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Jonah Said #2
A Loyal Spy
Winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, a Contemporary Spy Thriller for Fans of Brad Thor and John Le Carré.
The last time Jonah saw Nor ed-Din, he was lying face-down in a pool of icy water in the Khyber Pass. He thought he had killed him, but now the trail of betrayal has come full circle.
Friends since childhood, Jonah and Nor ed-Din had been groomed for the intelligence service, with Jonah as handler for Nor's penetration of ISI. But when Nor is cut loose after the Soviets are forced to withdraw from Afghanistan, the pattern of engagement and abandonment begins. Years later, when contact with Nor is revived to stage an off-the-books, multi-agency assassination attempt on Bin Laden that goes badly wrong, Jonah no longer knows who Nor is really working for—and whether he has simply taken revenge on his former countrymen in a private act of jihad.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the failed operation comes back to haunt its survivors, sowing mistrust when they most need CIA support. For, gradually, the outlines of a plot begin to emerge that takes Nor from the diamond fields of Africa to the mountains of Afghanistan and to the beating heart of London, where millions of lives are at stake.
The last time Jonah saw Nor ed-Din, he was lying face-down in a pool of icy water in the Khyber Pass. He thought he had killed him, but now the trail of betrayal has come full circle.
Friends since childhood, Jonah and Nor ed-Din had been groomed for the intelligence service, with Jonah as handler for Nor's penetration of ISI. But when Nor is cut loose after the Soviets are forced to withdraw from Afghanistan, the pattern of engagement and abandonment begins. Years later, when contact with Nor is revived to stage an off-the-books, multi-agency assassination attempt on Bin Laden that goes badly wrong, Jonah no longer knows who Nor is really working for—and whether he has simply taken revenge on his former countrymen in a private act of jihad.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the failed operation comes back to haunt its survivors, sowing mistrust when they most need CIA support. For, gradually, the outlines of a plot begin to emerge that takes Nor from the diamond fields of Africa to the mountains of Afghanistan and to the beating heart of London, where millions of lives are at stake.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2010
130 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Simon Conway
16 books115 followersSimon Conway is a former British Army officer and international aid worker. With The HALO Trust and later as director of Landmine Action he cleared landmines and unexploded bombs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
As Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition he successfully campaigned to achieve an international ban on cluster bombs.In 2014 he returned to The HALO Trust to lead the organisation's effort to address urban conflict in the Middle East.
He lives in Glasgow with his wife the journalist and broadcaster Sarah Smith. He has two daughters.
As Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition he successfully campaigned to achieve an international ban on cluster bombs.In 2014 he returned to The HALO Trust to lead the organisation's effort to address urban conflict in the Middle East.
He lives in Glasgow with his wife the journalist and broadcaster Sarah Smith. He has two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 19, 2018
About 200 pages in, the story really picked up and I was hooked. A great thriller. Jonah and Miranda were such interesting characters.
August 3, 2021
Another superb thriller from Simon Conway, who never disappoints with the quality of his books - usually intricate plots set in some of the most violent and dangerous locations in the world.
The story is about a British spy Nor, a double agent planted within the Pakistani ISI spy agency and his handler Jonah. It also contains some very colourful characters both in the UK and elsewhere - no doubt based on real world persons the author met and heard of.
The plot is byzantine in its complexity and there are many twists and turns along the way that you need to pay close attention. The timeline and locations change very frequently - moving back and then switch to the present and then back again. It happens mostly in Afghanistan, Middle East and the UK. Obviously the author has done a vast research as well as worked in many of these hotspots and we can assume that these are accurate.
I really liked the way the author unfolds the plot - combining many vastly different threads and putting it all in a coherent and believable plot.
I would have given the book 5 star but I found the narrative to be too complicated in terms of time line. It keeps moving back and forth - across many different years so it is difficult to keep track. I also think that the author could have edited it better. The plot sees the protagonists visiting many different places, some of these could have been edited out as these has not relevance to the main story line.
The story is about a British spy Nor, a double agent planted within the Pakistani ISI spy agency and his handler Jonah. It also contains some very colourful characters both in the UK and elsewhere - no doubt based on real world persons the author met and heard of.
The plot is byzantine in its complexity and there are many twists and turns along the way that you need to pay close attention. The timeline and locations change very frequently - moving back and then switch to the present and then back again. It happens mostly in Afghanistan, Middle East and the UK. Obviously the author has done a vast research as well as worked in many of these hotspots and we can assume that these are accurate.
I really liked the way the author unfolds the plot - combining many vastly different threads and putting it all in a coherent and believable plot.
I would have given the book 5 star but I found the narrative to be too complicated in terms of time line. It keeps moving back and forth - across many different years so it is difficult to keep track. I also think that the author could have edited it better. The plot sees the protagonists visiting many different places, some of these could have been edited out as these has not relevance to the main story line.
May 17, 2017
This is the second novel by Simon Conway that I have read and it did not disappoint. Having spent time in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border areas, Conway's description of this area is spot on. His background as a UK Military officer is put to good use and adds credibility to a well-crafted story.
Conway creates multi-dimensional characters that evokes empathy with the reader, rarely is an individual simply good or bad but, as in real life, a mix of both based on their needs and wants.
The story itself is very good and will appeal to any reader of spy or espionage novels as well as those who enjoy military-themed thrillers.
Thoroughly recommend this book for those who want a good thriller with authenticity and great characters.
Conway creates multi-dimensional characters that evokes empathy with the reader, rarely is an individual simply good or bad but, as in real life, a mix of both based on their needs and wants.
The story itself is very good and will appeal to any reader of spy or espionage novels as well as those who enjoy military-themed thrillers.
Thoroughly recommend this book for those who want a good thriller with authenticity and great characters.
January 2, 2011
A terrific thriller. Although it helps reading Simon Conway's previous novel Rage first, since it has a lot of the same characters, this one does stand on its own.
Having studied English literature in Edinburgh and having served in the British Army with the Black Watch and the Queen's Own Highlanders and having worked for the HALO Trust clearing landmines in Cambodia, Kosovo, Eritrea and Abkhazia, Simon Conway has more than the necessary knowledge and skills to rock your world with yet another explosive story about the men and women risking everything to defend our nations.
Although he leaves the reader more than enough space to imagine the roughly sketched characters carrying the stories, Simon Conway is fine enough a writer to have them open your mind and rethink some of the values and truths we have come to take for granted.
Comes highly recommended.
Having studied English literature in Edinburgh and having served in the British Army with the Black Watch and the Queen's Own Highlanders and having worked for the HALO Trust clearing landmines in Cambodia, Kosovo, Eritrea and Abkhazia, Simon Conway has more than the necessary knowledge and skills to rock your world with yet another explosive story about the men and women risking everything to defend our nations.
Although he leaves the reader more than enough space to imagine the roughly sketched characters carrying the stories, Simon Conway is fine enough a writer to have them open your mind and rethink some of the values and truths we have come to take for granted.
Comes highly recommended.
June 23, 2018
Too complicated to follow at times. Good story line though.
July 3, 2018
This was the first book by Simon Conway that I read. It was the winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award in 2010 when it was published in Britain. The edition I read was published in the USA in 2018.
The book is about a British spy who finds out that his very old friend and agent might not just be working for British intelligence and might be involved in many other nefarious activities. I won't say anything about what happens to these characters for fear of disclosing something that would spoil a reader's pleasure. This book is very much in the tradition of John LeCarré. It doesn't quite match up with LeCarré, but few ever do.
The major strength of the book lie in the development of some interesting and believable characters. The characters do have many flaws, which I always appreciate, but are very capable in what they do. They are well-developed and complex. The setting is also a strength of this book. The author obviously knows his way around the Middle East, and the description of the characters and the places seem extremely realistic to me.
The weaknesses of the book involve the complexity of the plot and the structure the author uses to reveal backstory. I found the plot very complex, but the way the author jumped forward and backward in time and changed the point of view added a degree of complexity that I found to be unnecessary. You really have to pay attention to what is going on in this book, and I found that difficult at times. There was also a certain amount of gratuitous sex and violence in the book that I found unnecessary, and even interfering with the plot development and the character portrayals.
Overall, it is a cleverly crafted novel, squarely in the British spy story tradition. The reader is cautioned that it is a little difficult to follow, particularly in the first half of the book. I guess that is what makes British spy novels so different from their American counterparts. "A Loyal Spy" is worth reading for a reader who knows what they are getting into, and can deal with time jumps and changes in point of view.
I obtained this book through the New Books display in my local library.
The book is about a British spy who finds out that his very old friend and agent might not just be working for British intelligence and might be involved in many other nefarious activities. I won't say anything about what happens to these characters for fear of disclosing something that would spoil a reader's pleasure. This book is very much in the tradition of John LeCarré. It doesn't quite match up with LeCarré, but few ever do.
The major strength of the book lie in the development of some interesting and believable characters. The characters do have many flaws, which I always appreciate, but are very capable in what they do. They are well-developed and complex. The setting is also a strength of this book. The author obviously knows his way around the Middle East, and the description of the characters and the places seem extremely realistic to me.
The weaknesses of the book involve the complexity of the plot and the structure the author uses to reveal backstory. I found the plot very complex, but the way the author jumped forward and backward in time and changed the point of view added a degree of complexity that I found to be unnecessary. You really have to pay attention to what is going on in this book, and I found that difficult at times. There was also a certain amount of gratuitous sex and violence in the book that I found unnecessary, and even interfering with the plot development and the character portrayals.
Overall, it is a cleverly crafted novel, squarely in the British spy story tradition. The reader is cautioned that it is a little difficult to follow, particularly in the first half of the book. I guess that is what makes British spy novels so different from their American counterparts. "A Loyal Spy" is worth reading for a reader who knows what they are getting into, and can deal with time jumps and changes in point of view.
I obtained this book through the New Books display in my local library.
March 13, 2017
Conway's novel is intricate and finely plotted. The reader has to pay close attention as it shifts geographic and temporal locations frequently, along with frequent shifts in narrative voice. The only thing that really bothered me about Conway's writing is how he wrote the only female character in the text. It's very dependent upon the male gaze, to the point of near-absurdity. It really is a problem. The first time we meet Miranda, she's pictured standing naked in the doorway of a cabin on a cold winter night as the narrator describes her breasts. C'mon. Within the span of the next chapter, she reminisces about how the main character makes her orgasm, she masturbates, the she tells about her misspent youth wherein she became pregnant by a terrorist who later pimped her out to his business associates. It was, to say the least, really disappointing that Conway never really let Miranda be fully human. She's almost always sexualized. When she's not, she's interesting (although Conway's authorial voice when writing women could use some work). Unfortunately, it happens too infrequently, and Conway almost always follows those moments with a clanging moment that either reduces her to a sexual object once again or casts her in a maternal light.
The other characters in the novel are more multifaceted and complex. Conway goes a good job of exploring the tensions that arise between ethnic minority Britons working for UK intelligence services. Its themes of loyalty and patriotism are well done. Overall, the plot can get bogged down in its own weight at times, and the reader has to be on their toes with all the shifts in time and space, but the payoff at the end is decent. If you're a fan of the spy genre, it's worth a go.
The other characters in the novel are more multifaceted and complex. Conway goes a good job of exploring the tensions that arise between ethnic minority Britons working for UK intelligence services. Its themes of loyalty and patriotism are well done. Overall, the plot can get bogged down in its own weight at times, and the reader has to be on their toes with all the shifts in time and space, but the payoff at the end is decent. If you're a fan of the spy genre, it's worth a go.
September 23, 2019
Would make a GREAT movie!
December 27, 2020
A well written thriller with interesting and unconventional characters and a plausible evil.
November 3, 2025
Yeah, it's long and often confusing with shifts back and forth in time, but what a story. Simon Conway, a new author to me, has penned a fantastically detailed and researched thriller of the period surrounding 9/11, set mostly in the war ravaged Middle East and featuring lots of off-the-books CIA/MI6/ contractor types, badass women, extremely nefarious business leaders, and a few 'decent' characters who salvaged the story.
The plot of A Loyal Spy really can't be reduced to a short description without spoiling it, but I'll give it a shot. A pair of mixed race kids grow up together in England, one becoming a spy and the other his 'Joe', spying on the bad guys in the Middle East. Due to financial issues (mostly), the joe is cut loose and becomes a nightmare for the Brits, throwing his lot and considerable leadership skills in with the bad guys. He gives his old friend and former controller bad information as an attempt is made on bin Laden's (yeah, that bin Laden) life and a CIA director is assassinated instead. The remainder of the nearly 600 pages of ALS involves the long and short range competition as the old friends face off, with the old 'joe' heavily involved in a terror attack that would make 9/11 look like child's play.
Despite its length, I truly enjoyed ALS. The time changes were a little annoying and I though the conclusion was a overdone, but all-in-all I found myself unable to put this one down. Fine writing, characters that are realistic and believable, and a story that was plotted in great detail made for an excellent spy thriller.
The plot of A Loyal Spy really can't be reduced to a short description without spoiling it, but I'll give it a shot. A pair of mixed race kids grow up together in England, one becoming a spy and the other his 'Joe', spying on the bad guys in the Middle East. Due to financial issues (mostly), the joe is cut loose and becomes a nightmare for the Brits, throwing his lot and considerable leadership skills in with the bad guys. He gives his old friend and former controller bad information as an attempt is made on bin Laden's (yeah, that bin Laden) life and a CIA director is assassinated instead. The remainder of the nearly 600 pages of ALS involves the long and short range competition as the old friends face off, with the old 'joe' heavily involved in a terror attack that would make 9/11 look like child's play.
Despite its length, I truly enjoyed ALS. The time changes were a little annoying and I though the conclusion was a overdone, but all-in-all I found myself unable to put this one down. Fine writing, characters that are realistic and believable, and a story that was plotted in great detail made for an excellent spy thriller.
November 14, 2023
Not everyones cup of tea. There was sex, violence, sexual violence (not uncommon in Conway’s novels), war and conflict in number of different countries and of course death was a constant reminder. Like many of Conway’s stories, the plot became much clearer in the second half, the first half became a series of confusing flashbacks from array of places and events from all over the place. Front and centred was Jonah, a war veteran and now a MI6 spy for England who has survived serving in open and covet conflicts in Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan in that order. It was about people he had met and made friends with (Nor ed-Din, Beech, Lehnard, Alex and Miranda) as well as things that happened, particularly in his last assignment ~ in Afghanistan. There was something called the Kiernan affair and who was Fisher-King and what were the Afghan guides? Such questions hang over the last part of the story until very end. VERY GOOD. 4 STARS.
Simon Conway’s is a consistent writer of good espionage and of the spy genre.
‘Damaged’ (1998). 3.5 Stars.
’A Loyal Spy’ (2010) 4 Stars. Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award
‘Rock Creek Park’ (2012). 5 Stars.
'The Stranger' (2020). 4 Stars. 'Times' thriller of the year.
'The Saboteur' (2021). 4 Stars.
Simon Conway’s is a consistent writer of good espionage and of the spy genre.
‘Damaged’ (1998). 3.5 Stars.
’A Loyal Spy’ (2010) 4 Stars. Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award
‘Rock Creek Park’ (2012). 5 Stars.
'The Stranger' (2020). 4 Stars. 'Times' thriller of the year.
'The Saboteur' (2021). 4 Stars.
August 23, 2023
This chunky spy thriller has an workmanlike, cinematic quality. It is dotted with accurate detail from overseas military deployments, and offers up true-grit ethnic minority UK heroes, bad guys, moody or sex-ready women etc, as we lurch back and forth in chopped-up timelines. The author also likes to render directly waking from dreams, being shot or bludgeoned, having sex, bereavement, fainting, drowning and much else in a rather similar style of confusion, with clumsy ellisions from the character's experience to the narrators voice.
All this saps the realist vitality brought by many otherwise persuasive, soldierly passages. Ultimately the convoluted 400+ page plot is rather a drag, with the final pages sealing the forgettable, straight-to-DVD impact. Whilst with some effort on the reader's part it succeeds as entertainment, it achieves little as a literary work. In the end, rather than figure out which of 2 or 3 characters is best described as the loyal spy, I'm just happy to close the book.
All this saps the realist vitality brought by many otherwise persuasive, soldierly passages. Ultimately the convoluted 400+ page plot is rather a drag, with the final pages sealing the forgettable, straight-to-DVD impact. Whilst with some effort on the reader's part it succeeds as entertainment, it achieves little as a literary work. In the end, rather than figure out which of 2 or 3 characters is best described as the loyal spy, I'm just happy to close the book.
May 13, 2018
The dust jacket said "Thiller." I wasn't. This seemed overly complicated for the sake of...what's the word I'm looking for?...a MacGuffin?
If I got anything out of this novel it is, jihadis should be treated with kindness when captured, for they are the masochists to the CIA's sadists. But that is an inference and nothing author Simon Conway even dealt with. He does, however, deal with gratuitous torture, violence and sex, which I should like. At least I like it in those damned Bernard Cornwell books about Uhtred and Alfred the Great. And when it came to spy novels, the late Ian Flemming gave that sort of thing lighthearted tough. I found it easy to put down. Sluggish.
And here's a spoiler: the shadowy antagonist is a thinly veiled portrait of the real-life Erik Prince. Unlike the real Erik Prince, these fanatical Christian billionaire-owner of a private security firm gets his comeuppance.
If I got anything out of this novel it is, jihadis should be treated with kindness when captured, for they are the masochists to the CIA's sadists. But that is an inference and nothing author Simon Conway even dealt with. He does, however, deal with gratuitous torture, violence and sex, which I should like. At least I like it in those damned Bernard Cornwell books about Uhtred and Alfred the Great. And when it came to spy novels, the late Ian Flemming gave that sort of thing lighthearted tough. I found it easy to put down. Sluggish.
And here's a spoiler: the shadowy antagonist is a thinly veiled portrait of the real-life Erik Prince. Unlike the real Erik Prince, these fanatical Christian billionaire-owner of a private security firm gets his comeuppance.
September 12, 2021
I am not even sure what prompted me to select this one without first reading a summary, but once I started it, and realized what it was about, I’ve continued reading because of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
It’s overly complicated due to the dates continuously changing, and when reading on a tablet, it’s too difficult to refer back to earlier chapters as one can when reading a paper book.
Complex intersections of the story lines takes effort to follow, so it’s not just a casual read. I do hope it’s worth the effort.
Dmc. 9/11/‘21
It’s overly complicated due to the dates continuously changing, and when reading on a tablet, it’s too difficult to refer back to earlier chapters as one can when reading a paper book.
Complex intersections of the story lines takes effort to follow, so it’s not just a casual read. I do hope it’s worth the effort.
Dmc. 9/11/‘21
December 30, 2021
In the end, a disappointing book. It probably has the material for something interesting and would make a decent movie, but the very non-linear time switches make it confusing. It felt like the main purpose of those was to add tension where not much could be found.
The female characters were written from a very patriarchical point of view, makes you wonder what century they should represent.
A lot is checking off boxes of cookie-cutter characters and the plot never really lives up to the expectations. In the end, cutting 30% out would definitely have made a better book.
The female characters were written from a very patriarchical point of view, makes you wonder what century they should represent.
A lot is checking off boxes of cookie-cutter characters and the plot never really lives up to the expectations. In the end, cutting 30% out would definitely have made a better book.
December 3, 2018
This was a complicated book and I almost put it down after about 50 pages. Though I took weeks to finish this, I am glad I kept reading it because I see why stopping terrorists and finding their funding is so complex. Trying to understand who is good, who is bad, - some are good and bad...CIA, MI6, Al quaeda, taliban, and many other groups, reasons for betrayals, cruelty, killing, plots for mass destruction, lack of compassion, coverups, - this book makes me glad I have a simple life.
June 21, 2021
This is the third I’ve read by this author in quick succession, after reading The Stranger, and looking for more. This was very good. More enjoyable than Rock Creek Park. The plot jumped around different time zones a little too often - up you have to concentrate to remember where you are and what’s happened that you know about, that perhaps the protagonists don’t. But it sucks you in, and feels very plausible.
I’ll wonder what happened to Jonah Said.
I’ll wonder what happened to Jonah Said.
September 17, 2022
Extraordinarily intricate plot, ranging across UK, USA and the Middle East.
The characters were also a break from the standard types featured in novels like this and very imaginative.
It was intense and involving.
The characters were also a break from the standard types featured in novels like this and very imaginative.
It was intense and involving.
March 3, 2019
found this tough to get through
August 1, 2019
Well written tale shot through with truth about Anglo-American foreign policy.
April 5, 2023
Too boring to finish.
March 7, 2024
Too slow for me
April 26, 2025
I enjoyed it as long as I managed to suspend my disbelief.
I think I will look to see what else Simon Conway has written.
I think I will look to see what else Simon Conway has written.
October 23, 2025
Fantastic
May 6, 2013
There was a lot to be liked and enjoyed in this one.
But there was also a fair amount I was actually quite disappointed about.
Early on, it seemed almost as if it was going to be a mix of 'Catch 22' and Len Deighton's Harry Palmer, Daniel Craig's James Bond and Jason Bourne.
Whilst it started well;
"You're booked on a US chopper tomorrow."
"Don't tell me it's got a Ukrainian crew?"
"It's got a Ukrainian crew. But don't worry, the pilot never takes a drink before lunchtime."
"What time's the flight?"
"Depends what time lunch finishes."
And despite clearly the book's best intentions - it never quite got there.
All the main characters come with a lot of dirty baggage from other wars; the ones you've heard about and, perhaps more dangerously; the ones you haven't. Through the use of flashbacks and moving backwards and forwards, the story tries to explain reasons for characters' behaviour and motivations. Unfortunately, these I found more irritating than explanatory, or particularly successful. When they work in the way they're written, there is a real dream-like feel to them, as if they're trying to remember, piece together the meaning behind actions - an often painful remembrance of past events sparked by an event happening in the here and now. That's good. But often confusing, often even irritating, I found. I kept wishing they wouldn't keep slowing the whole thing down and that the story would just get on with it. When the characters are discussing past events, when that is used as explanation, it works much better. More revealing more slowly, more tantalising, I felt.
It is a thriller, I guess, though it can move quite slowly. At times in Afghanistan, at times in Pakistan at times in Scotland and London, the book explores the characters' background for their tangled espionage-linked lives and why and when and for whom, espionage becomes 'terror'.
"'They've got it into their heads that there is no law but the discretion of the United States. They're bypassing the regular operations of intelligence, military and law-enforcement agencies and stovepiping raw intelligence to the very top. The politicians are picking and choosing without any realistic evaluation. They're conjuring threats out of thin air. They're going to invade Iraq.'"
Yes, it's always easy to have 20/20 hindsight and be clever after the event, but from what we now know and indeed saw in those UN debates, then that seems about as concise a summing-up of what happened as you're ever likely to see. Why they did it, is another matter. What matters here is that they did, and people like the book's Jonah, Nor and Miranda, are the ones caught up in middle of the confusion and terror and revenge and war.
'A Loyal Spy' wants to be much more than just a seat of your chair white-knuckle ride thriller. I've read plenty and have got plenty waiting for me to read up there on the shelf. It was, a reasonably even-handed discussion of the whole situation of this 'war on terror', or of many of the wars and terrors since the collapse of Yugoslavia. But...there always came a 'but...'
I just felt a little let down, I suppose. By a few of things. The flashbacks, the unnecessary and grating sex-scenes and a bit of a damp ending (in more ways than one). The whole story felt like it more or less fizzled out, even though the action was hectic and almost apocalyptic. There were times when he seemed to be getting to grips with peeling away the layers to get at something really worthwhile and important. But those times weren't often enough and didn't go far enough down into the black heart of the matter. Instead of peeling away layers, it seemed like only scratching the surface.
I kinda expected more, or better, after a good start and the long, long build-up and ground-laying, character-wise. And the 'hero' with a black-sheep 'brother' situation, was done recently much more convincingly by Jon Stock, in my opinion. All in all, I felt the book and the characters and the good parts deserved better than they got in the end.
But there was also a fair amount I was actually quite disappointed about.
Early on, it seemed almost as if it was going to be a mix of 'Catch 22' and Len Deighton's Harry Palmer, Daniel Craig's James Bond and Jason Bourne.
Whilst it started well;
"You're booked on a US chopper tomorrow."
"Don't tell me it's got a Ukrainian crew?"
"It's got a Ukrainian crew. But don't worry, the pilot never takes a drink before lunchtime."
"What time's the flight?"
"Depends what time lunch finishes."
And despite clearly the book's best intentions - it never quite got there.
All the main characters come with a lot of dirty baggage from other wars; the ones you've heard about and, perhaps more dangerously; the ones you haven't. Through the use of flashbacks and moving backwards and forwards, the story tries to explain reasons for characters' behaviour and motivations. Unfortunately, these I found more irritating than explanatory, or particularly successful. When they work in the way they're written, there is a real dream-like feel to them, as if they're trying to remember, piece together the meaning behind actions - an often painful remembrance of past events sparked by an event happening in the here and now. That's good. But often confusing, often even irritating, I found. I kept wishing they wouldn't keep slowing the whole thing down and that the story would just get on with it. When the characters are discussing past events, when that is used as explanation, it works much better. More revealing more slowly, more tantalising, I felt.
It is a thriller, I guess, though it can move quite slowly. At times in Afghanistan, at times in Pakistan at times in Scotland and London, the book explores the characters' background for their tangled espionage-linked lives and why and when and for whom, espionage becomes 'terror'.
"'They've got it into their heads that there is no law but the discretion of the United States. They're bypassing the regular operations of intelligence, military and law-enforcement agencies and stovepiping raw intelligence to the very top. The politicians are picking and choosing without any realistic evaluation. They're conjuring threats out of thin air. They're going to invade Iraq.'"
Yes, it's always easy to have 20/20 hindsight and be clever after the event, but from what we now know and indeed saw in those UN debates, then that seems about as concise a summing-up of what happened as you're ever likely to see. Why they did it, is another matter. What matters here is that they did, and people like the book's Jonah, Nor and Miranda, are the ones caught up in middle of the confusion and terror and revenge and war.
'A Loyal Spy' wants to be much more than just a seat of your chair white-knuckle ride thriller. I've read plenty and have got plenty waiting for me to read up there on the shelf. It was, a reasonably even-handed discussion of the whole situation of this 'war on terror', or of many of the wars and terrors since the collapse of Yugoslavia. But...there always came a 'but...'
I just felt a little let down, I suppose. By a few of things. The flashbacks, the unnecessary and grating sex-scenes and a bit of a damp ending (in more ways than one). The whole story felt like it more or less fizzled out, even though the action was hectic and almost apocalyptic. There were times when he seemed to be getting to grips with peeling away the layers to get at something really worthwhile and important. But those times weren't often enough and didn't go far enough down into the black heart of the matter. Instead of peeling away layers, it seemed like only scratching the surface.
I kinda expected more, or better, after a good start and the long, long build-up and ground-laying, character-wise. And the 'hero' with a black-sheep 'brother' situation, was done recently much more convincingly by Jon Stock, in my opinion. All in all, I felt the book and the characters and the good parts deserved better than they got in the end.
October 3, 2021
Took me a while to comprehend and follow the characters and timeline. Fairly repetitive and somewhat overly long plot with characters that have superhuman recuperative powers and willpower.
March 10, 2011
"He pushed back, slamming his elbows into nearest faces. He stamped on legs and feet. ... In one of his hands [the boy] held a machete and in the other a dismembered head." "Jonah smashed his forehead into Nor's face. Nor's nose split like a ripe fruit ..." "He swung to the right and bit off an ear. The man screamed. ... The screaming man on his right tumbled ... into the path of the falling machete. His skull split like a melon."
No doubt there is a readership for novels of blood and violence. A Loyal Spy moves from Afghanistan to Sierra Leone to the United States, embracing Osama Bin Laden and the Twin Towers, scattering ravaged bodies in its wake. The title may have misled others besides me into assuming this was a book in Le Carré territory. My mistake doesn't mean that others will not enjoy a fast-moving, tough-talking adventure against a topical background, though they may find the "his dearest friend, his bitterest enemy" theme somewhat testing.
No doubt there is a readership for novels of blood and violence. A Loyal Spy moves from Afghanistan to Sierra Leone to the United States, embracing Osama Bin Laden and the Twin Towers, scattering ravaged bodies in its wake. The title may have misled others besides me into assuming this was a book in Le Carré territory. My mistake doesn't mean that others will not enjoy a fast-moving, tough-talking adventure against a topical background, though they may find the "his dearest friend, his bitterest enemy" theme somewhat testing.
February 9, 2012
A complex tale of espionage, betrayal and terrorism that is brought to us from the viewpoints of different characters on different timescales and in different countries. It wasn't too difficult to follow due to the tight writing style, however, some of the characters weren't entirely relatable and seemed a little distant to me. It grew slightly tedious at times while waiting for the action to happen.
Other than this it was a very well-written novel, and it was clear that a lot of knowledge and intelligence had gone into the making of it. A decent read in all, just very plot driven.
Other than this it was a very well-written novel, and it was clear that a lot of knowledge and intelligence had gone into the making of it. A decent read in all, just very plot driven.
August 26, 2011
Its always a bit of a dicy moment picking up a book by a friend... even if you haven't seen them for 20 years or so... but I shouldn't have worried with this offering by my erstwhile university colleague. It's all a bit "boys own" in places and the sex scenes are a somewhat gratuitous, but it is an interesting fictional take on the past 10 years of the "war on terror and the role of security "contractors" in it. Is it all a huge conspiracy? Will be looking out his other offerings for holiday reading.
July 4, 2010
I'm glad I persevered with this book, because once I had got past all the rather tedious and extremely confusing back stories, the complicated web of dates as to who died, or did not die, when and where they died, I enjoyed this quite ridiculous but well-written conspiracy theory about Afghanistan/terrorists and the like..
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