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Vagabond
MI5 officer Winnie Monks has never forgotten - or forgiven - the death of a young agent on her team at the hands of a former Russian Army Major turned gangster. Now, ten years later, she learns that the Major is travelling to a villa on the popular Spanish holiday destination Costa del Sol, and she asks permission to send in a surveillance unit. They find an empty property near the Major's: the Villa Paraiso. It's perfect to spy from - and as a base for Winnie's darker, less official, plans. But it turns out the villa isn't deserted. The owners have invited a young British couple to house sit while they are away. Jonno and Posie, a new couple, think they are embarking on a romantic, carefree break in the sun. But when the Secret Service team arrives in paradise, everything changes.
Gerald Seymour is a perennial bestseller in the UK. He routinely receives rave reviews for his work, and The Outsiders is no exception—The Sunday Times (UK) called it "a sophisticated, reader-teasing tale," while The Sun (UK) praised it as "a gripping thriller."
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2014
70 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Seymour
98 books288 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 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 7, 2023
If Matthew Bentinck had been preparing a lecture for young officers on launching a mission, he might have said, ‘Those working under you do not need to know chapter and verse on aims and end games. What they need to know is what is expected of them in a field, however narrow. That way they are less likely to be confused with ethics – always a substantial enemy…'
At the height of “the Troubles” Danny Currow – call sign “Vagabond” ran a string of agents/touts – more often compromised than volunteers – to gather intelligence on the Provisional IRA, his boss at the time Capt. Matthew Bentinck. 15 years on, Currow and his mate Dusty Miller live in Caen, running personalised tours of WWII sites- the retreat from Dunquerque, the landings on the Normandy beaches, the military cemeteries, trying to put the past behind them.
Northern Ireland is under an uneasy truce, but in some parts memories and old wounds foment. Malachy Riordan was eight years old when his father, Padraig, one of Vagabond’s principle targets, was taken out. Now the son is negotiating with millionaire Timofey Simonov, a former Russian captain domiciled in the Czech Republic, for a shipment of arms to reignite the fight, forcing English black marketeer, Ralph Exton, who befriended Simonov when he was broke after the breakup of the former Soviet Union, as a go-between. But Exton is also a ‘joe’ run by the intelligence service, and ruthless Gabrielle Davies wants the assignment to tail Exton and Riordan. Her boss, Matthew Bentinck, has reservations, calling on Vagabond as backup.
This one is a slow burner, the events taking place over a week, with flashbacks, from multiple perspectives. Riordan, a towering figure in County Tyrone, is out of his depth in the Czech Republic, saddled with an inexperienced and naïve student at Queens University, Belfast (Frankie McKinney) - not knowing who to trust. The arms dealer Simonov lives in relative splendour in a Russian enclave at Karlovy Vary (his manservant a former brigadier) - brooding on his formative years at one of the largest cold war bases in Central Europe. Gaby Davies is annoyed at the presence of taciturn Currow, desperate to make the mission her own while black marketeer Exton has his own agenda.
Ralph Exton’s loyalties were governed by the need to keep lit fags off his skin, a drill bit out of his knees and eyes, and avoid being adjacent to a cell door swinging shut. The majority of his loyalty was to himself.
Author Gerald Seymour excels at the contemporary thriller with roots in the past, and here the location of the former Czechoslovakia is inspired. In WWII the hated Heydrich ruled with an iron fist, charged with bringing the country under the Reich to secure its valuable resources. When Heydrich was assassinated retribution was swift and deadly: an entire village levelled, men and children slain, the women taken to Ravensbrück concentration camp where few survived. In this story, Prague detective Karol Pilar plays a pivotal role – an honest ‘policeman’ in a culture where favours/promotions are bought, assisting Vagabond when the arms deal goes sour and Gaby, realising a hidden agenda, takes charge.
It was loose end time and the need to get them knitted, to anticipate confusions and set in place the secondary plans that would circumvent chaos: a custody area, a flight with route permissions, the legality of a charge sheet and an issued warrant, deniability and a fog of secrecy on the ground.
Not an easy read, the writing unmatched, and recommended for those who enjoy a serious thriller. Personally, I preferred Jericho's War. Verdict: gritty.
At the height of “the Troubles” Danny Currow – call sign “Vagabond” ran a string of agents/touts – more often compromised than volunteers – to gather intelligence on the Provisional IRA, his boss at the time Capt. Matthew Bentinck. 15 years on, Currow and his mate Dusty Miller live in Caen, running personalised tours of WWII sites- the retreat from Dunquerque, the landings on the Normandy beaches, the military cemeteries, trying to put the past behind them.
Northern Ireland is under an uneasy truce, but in some parts memories and old wounds foment. Malachy Riordan was eight years old when his father, Padraig, one of Vagabond’s principle targets, was taken out. Now the son is negotiating with millionaire Timofey Simonov, a former Russian captain domiciled in the Czech Republic, for a shipment of arms to reignite the fight, forcing English black marketeer, Ralph Exton, who befriended Simonov when he was broke after the breakup of the former Soviet Union, as a go-between. But Exton is also a ‘joe’ run by the intelligence service, and ruthless Gabrielle Davies wants the assignment to tail Exton and Riordan. Her boss, Matthew Bentinck, has reservations, calling on Vagabond as backup.
This one is a slow burner, the events taking place over a week, with flashbacks, from multiple perspectives. Riordan, a towering figure in County Tyrone, is out of his depth in the Czech Republic, saddled with an inexperienced and naïve student at Queens University, Belfast (Frankie McKinney) - not knowing who to trust. The arms dealer Simonov lives in relative splendour in a Russian enclave at Karlovy Vary (his manservant a former brigadier) - brooding on his formative years at one of the largest cold war bases in Central Europe. Gaby Davies is annoyed at the presence of taciturn Currow, desperate to make the mission her own while black marketeer Exton has his own agenda.
Ralph Exton’s loyalties were governed by the need to keep lit fags off his skin, a drill bit out of his knees and eyes, and avoid being adjacent to a cell door swinging shut. The majority of his loyalty was to himself.
Author Gerald Seymour excels at the contemporary thriller with roots in the past, and here the location of the former Czechoslovakia is inspired. In WWII the hated Heydrich ruled with an iron fist, charged with bringing the country under the Reich to secure its valuable resources. When Heydrich was assassinated retribution was swift and deadly: an entire village levelled, men and children slain, the women taken to Ravensbrück concentration camp where few survived. In this story, Prague detective Karol Pilar plays a pivotal role – an honest ‘policeman’ in a culture where favours/promotions are bought, assisting Vagabond when the arms deal goes sour and Gaby, realising a hidden agenda, takes charge.
It was loose end time and the need to get them knitted, to anticipate confusions and set in place the secondary plans that would circumvent chaos: a custody area, a flight with route permissions, the legality of a charge sheet and an issued warrant, deniability and a fog of secrecy on the ground.
Not an easy read, the writing unmatched, and recommended for those who enjoy a serious thriller. Personally, I preferred Jericho's War. Verdict: gritty.
January 5, 2022
A long and very complex novel involving MI6, Irish Republicans, ex-Russian arms dealers, Czech police and a tour of the WW2 battlefields of Northern France. It features a large cast of characters, each defined by their own pasts, motivations and ambitions. Possibly a bit too complicated in terms of storytelling but ultimately very satisfying in its examination of trust, comradeship and guilt. Seymour is an excellent writer.
May 4, 2015
This is a not so typical Seymour novel. It has deeper character development and a little less plot than most. The style is unchanged - a series of shortish, sometimes apparently unrelated threads that fairly quickly get drawn together into another dark tale of terrorism and anti-terrorism. The plot is fairly simple. A splinter Northern Ireland terrorist group plans to buy heavy weapons through a broker who happens to have been 'turned' by MI6. The vendor is a Russian, an ex army officer. MI6's agent, selected to track and disrupt the deal, is "Vagabond", Danny Curnow, an ex MI6 runner of agents who walked out on the service under a cloud many years previously.
Seymour never lets the pace flag but paints Curnow as a damaged though engagingly sympathetic character. He has retired (or escaped) to Normandy, where he acts as a tour guide to groups revisiting the historic WW2 battlefield. Plenty of the colour in the novel comes from the many vignettes about D Day and its aftermath.
The pace of the story never flags. The climax is exciting and, as most frequently happens in Seymour novels, there is a dark ending steeped in the bureaucracy protecting itself.
If you like Syemour's novels, this is an excellent addition to the collection. If you haven't tried Gerald Seymour, but like novelists like John le Carre and Len Deighton, then I suspect Seymour will quickly get you hooked. If you prefer novels by, say, Ludlum, you may miss the rollicking ride and fret a little about the menacing inevitability of greater forces, those beyond the control of the characters, that almost always permeate Seymour's stories.
Seymour never lets the pace flag but paints Curnow as a damaged though engagingly sympathetic character. He has retired (or escaped) to Normandy, where he acts as a tour guide to groups revisiting the historic WW2 battlefield. Plenty of the colour in the novel comes from the many vignettes about D Day and its aftermath.
The pace of the story never flags. The climax is exciting and, as most frequently happens in Seymour novels, there is a dark ending steeped in the bureaucracy protecting itself.
If you like Syemour's novels, this is an excellent addition to the collection. If you haven't tried Gerald Seymour, but like novelists like John le Carre and Len Deighton, then I suspect Seymour will quickly get you hooked. If you prefer novels by, say, Ludlum, you may miss the rollicking ride and fret a little about the menacing inevitability of greater forces, those beyond the control of the characters, that almost always permeate Seymour's stories.
October 7, 2014
This is the first Gerald Seymour thriller that I've read in quite a while, and, on the basis of the Vagabond, more's the pity. This is an intense and quality story with a very much blurred line between the good guys and the other sort. The bad team are a former Russian Mafioso and an Irish so called freedom fighter out to do business together through an arms for cash deal. On the other side of the ledger is MI5, and the operatives they've recalled to the cause. It all comes to a head in Prague, a city I visited recently so I can really relate to the cloak and dagger intrigue as it cascades towards a situation where no-one can predict the outcome. Who will be the winners and the losers. Danny Curnow the turned around Irish agent is in the midst of the action, so too double agent Ralph Exton, and the former Russian Timofey Simonov. The strings are being pulled by the Five chief Matthew Bentinick. Its a roller coaster and a great finale is assured.
April 2, 2017
Seymour writes great thrillers. This was a long, complex and interesting read, which I'd rate as a 4 star read. Vagabond is the code name of an agent, a handler, who retired after burning out on missions to Northern Ireland & is called back to duty for one more mission. His boss has a personal agenda that Vagabond is unaware of. It is hard to know who to trust and what the end game might be. The end of the book is very thought provoking.
September 6, 2016
This book was a real struggle. It seemed to jump all over the place. Not always clear which character we were on.
February 26, 2019
Surprisingly, my first dip into Gerald Seymour as I have been tempted in the past .... good pace and character build up. Enjoyed the story , easy to read. Will try other books by author
January 21, 2022
Are there any Gerald Seymour books that deserve less than five stars. Another superb drama played out over several characters, all laid bare in the authors inimitable style.
September 11, 2018
We have all heard the expression "set a thief to catch a thief." This concept has been expanded in a dizzying tale of traitors, bombers, murderers, infiltrators, spies, and those tasked with catching them. Consider a former operative in Northern Ireland, Danny Curnow. He quits because he can no longer endure the stresses and fear associated with running agents and informers, hardly a career choice guaranteed to allow him to enjoy his retirement. He legs it to Normandy to be the guide for tourists visiting the war graves that are features of the coast-line. Matthew Bentinick, the head of the British agency that tries to catch the bad guys on both sides of "the troubles" in Northern Ireland, conceives a plan to use Curnow to reach a Russian living in the Czech Republic, Timofey Simonov. The link is the fact that Curnow had helped Simonov when he was down on his luck. Now it is time to collect the debt of gratitude, not for Curnow, but for the British Secret Intelligence Service. Further bait or enticement was the addition of Matthew O'Riordan, IRA capo, intent on buying more arms from the accomodating Mr. Simonov, to resuscitate the "struggle." There is a back-story here, Simonov sold the arms to an unnamed African group that led to tragedy for Bentinick's daughter, an aid worker. At times, Seymour had several balls in the air, ranging from asides about tours to war graves in Normandy, Simonov and his airs, graces and desires to be "respected" while he swans around Karlovy Vara, Karol Pilar, Czech detective based in Prague, O'Riordan with his crises of conscience, if he has one, Curnow of course, and his faithful shadow Dusty who stays behind to oversee the tours in Normandy, Gaby Davies, British employee of Bentinick's office, aggressive, with her eye on the prize of advancement. She runs Ralph Exton, a double agent......With a cast like this what could possibly go wrong? Since we started with a reference to using a thief to catch a thief, it might be fitting to close by reminding ourselves that "there is no honour among thieves"....A terrific, if at times mystifying read.
May 30, 2023
I was rather disappointed by this novel which showed so much potential but somehow never quite managed to deliver.
Although peace may officially have come to Northern Ireland following the Good Friday agreement, there are still some who want to continue the struggle. Extreme Republican paramilitaries want to continue, seeing the agreement as a sell out by their former leaders. Meanwhile, the security services are aware that they cannot entirely relax, aware that the deeply entrenched feelings are not going to evaporate simply because a treaty has been signed.
Gerald Seymour puts a particular twist ion this scenario by having the British Army Intelligence team bring back one of its most capable operators from the past. Danny Curnow had been good – indeed, very good - at running local agents and permeating the wall of secrecy maintained by the terrorists, but it had taken a toll. After one especially gruelling operation, he had simply walked away, finding a new life for himself in France, running tours of First World War battlegrounds and military graveyards. He has not run far enough, however, and his former boss, having garnered enough information from which to surmise that the Republicans are working on a new operation, tracks him down and brings him back, for one last exercise.
Unfortunately, I found that the story moved with glacial slowness. While in the works of John le Carre this betokens well-crafted plot development, I found Seymour’s prose rather turgid.
Although peace may officially have come to Northern Ireland following the Good Friday agreement, there are still some who want to continue the struggle. Extreme Republican paramilitaries want to continue, seeing the agreement as a sell out by their former leaders. Meanwhile, the security services are aware that they cannot entirely relax, aware that the deeply entrenched feelings are not going to evaporate simply because a treaty has been signed.
Gerald Seymour puts a particular twist ion this scenario by having the British Army Intelligence team bring back one of its most capable operators from the past. Danny Curnow had been good – indeed, very good - at running local agents and permeating the wall of secrecy maintained by the terrorists, but it had taken a toll. After one especially gruelling operation, he had simply walked away, finding a new life for himself in France, running tours of First World War battlegrounds and military graveyards. He has not run far enough, however, and his former boss, having garnered enough information from which to surmise that the Republicans are working on a new operation, tracks him down and brings him back, for one last exercise.
Unfortunately, I found that the story moved with glacial slowness. While in the works of John le Carre this betokens well-crafted plot development, I found Seymour’s prose rather turgid.
July 16, 2018
Possibly one of the worst books I ever read. The story line: veteran British spy is called back, informer and counter agents move between countries -East and West, time, reality, memories, thoughts etc with an over use of pronouns which keeps one guessing who is doing what. However in its denouement it does come together, but by that time most readers will have lost either the plot or patience. I had to steel myself to keep at it and it took longer to read than any other books and gained no pleasure from it.
The author knows what he is writing about, but clearly does not have the literary skills.
The author knows what he is writing about, but clearly does not have the literary skills.
December 10, 2022
A superb book. Seymour is never better than when writing about Northern Ireland (although a lot of the action is set in Prague). Some reviews say it is dated but the story is one about people being trapped and even destroyed by the past. If you like intelligent, slow burning, spy thrillers then this is for you. Make sure you watch out for the blink and miss it revelation of the Irish republican tout and the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2020
An interesting and complex MI6 operation in Prague, involving Irish Republican paramilitaries, ex-Intelligence Russian gun runners and the return to service of a semi-retired agent handler. I found it difficult to read for the first 80% as the book jumped through short sections written from the perspective of at least 14 participants, some current and some historic. So, only 3 stars.
November 30, 2022
I found this book too complicated to follow with too many characters. The characters were not well drawn and I therefore had no attachment to any of them. All in all a real struggle to get to the end of this book.
March 20, 2023
Mostly good. Some silly bits that speak of incredible and implausible amateurishness, purely for the narrative. Also, overly long; Vagabond's "back story" was entirely superfluous and added nothing other than about 20% in length.
June 1, 2017
Avery hard book to like and it seems so dated not my cup of tea
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January 29, 2018Interesting story but poorly written. The author tends to overuse pronouns to the point of annoyance.
March 2, 2019
Just could not get into this book. I persevered for 40 pages then had to give up.
July 3, 2021
Danny probably someone you wouldn't want to meet but in a way is the star of the show.
August 18, 2022
Enjoyable but usual Gerald Seymour - damaged loner saves the day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2023
Tedious and predictable. All the male characters were essentially the same person
March 27, 2024
Hard to follow
November 20, 2025
Lots of sub-plots that come together. As others have said, it’s a slow burner. But very much worth the wait. A typically great Seymour novel.
December 13, 2016
It's the '90s, and peace has come to Northern Ireland. Or has it? Factions are still in operation that want to derail the peace process, but they need better weaponry to attract new fighters to their cause. Their leadership identifies a middleman from outside their ranks to broker a deal with a Russian contact. The problem is the middleman happens to be an informer for the Brits, the leader of whom also has a personal reason for going after the Russian. He engages a long-retired agent-runner, code named Vagabond, to run the operation where the Russian can be arrested for supplying weapons to the IRA. And the fun begins.....
I don't know if I've ever read a book that made me feel so claustrophobic. Everybody is watching somebody else during the entire novel. The informer (or 'tout' in the local vernacular) isn't exactly trusted, so he's being watched not only by his Brit controller, but also by his IRA contacts and eventually the Russians. The Russians are being tracked by the Brits and a local Czech cop, the IRA folks are as well, and in the meantime everyone feels they're being watched and are on the constant lookout for spies. At the top level, the British spy masters are pulling the strings and keeping an eye on all parties. The overarching goal is to catch the IRA guy taking delivery of the weapons from the Russian.
There's a side story as well that I think was intended to reinforce the character of Vagabond. In his retirement, he works with a company that arranges tours of D Day invasion sites in France. When he moves back into his spy controller role, his former sidekick takes over his responsibilities with the tour group. Throughout the book there's a consistent stream of narratives from the tours related to the invasion of France by the Allied forces. I think I understand what the author was attempting to do with it, but it was a bit distracting to me (although a welcome respite from the claustrophobia, sometimes).
I won't go into detail on the conclusion, but suffice to say that the entirety of the book is pointed toward the attempt to catch the delivery of the weapons and that indeed happens, but Murphy's law intervenes as well.
This isn't a great Seymour novel, but it's quite good. The writing is superb as usual, the characters are well done, the spycraft seemed to be adequate (although I wondered a couple times about different situations), and the conclusion made sense.
I don't know if I've ever read a book that made me feel so claustrophobic. Everybody is watching somebody else during the entire novel. The informer (or 'tout' in the local vernacular) isn't exactly trusted, so he's being watched not only by his Brit controller, but also by his IRA contacts and eventually the Russians. The Russians are being tracked by the Brits and a local Czech cop, the IRA folks are as well, and in the meantime everyone feels they're being watched and are on the constant lookout for spies. At the top level, the British spy masters are pulling the strings and keeping an eye on all parties. The overarching goal is to catch the IRA guy taking delivery of the weapons from the Russian.
There's a side story as well that I think was intended to reinforce the character of Vagabond. In his retirement, he works with a company that arranges tours of D Day invasion sites in France. When he moves back into his spy controller role, his former sidekick takes over his responsibilities with the tour group. Throughout the book there's a consistent stream of narratives from the tours related to the invasion of France by the Allied forces. I think I understand what the author was attempting to do with it, but it was a bit distracting to me (although a welcome respite from the claustrophobia, sometimes).
I won't go into detail on the conclusion, but suffice to say that the entirety of the book is pointed toward the attempt to catch the delivery of the weapons and that indeed happens, but Murphy's law intervenes as well.
This isn't a great Seymour novel, but it's quite good. The writing is superb as usual, the characters are well done, the spycraft seemed to be adequate (although I wondered a couple times about different situations), and the conclusion made sense.
August 21, 2016
I'm sad to say I'm struggling a little with this one and don't think that this is up to Gerald Seymour's usual standard, I genuinely love this authors work but I'm half way through and really not engaged and the book is nothing like as satisfying as others I have read by this author!
Every day, I think to myself, should I just give up on this and throw the book away ... but then I sit down and a couple more pages are turned and the book survives to be opened another day :)
Sadly I gave up, this became too much of a slog!! Sorry Gerald, not your finest!!
Every day, I think to myself, should I just give up on this and throw the book away ... but then I sit down and a couple more pages are turned and the book survives to be opened another day :)
Sadly I gave up, this became too much of a slog!! Sorry Gerald, not your finest!!
January 1, 2016
I don't think that this was up to Gerald Seymour's usual standard, the style is similar, introducing characters and gradually filling in their part in the narrative and building to the eventual climax. For me, the book was a little too gradual, very slow to build and not so satisfying as others I have read by this author. However, if you are interested in the situation in Northern Ireland with regard to still active Republican paramilitaries, it worth a look!
September 17, 2014
For fans of John Le Carre and British espionage this is a great read. Like Le Carre, the story is deep with detail and has marvelous character development and a continuously evolving complex storyline. Action fans need not enter here, but for those looking for a solid, well crafted yarn you need go no further.
April 25, 2016
Not my usual type of fiction, a thriller, but after buying seats on Air Canada for Ireland in October, I found this book in our local library as "Irish". And it is about the IRA after a 25 year cease fire on the Island. Amazed and delighted am I to feel safe enough to visit Ireland in my lifetime. I hope the author has described the situation right as a mostly peace loving people and place.
June 3, 2016
Seymour is such a powerful writer - characters, multi-level plots, historical accuracy, emotion and sense of place and person. He has a unique ability to bring huge events close to mind and heart where they can be both considered and felt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews