie is as much a fantasy of screwing over an asshole former boss as a spy caper, and it somehow walks the line between being both a serious spy film and a satire.
Both book and film have their strengths, and both deserve to be better known today. Recommended.
The 1980 film starring Walter Matthau and co-written by Garfield deviates from the book but still works. The movie is as much a fantasy of screwing over an asshole former boss as a spy caper, and it somehow walks the line between being both a serious spy film and a satire.
Both book and film have their strengths, and both deserve to be better known today. Recommended.
October 20, 2020
Audiobook. Lots of fun. If you watched the movie with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson you'll have the broad idea. If not, it's the story of how a CIA field agent, Miles Kendig, put out to pasture and retired to office work, decides it's time to spice up his life a bit. He writes a manuscript with details of intelligence service operations and then sends chapters to multiple publishers enticing the CIA and KGB to come after him before he can release more insidious details. He's clever and rubs their noses in it several times, before realizing the game might be getting just a bit too serious.
May 6, 2010
This was a great spy novel. Miles Kendig, a career CIA agent, has reached the end of his rope. The world is changing too fast for him, and, in his eyes, so is the agency. And, like all of us, he soon gets a boss that tends to believe that he is the end-all-be-all of the universe, and knows more about Kendig's job, in a few months, than Kendig has for over three decades. So, in plan english, he informs Kendig that he's too old to continue -- he's offered a "desk job."
So...Kending destroys his files and quits the CIA.
Along the way a "cat and mouse game" is played, as Kendig decides to raise the stakes by writing his memoirs. But, instead of mailing the chapters of his book to publishers, he starts mailing them to all the agency offices all over the world -- the British, Chinese, Russian, East Germans, and the like. Deep "Top Secret" details about certain things everyone wants to keep in the dark. Since Kending had been classified as "useless to the agency" he wants to make sure his knowledge was still "Good."
Kendig does not do this to be mean. Indeed, he is quite loyal. He does this to teach a lesson to the new guard. Old dogs may not be able to learn new tricks, but they're still damn good with the old ones.
In the end, Kendig gets his book published, teaches his boss an important lesson, and also gets the girl! From the author of "Death Wish" this book was a grand read. Highly recommended to any and all.
So...Kending destroys his files and quits the CIA.
Along the way a "cat and mouse game" is played, as Kendig decides to raise the stakes by writing his memoirs. But, instead of mailing the chapters of his book to publishers, he starts mailing them to all the agency offices all over the world -- the British, Chinese, Russian, East Germans, and the like. Deep "Top Secret" details about certain things everyone wants to keep in the dark. Since Kending had been classified as "useless to the agency" he wants to make sure his knowledge was still "Good."
Kendig does not do this to be mean. Indeed, he is quite loyal. He does this to teach a lesson to the new guard. Old dogs may not be able to learn new tricks, but they're still damn good with the old ones.
In the end, Kendig gets his book published, teaches his boss an important lesson, and also gets the girl! From the author of "Death Wish" this book was a grand read. Highly recommended to any and all.
July 18, 2013
Book was interesting! Loved, loved, loved the movie version. But the book was different and yet still intriguing.
November 11, 2023
I read this book because I watched the 1980 movie version starring Walter Matthau. Close parallels but off a bit. Still the book flowed well, kept me entertained. I will try to read his other works.✌️
August 27, 2019
One of the rare times the movie is superior to the book. Watch that and skip this.
April 22, 2025
Oh 1970s cat-and-mouse spy thrillers that are turned into movies starring Walter Matthau and Ned Beatty.. you will always have my heart.
March 7, 2019
I'm writing in March, 2019, and I only recently learned that Brian Garfield had passed away at the end of December, 2018. The news has left a sharp, cold splinter in my heart that I've been having a difficult time plucking out. Garfield wrote a famous book called Death Wish and quite a few more equally excellent novels in a variety of genres. Seek out Relentless or The Last Hard Men if you like chase stories in the vein of Follett's Eye of the Needle. Seek out Sliphammer if you're willing to give an intelligent western a chance. I've never been disappointed by anything I've read by the author so far and now I can include Hopscotch on the list.
It's been a couple of weeks since I finished reading the novel and it's only gotten better in my mind. Great story, wonderful main character, sharply observed supporting players. As a bonus, it's full of little tradecraft tricks or spy hacks that sound plausible enough. This is a book that begs the question: Can a thriller without much in the way of sex or violence still be thrilling? Yes, but only if the writer is as talented as Brian Garfield. Marvelous stuff.
Update: I watched the film adaptation starring Walter Matthau a few days ago. It takes a more comedic approach to the same story and it works very well indeed.
It's been a couple of weeks since I finished reading the novel and it's only gotten better in my mind. Great story, wonderful main character, sharply observed supporting players. As a bonus, it's full of little tradecraft tricks or spy hacks that sound plausible enough. This is a book that begs the question: Can a thriller without much in the way of sex or violence still be thrilling? Yes, but only if the writer is as talented as Brian Garfield. Marvelous stuff.
Update: I watched the film adaptation starring Walter Matthau a few days ago. It takes a more comedic approach to the same story and it works very well indeed.
March 11, 2023
A goddamn good book. An intelligent thriller (not intellectual but smart) w/a dreary beginning dealing w/Kendig's ennui but picks up speed once he engages in his great cat-and-mouse game w/the world's intelligence agencies. All of it is believable, no contrived hocus-pocus, this book well earned it's Edgar Award even though it's not a mystery. Hell, it's not even an espionage novel really, but like I said before, it's an action thriller, although not too much violence, but a thriller nonetheless, a thriller of the mind, if you will. It perfectly captures the mid-70's zeitgeist because it was written for the moment in the moment; I'm sure Garfield had no big ideas of creating ART but he had been writing books of one kind of another for a good 15 years by the time Hopscotch was published and knew what he was doing and did it well like an ultimate professional, just like the novel's protagonist, Kendig. I'm no smarty-pants but I appreciate smart writing and now I'm gonna have to read some of his other books, when I can get a hand on 'em.
July 9, 2018
I had seen the Walter Matthau movie based on this book and that made me want to read the original story. Like the film, it's about an old secret agent who wants to prove to himself and his former bosses that he isn't over the hill. He writes a book full of secrets he learned as a spy and sends it one chapter at a time to publishers around the world, leaving out key pages that would prove the assertions in the book. The CIA and the KGB have to catch him before he sends out the complete text.
Pretty good, and should appeal to readers of a certain age who find themselves competing with younger and less expensive people at their own places of work.
Pretty good, and should appeal to readers of a certain age who find themselves competing with younger and less expensive people at their own places of work.
July 25, 2018
Fans of the espionage thriller: This is a fine book. So well written. You can feel the sure hands of the author within the first few pages. Garfield was a well-known screenplay guy for many years, after hitting pay dirt with "Death Wish" (Bronson's breakout film in America). His main character Miles Kendig is fun to follow because he provides us with a well-balanced mix of spycraft, interior monologue, and rebellion against the machine. A bit Bond-ish in his inability to never be harmed/caught ... but it's all somehow believable.
January 7, 2020
Entertaining and amusing spy thriller that is very much a product of its time (due to technical advancements). When an aging spy is told he's no longer "field worthy" and sentenced to an office position, he sets out to prove them wrong.
He does this by writing a "tell all" book, with stories involving many different agencies and governments, and mailing the chapters one at a time to the various agencies involved, and multiple publishers.
And the chase is on.
He does this by writing a "tell all" book, with stories involving many different agencies and governments, and mailing the chapters one at a time to the various agencies involved, and multiple publishers.
And the chase is on.
August 14, 2021
Intelligent, fascinating, fast-paced spy novel with plot-advancing dialogue in a setting absent of cell phones, DNA and high tech survellience. Revealing info on major political events of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Appealing and moral protagonist has you rooting for him.
April 8, 2014
The movie was much better. This book is missing the fun involvement of Glenda Jackson's character.
July 16, 2021
This is a 1975 spy thriller by prolific American author Brian Garfield and is the winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1976. The story is about Miles Kendig, a very successful CIA field agent who was forced to retire by the CIA. Kendig was unhappy about the situation and decided to take revenge on the CIA by writing a tell-all book on secret intelligence operations of both the CIA and the KGB and their blunders. In return, the CIA decided to hunt down Kendig and kill him before he can publish the book. Mid-1970s was the period when the CIA’s operations were under scrutiny by Congress. Hopscotch is one of the books during that period that uses the theme of a CIA insider trying to expose agency secret and was marked for death. The book is very well written, extremely fast-paced, and quite creative. It is a manhunt story that covers two continents. The title of the book, Hopscotch, refers to the famous playground game where players hop or jump through various spaces. It is a good allusion to the manhunt, where Kendig hops from one place to the next, always trying to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.
Spoiler Alert. Miles Kendig is a very successful CIA agent well known in the global intelligence community who gets bored very easily and likes to live on the edge. When he was forced into retirement at age 53 by the CIA, he became disgruntled because he really missed the action and the hunting game. He thought about suicide but decided if he were to do that, he might as well set himself up to be killed when playing a cat-and-mouse game with the intelligence community (the American CIA, the Soviet KGB and the British MI6). He started writing a tell-all book on both the KGB and the CIA called Conspiracy of Killers and arranged to have 14 different publishers in 14 countries publish the explosive book that discloses intelligence secrets and blunders of both sides. He dribbled his chapters out one at a time. The first chapter is a teaser with a preview of all the scandals and intelligence blunders he was going to write about. Once that got leaked out, all the major intelligence agencies got involved to try to stop him from finishing the book. It became a global chase, with Kendig continuously moving from place to place to stay ahead. In the process, he kept writing and mailed out chapters periodically, with each chapter focusing on a different operation. He was also smart enough to hold back all the key names and evidential proof from the chapters he sent. The publishers won’t be able to have all the key names and references until the last chapter is completed when Kendig will then include those facts. That put pressure on the various spy agencies to stop him before that happens. The CIA put Joseph Cutter in charge of the manhunt. Cutter is the protégé of Kendig and therefore is believed to be the person with the best chance of catching him. As Kendig moves from city to city, his former counterparts, Mikhail Yaskov, a senior KGB spymaster and Chartermain, a senior MI6 official, joined the CIA in the manhunt. In the end, Kendig came to the realization that life is worth living for even if he is out of the spy world. So he decided to end the game. He knows the various agencies will only stop hunting him if he is dead and the manuscript is found. So he stole a dead body in Paris and set up a fake plane crash to look like he was trying to leave France by private plane but crashed on takeout and died. He prepared the dead body so that it became unidentifiable. After the CIA found his papers and the manuscript on the plane, almost everybody believed Kendig to be dead and the chase is over. Cutter, however, who knew Kendig well, had his own suspicion. However, he realized (just as Kendig) pretending to accept Kendig is dead is the best outcome for everyone. It allows the CIA to close the case and Cutter can then avoid the need to kill Kendig, who he has a deep respect for.
Spoiler Alert. Miles Kendig is a very successful CIA agent well known in the global intelligence community who gets bored very easily and likes to live on the edge. When he was forced into retirement at age 53 by the CIA, he became disgruntled because he really missed the action and the hunting game. He thought about suicide but decided if he were to do that, he might as well set himself up to be killed when playing a cat-and-mouse game with the intelligence community (the American CIA, the Soviet KGB and the British MI6). He started writing a tell-all book on both the KGB and the CIA called Conspiracy of Killers and arranged to have 14 different publishers in 14 countries publish the explosive book that discloses intelligence secrets and blunders of both sides. He dribbled his chapters out one at a time. The first chapter is a teaser with a preview of all the scandals and intelligence blunders he was going to write about. Once that got leaked out, all the major intelligence agencies got involved to try to stop him from finishing the book. It became a global chase, with Kendig continuously moving from place to place to stay ahead. In the process, he kept writing and mailed out chapters periodically, with each chapter focusing on a different operation. He was also smart enough to hold back all the key names and evidential proof from the chapters he sent. The publishers won’t be able to have all the key names and references until the last chapter is completed when Kendig will then include those facts. That put pressure on the various spy agencies to stop him before that happens. The CIA put Joseph Cutter in charge of the manhunt. Cutter is the protégé of Kendig and therefore is believed to be the person with the best chance of catching him. As Kendig moves from city to city, his former counterparts, Mikhail Yaskov, a senior KGB spymaster and Chartermain, a senior MI6 official, joined the CIA in the manhunt. In the end, Kendig came to the realization that life is worth living for even if he is out of the spy world. So he decided to end the game. He knows the various agencies will only stop hunting him if he is dead and the manuscript is found. So he stole a dead body in Paris and set up a fake plane crash to look like he was trying to leave France by private plane but crashed on takeout and died. He prepared the dead body so that it became unidentifiable. After the CIA found his papers and the manuscript on the plane, almost everybody believed Kendig to be dead and the chase is over. Cutter, however, who knew Kendig well, had his own suspicion. However, he realized (just as Kendig) pretending to accept Kendig is dead is the best outcome for everyone. It allows the CIA to close the case and Cutter can then avoid the need to kill Kendig, who he has a deep respect for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2026
An excellent cat-and-mouse spy thriller that won the Edgar Award for best mystery in 1976. It features the authenticity, cynicism, and world-weariness of many Seventies thrillers, similar to Six Days of the Condor by James Grady and The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. But it's also economical, suspenseful, and precisely written, the work of an old pro. By the time Hopscotch had come out, Garfield had been writing fiction for nearly four decades.
Like Elmore Leonard, Garfield started out writing Westerns, and he gravitated to crime novels later after the market for Westerns cooled. His 1972 novel Death Wish became a hit movie starring Charles Bronson, making Garfield suddenly famous. Hopscotch came out in 1975, and Garfield had switched it up again, moving from the crime genre to the spy thriller. Garfield certainly proved his versatility many times over.
Hopscotch is about a 53-year-old CIA field agent named Miles Kendig who is forced into retirement. He's bored and adrift, but he conceives of a spy game to play with his former peers in the intelligence business. He proceeds to write an expose of CIA dirty work, and begins sending chapters to 15 international publishers. Both the CIA and KGB fear the public exposure of their covert activities, including assassinations, and desperately want to stop Kendig from publishing his memoir, so the game could cost Kendig his life. But the danger doesn't faze him; he needs this cat-and-mouse game simply to prove his competence and professionalism. When it's over, he'll decide what to do with the rest of his life.
It's a slim book, only 205 pages, so Garfield demonstrates his exceptional narrative skills in a very tight package. The novel is fast-paced, takes readers to several European cities, demonstrates fascinating knowledge of skills employed in covert intelligence, and develops some interesting characters along the way, including Cutter, Kendig's talented former colleague who is tasked with finding him. Readers pull for Kendig because he's a likable underdog with a gentle approach to field work; he relies on his wits and avoids violence whenever possible.
The book was adapted into a lighthearted 1980 movie starring Walter Matthau as Kendig and Glenda Jackson as his love interest Isobel, a character added to spice up the movie. Garfield was both associate producer and co-screenwriter (with Bryan Forbes) on the movie, and it's one of those rare cases where the movie is as good as the book.
P.S. The book and movie both feature a delightfully non technical method that Kendig used to scrub his photo from CIA files, thereby making himself more difficult to identify. Not computer files, but actual physical files stored in a filing cabinet. Life was so much simpler then.
Like Elmore Leonard, Garfield started out writing Westerns, and he gravitated to crime novels later after the market for Westerns cooled. His 1972 novel Death Wish became a hit movie starring Charles Bronson, making Garfield suddenly famous. Hopscotch came out in 1975, and Garfield had switched it up again, moving from the crime genre to the spy thriller. Garfield certainly proved his versatility many times over.
Hopscotch is about a 53-year-old CIA field agent named Miles Kendig who is forced into retirement. He's bored and adrift, but he conceives of a spy game to play with his former peers in the intelligence business. He proceeds to write an expose of CIA dirty work, and begins sending chapters to 15 international publishers. Both the CIA and KGB fear the public exposure of their covert activities, including assassinations, and desperately want to stop Kendig from publishing his memoir, so the game could cost Kendig his life. But the danger doesn't faze him; he needs this cat-and-mouse game simply to prove his competence and professionalism. When it's over, he'll decide what to do with the rest of his life.
It's a slim book, only 205 pages, so Garfield demonstrates his exceptional narrative skills in a very tight package. The novel is fast-paced, takes readers to several European cities, demonstrates fascinating knowledge of skills employed in covert intelligence, and develops some interesting characters along the way, including Cutter, Kendig's talented former colleague who is tasked with finding him. Readers pull for Kendig because he's a likable underdog with a gentle approach to field work; he relies on his wits and avoids violence whenever possible.
The book was adapted into a lighthearted 1980 movie starring Walter Matthau as Kendig and Glenda Jackson as his love interest Isobel, a character added to spice up the movie. Garfield was both associate producer and co-screenwriter (with Bryan Forbes) on the movie, and it's one of those rare cases where the movie is as good as the book.
P.S. The book and movie both feature a delightfully non technical method that Kendig used to scrub his photo from CIA files, thereby making himself more difficult to identify. Not computer files, but actual physical files stored in a filing cabinet. Life was so much simpler then.
July 17, 2022
3.2/5 or 6.4/10 | The movie is better than the book.
Review: I've seen the movie starring Walter Matthau many times; it's one of my all-time favorite films. So when I discovered the movie was based on a book, I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, the book suffers from an unfair comparison - I went into the book knowing I probably wouldn't like it as much as the movie, and my bias was confirmed.
The movie is a light comedy caper. The book is not a comedy - just a straight-up government cat & mouse story - not my usual genre.
The movie has Glenda Jackson playing Isobel, Kendig's love interest. The book doesn't have her as a character at all.
While there isn't really anything wrong with the book (indeed, the author is a good writer), I'm not sure I would have finished it if I hadn't already seen the movie. I continued reading to see how the movie & book would compare and to see how the book would conclude.
Overall, the two stories are relatively similar in plot points and characters; in fact, Brian Garfield wrote the script for the movie. But generally, I wouldn't recommend this book to someone just because they saw the movie and enjoyed it. And reading this book does not compel me to pick up one of his dozen other books.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys short books about government agents. It's not a crime, and it's not a thriller; it's hardly even suspenseful. Just a good cat and mouse caper where you're able to predict the ending before the story even begins.
*****
Hopscotch by Brian Garfield | Book 15 in 2022 | Started 07.05.2022 Finished 07.17.2022
Writing: .9 ..... 1.8
Entertainment: .5 ..... 1.1
Characters: .7 ..... 1.3
Plot: .6 ..... 1.2
Recommendability: .5 ..... 1
Total: 3.2 ..... 6.4
Review: I've seen the movie starring Walter Matthau many times; it's one of my all-time favorite films. So when I discovered the movie was based on a book, I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, the book suffers from an unfair comparison - I went into the book knowing I probably wouldn't like it as much as the movie, and my bias was confirmed.
The movie is a light comedy caper. The book is not a comedy - just a straight-up government cat & mouse story - not my usual genre.
The movie has Glenda Jackson playing Isobel, Kendig's love interest. The book doesn't have her as a character at all.
While there isn't really anything wrong with the book (indeed, the author is a good writer), I'm not sure I would have finished it if I hadn't already seen the movie. I continued reading to see how the movie & book would compare and to see how the book would conclude.
Overall, the two stories are relatively similar in plot points and characters; in fact, Brian Garfield wrote the script for the movie. But generally, I wouldn't recommend this book to someone just because they saw the movie and enjoyed it. And reading this book does not compel me to pick up one of his dozen other books.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys short books about government agents. It's not a crime, and it's not a thriller; it's hardly even suspenseful. Just a good cat and mouse caper where you're able to predict the ending before the story even begins.
*****
Hopscotch by Brian Garfield | Book 15 in 2022 | Started 07.05.2022 Finished 07.17.2022
Writing: .9 ..... 1.8
Entertainment: .5 ..... 1.1
Characters: .7 ..... 1.3
Plot: .6 ..... 1.2
Recommendability: .5 ..... 1
Total: 3.2 ..... 6.4
March 10, 2025
After being forced out by the CIA, aging former operative Miles Kendig decides to play a game with his former bosses. He writes his memories -- which contain some of the Agency's deepest, darkest secrets -- and releases them a chapter at a time, goading them to try to silence him. He then leads them on a merry chase throughout the Western Hemisphere, all to prove he's better than they are... and always was.
Brian Garfield's Hopscotch is a ton of fun, and although it's more serious than its movie adaptation (which was also written by Garfield, fine-tuned to suit star Walter Mattau's comedic talents), there are many sections that put a smile on your face as Kendig outwits the intelligence apparatus. I also like the emphasis on eschewing violence -- Kendig doesn't believe in killing and only wants to prove his mental superiority. The spycraft Kendig uses as he evades and humiliates his pursuers is detailed without bogging down the narrative. It's a very fun read if you're into espionage fiction.
Brian Garfield's Hopscotch is a ton of fun, and although it's more serious than its movie adaptation (which was also written by Garfield, fine-tuned to suit star Walter Mattau's comedic talents), there are many sections that put a smile on your face as Kendig outwits the intelligence apparatus. I also like the emphasis on eschewing violence -- Kendig doesn't believe in killing and only wants to prove his mental superiority. The spycraft Kendig uses as he evades and humiliates his pursuers is detailed without bogging down the narrative. It's a very fun read if you're into espionage fiction.
April 25, 2022
Prose can be a bit purple at times ("Marseilles was a city of criminal ferment and Kendig went right down into its rancid crotch") but still a good fun fast-paced read -- all the joys of globetrotting 1970s spy fiction but with a very different plot. Okay, there are a few too-pat coincidences (like main character Kendig finding a car with diplomatic plates *and* the keys in the ignition *just* when he needs it!) but if you are willing to suspend disbelief a bit, it's what I'd call a good, enjoyable, fast-paced romp. I picked this up after reading Death Wish and Death Sentence, and I'm definitely planning to read more of Garfield's books.
October 20, 2023
A good old-fashioned spy novel where the spy forced into retirement writes a tell-all and forces the worlds intelligence agencies to chase after him as he sends chapter drafts to major publishing houses.
A fun and informative read, if somewhat dated. Some of the techniques used would be useless against modern technology.
Both novels that I have read by him have been great fun reads, and I had no idea Garfield was such a prolific writer.
May just have to run down some of his other novels, he even wrote westerns!
A fun and informative read, if somewhat dated. Some of the techniques used would be useless against modern technology.
Both novels that I have read by him have been great fun reads, and I had no idea Garfield was such a prolific writer.
May just have to run down some of his other novels, he even wrote westerns!
January 17, 2025
Hopscotch is a spy novel about a CIA spook retired before he's ready. To stave off boredom and get revenge on his bosses, he challenges them to a game of cat and mouse. This book was made into a 1980 film by the same name starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson. The film is a lot of fun, highly recommended, and available on YouTube. The book is more serious but goes deeper, exploring the reason to go on living after the hard work of your life is over. It starts off slow, poorly even, but picks up speed in the second half and ends a well-written book I'm glad I read.
July 12, 2022
Great fun....as was the movie with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson. Career CIA Field Operative is forced out of The Company by new idiot in charge. He decides to fill his abundant spare time by writing his memoirs and sending them, one chapter at a time, to security agencies throughout the world. His methods of evading the CIA (now determined to kill him off at any price) are both creative and laugh out loud funny. Thought-provoking, in a unique, hilarious wzy.
January 6, 2019
A classic novel about the world’s intelligence services racing to prevent a CIA officer from publishing his memoirs. The film adaptation lowered the stakes considerably and can’t compare to the source material. Mere hours after starting this reread I learned the author has passed away, now I’m compelled to read more of his work.
April 15, 2020
My favourite film, the book has become a thoroughly relaxing read that has aged well. Listening to it as an audiobook has helped me to appreciate even more the journey that lead character Miles Kendig goes on - from suicidal nihilism to discovering where in life to find joy and meaning. The Audible production is very gentle which makes for a relaxing listen.
February 7, 2023
Tightly written spy thriller. Complicated chase action that I thought went on too long and too far into the "Aw come on. This is overflowing with farfetchedness." zone. There was a hint of romantic interest that could have been lengthened to add some inner zest to the emotional engine of the protagonist. Not an Eric Ambler, but a fairly entertaining fast read.
May 25, 2024
Good, fun spy novel, but it really feels like a dry run paving the way for Brian Freemantle's very similar, but superior Charlie Muffin. The premise is almost identical, but Freemantle has a much better set up, richer details and more plot twists and tension. Even so, this is a fun, easy read that got us a great Walter Matthau flick.
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