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Defectors
In 1949, Frank Weeks, blue-eyed boy of the newly formed CIA, was exposed as a Communist spy and vanished behind the Iron Curtain. Now, twelve years later, he has written his memoirs, and has asked his brother Simon, a New York publisher, to travel to Moscow to edit the manuscript. It is a reunion Simon both dreads and longs for. The book is sure to be filled with mischief and misinformation, Frank's motives suspect, and the CIA hostile. But the chance to see his adored older brother proves irresistible.
And at first Frank is still Frank — the same charm, the same jokes, the same bond of affection that transcends ideology. Then Simon begins to glimpse another Frank, still capable of deceit. He is pulled into Frank’s twilight world, caught between the KGB and the CIA in a fatal scheme that pits brother against brother, like scorpions in a bottle, safe unless one of them attacks. And one always does.
Defectors is the gripping story of a family torn apart by divided loyalties. It also reveals the city of Moscow at the height of the Cold War — and the community of African and British defectors forced to make it their home, closely monitored by the KGB, granted special privileges but never trusted, traitors who managed to escape one prison only to find themselves locked firmly in another.
And at first Frank is still Frank — the same charm, the same jokes, the same bond of affection that transcends ideology. Then Simon begins to glimpse another Frank, still capable of deceit. He is pulled into Frank’s twilight world, caught between the KGB and the CIA in a fatal scheme that pits brother against brother, like scorpions in a bottle, safe unless one of them attacks. And one always does.
Defectors is the gripping story of a family torn apart by divided loyalties. It also reveals the city of Moscow at the height of the Cold War — and the community of African and British defectors forced to make it their home, closely monitored by the KGB, granted special privileges but never trusted, traitors who managed to escape one prison only to find themselves locked firmly in another.
290 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2017
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March 8, 2018
”Frank lit a cigarette, taking a minute. ‘It’s a funny word, defector. Latin, defectus. To desert. Lack something. Makes it sound as if we had to leave something behind. To change sides. But we were already on this side. We didn’t leave anything.’
‘Your country.’
‘Countries don’t matter. In a way, I was already here.’”
Simon Weeks comes to Russia to help his infamous brother put the polishing touches on his autobiography. It is 1961 and in 1949 Frank defected from the United States to Russia after he is exposed as a communist spy. He betrayed everything, everyone he ever knew. His wife and son dutifully come with him, but it is obvious to Simon that no one is happy. Frank;s wife, Joanna, is self-medicating every day with copious amounts of alcohol. Frank is still charming, manipulative, secretive, and a schemer. As always it is hard to know what is really going on in Frank’s head. As part of the deal to come over to Russia, Simon has to check in with the CIA at the embassy every day.
The autobiography is just a ruse. It turns out what Frank is really interested in is defecting again. It has been twelve years and they have been tough years. He wants to use his brother as a go-between to arrange the deal. It seems that Russia is not the paradise that all these defectors think it will be. There is a group of defectors who hang out together. One of them even still informs on what the others say as if he just can’t leave the game behind. ”Even the Service had its pecking order, some treacheries more acceptable than others, like prisoners who looked down on molesters but didn’t bat an eye at murder.“
Simon quickly finds himself caught between the CIA and the KGB in a game where the rules bend, twist, and even break. He knows Frank well enough to know that he will lie even to his brother if it gains him an advantage. As the plans come together to bring Frank, Simon, and Joanna out of the country it becomes more and more apparent that the motivations of all involved are as murky and unfathomable as Stalin’s brown eyes.
Moscow is a city of informants. ”The whole country full of them, the women in the hotel hallways, the listening chandeliers, the men plotting in the Kremlin, Stalin feeding on his own, check mark by check mark, a city without maps.” Simon is learning quickly how things work, but the question remains whether he can learn it fast enough while he tries to uncover Frank’s true motivations.
I’ve really enjoyed the Joseph Kanon books I’ve read. He writes the kind of spy novel that is like mainlining top shelf vodka right into the pleasure center of my mind. In his books he shows the gritty side of betrayal along with the truly heroic moments when someone is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He explores the ideas of what is the best thing to do? And how does one determine that? What is acceptable to insure a certain outcome? Who can be trusted under what circumstances? So sling that trenchcoat over your shoulders and pull that black fedora down low on your forehead and enter the world of Moscow defectors. Tell lies to match their lies and walk softly.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
‘Your country.’
‘Countries don’t matter. In a way, I was already here.’”
Simon Weeks comes to Russia to help his infamous brother put the polishing touches on his autobiography. It is 1961 and in 1949 Frank defected from the United States to Russia after he is exposed as a communist spy. He betrayed everything, everyone he ever knew. His wife and son dutifully come with him, but it is obvious to Simon that no one is happy. Frank;s wife, Joanna, is self-medicating every day with copious amounts of alcohol. Frank is still charming, manipulative, secretive, and a schemer. As always it is hard to know what is really going on in Frank’s head. As part of the deal to come over to Russia, Simon has to check in with the CIA at the embassy every day.
The autobiography is just a ruse. It turns out what Frank is really interested in is defecting again. It has been twelve years and they have been tough years. He wants to use his brother as a go-between to arrange the deal. It seems that Russia is not the paradise that all these defectors think it will be. There is a group of defectors who hang out together. One of them even still informs on what the others say as if he just can’t leave the game behind. ”Even the Service had its pecking order, some treacheries more acceptable than others, like prisoners who looked down on molesters but didn’t bat an eye at murder.“
Simon quickly finds himself caught between the CIA and the KGB in a game where the rules bend, twist, and even break. He knows Frank well enough to know that he will lie even to his brother if it gains him an advantage. As the plans come together to bring Frank, Simon, and Joanna out of the country it becomes more and more apparent that the motivations of all involved are as murky and unfathomable as Stalin’s brown eyes.
Moscow is a city of informants. ”The whole country full of them, the women in the hotel hallways, the listening chandeliers, the men plotting in the Kremlin, Stalin feeding on his own, check mark by check mark, a city without maps.” Simon is learning quickly how things work, but the question remains whether he can learn it fast enough while he tries to uncover Frank’s true motivations.
I’ve really enjoyed the Joseph Kanon books I’ve read. He writes the kind of spy novel that is like mainlining top shelf vodka right into the pleasure center of my mind. In his books he shows the gritty side of betrayal along with the truly heroic moments when someone is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He explores the ideas of what is the best thing to do? And how does one determine that? What is acceptable to insure a certain outcome? Who can be trusted under what circumstances? So sling that trenchcoat over your shoulders and pull that black fedora down low on your forehead and enter the world of Moscow defectors. Tell lies to match their lies and walk softly.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
October 15, 2017
A Spy Novel set in Russia during the Cold War times interesting but not hugely engaging for me
In 1949, Frank Weeks, agent of the newly formed CIA, was exposed as a Communist spy and fled the country to vanish behind the Iron Curtain. Now, twelve years later, he has written his memoirs, a KGB- approved project almost certain to be an international bestseller, and has asked his brother Simon, a publisher, to come to Moscow to edit the manuscript. It’s a reunion Simon both dreads and Frank both dread and long for.
Firstly the book has a terrific sense of time and place and you feel and see Moscow in the 60s. I really enjoyed the journey for the scenery but somehow the story and the characters lacked any real punch for me. While it was a short book it dragged in places and while the last third picked up pace it just seemed a little late for me.
An ok read but not one for my favourites list.
In 1949, Frank Weeks, agent of the newly formed CIA, was exposed as a Communist spy and fled the country to vanish behind the Iron Curtain. Now, twelve years later, he has written his memoirs, a KGB- approved project almost certain to be an international bestseller, and has asked his brother Simon, a publisher, to come to Moscow to edit the manuscript. It’s a reunion Simon both dreads and Frank both dread and long for.
Firstly the book has a terrific sense of time and place and you feel and see Moscow in the 60s. I really enjoyed the journey for the scenery but somehow the story and the characters lacked any real punch for me. While it was a short book it dragged in places and while the last third picked up pace it just seemed a little late for me.
An ok read but not one for my favourites list.
June 27, 2017
A master of the technical spy thriller!
It is usually a difficult task to find a well written spy thriller these days - don't get me wrong, there's a plethora of great mystery/thriller writers around creating masterpieces every which way you turn but a mystery/thriller with a large aspect of the plot surrounding politics & espionage, is sometimes an impossible task. Fear not! Joseph Kanon is here with exactly what you desire. Due to the majority of books that class themselves as 'spy thrillers' being pretty abysmal, I go into reading these novels with a degree of resignation, though now, thanks to Mr Kanon my faith has been somewhat restored. His previous bestselling novel Leaving Berlin falls into the same genre and was done excellently, I really needn't have worried about Defectors as he has already proven his worth as a technically brilliant master of the epic espionage adventure!
Defectors is set in 1960's Moscow, when the Soviet Union is gaining international recognition & admiration from the launch of Sputnik. CIA agent Frank Weeks, a notorious defector to the Soviet Union, is to publish his memoirs - shocking his brother Simon. Simon, a publisher in The Big Apple is looking to try and publish his brother's memoirs but knows that the US government will never allow it, thinking of it as KGB propaganda. However, this doesn't deter Simon from trying to publish as he views it as finally giving him the chance to learn why Frank chose to betray his country and his family. What he discovers in Moscow is far more shocking than he ever imagined...
In a genre where the books tend to be either awful or magnificent, with absolutely no middle ground, Kanon is a breathe of fresh air and someone you can trust to fill out a novel with superb detail, after all he is a bestselling author for a reason!
Defectors is enthralling and captivating from the first page and through his vivid descriptions, I felt as though I was right there. The relationship between the two brothers and what they go through together is a common thread throughout the whole book. A truly thrilling tale of espionage and betrayal against a historical backdrop.
If you are a fan of political spy thrillers please read both Defectors & Leaving Berlin, I cannot praise his writing enough. It is true intelligent literary fiction with lots of pleasant historical detail and family relationships - how they evolve along with the circumstances. I will certainly be awaiting his next book with anticipation. It's rare that an author can make this kind of impact on me having read just one of their novels.
A KILLER IN THE ESPIONAGE GENRE - THIS WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
I would like to thank Joseph Kanon, Simon & Schuster UK Fiction & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest & impartial review.
It is usually a difficult task to find a well written spy thriller these days - don't get me wrong, there's a plethora of great mystery/thriller writers around creating masterpieces every which way you turn but a mystery/thriller with a large aspect of the plot surrounding politics & espionage, is sometimes an impossible task. Fear not! Joseph Kanon is here with exactly what you desire. Due to the majority of books that class themselves as 'spy thrillers' being pretty abysmal, I go into reading these novels with a degree of resignation, though now, thanks to Mr Kanon my faith has been somewhat restored. His previous bestselling novel Leaving Berlin falls into the same genre and was done excellently, I really needn't have worried about Defectors as he has already proven his worth as a technically brilliant master of the epic espionage adventure!
Defectors is set in 1960's Moscow, when the Soviet Union is gaining international recognition & admiration from the launch of Sputnik. CIA agent Frank Weeks, a notorious defector to the Soviet Union, is to publish his memoirs - shocking his brother Simon. Simon, a publisher in The Big Apple is looking to try and publish his brother's memoirs but knows that the US government will never allow it, thinking of it as KGB propaganda. However, this doesn't deter Simon from trying to publish as he views it as finally giving him the chance to learn why Frank chose to betray his country and his family. What he discovers in Moscow is far more shocking than he ever imagined...
In a genre where the books tend to be either awful or magnificent, with absolutely no middle ground, Kanon is a breathe of fresh air and someone you can trust to fill out a novel with superb detail, after all he is a bestselling author for a reason!
Defectors is enthralling and captivating from the first page and through his vivid descriptions, I felt as though I was right there. The relationship between the two brothers and what they go through together is a common thread throughout the whole book. A truly thrilling tale of espionage and betrayal against a historical backdrop.
If you are a fan of political spy thrillers please read both Defectors & Leaving Berlin, I cannot praise his writing enough. It is true intelligent literary fiction with lots of pleasant historical detail and family relationships - how they evolve along with the circumstances. I will certainly be awaiting his next book with anticipation. It's rare that an author can make this kind of impact on me having read just one of their novels.
A KILLER IN THE ESPIONAGE GENRE - THIS WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
I would like to thank Joseph Kanon, Simon & Schuster UK Fiction & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest & impartial review.
April 19, 2021
A disclosure: I know Joe Kanon personally. He's a fine gentleman with a good sense of humor, and moves through the literary world as if he's just a lowly suspense writer, instead of being the purveyor of literature that he is.
Defectors, like so many Kanon novels, takes us back to a different time. It's the cold war, and the Soviet Union has yet to collapse--in fact, it looks indomitable. When a book editor is invited to publish a memoir by his brother, a man who betrayed his country and became a spy for the USSR, it is with the Soviet government's permission. But nothing is as it seems when the traitor confesses he wants to return to the USA, and is looking to his brother to arrange it. The two brothers have been estranged, but now they bond over the conspiracy, all of it happening under the watchful eyes of the Soviet minders.
The plan--bold, daring, and high risk--will have you flipping pages to find out what will happen. Then comes the twist, something you didn't see developing right in front of you, and you realize you are NOT going to sleep until this one is over. What a great read.
Defectors, like so many Kanon novels, takes us back to a different time. It's the cold war, and the Soviet Union has yet to collapse--in fact, it looks indomitable. When a book editor is invited to publish a memoir by his brother, a man who betrayed his country and became a spy for the USSR, it is with the Soviet government's permission. But nothing is as it seems when the traitor confesses he wants to return to the USA, and is looking to his brother to arrange it. The two brothers have been estranged, but now they bond over the conspiracy, all of it happening under the watchful eyes of the Soviet minders.
The plan--bold, daring, and high risk--will have you flipping pages to find out what will happen. Then comes the twist, something you didn't see developing right in front of you, and you realize you are NOT going to sleep until this one is over. What a great read.
June 9, 2017
This was a spy/thriller/espionage novel set in Russia. This was pretty much 2 stars for me, but I think somehow, I've talked myself into 3. I wasn't pulled into this one. It was very singular in focus as far as the plot goes. Simon felt like a pawn, never acting, never making decisions. He was just told what to do and he did it, even when what the reader is given to understand about him does not support the things he is pushed into. I liked Frank. The reason this gets an extra star is the stand he makes at the end. I could respect his conviction.
June 22, 2017
The disappearance of British diplomats Donald MacLean and Guy Burgess in 1951 and the subsequent revelation in 1956 of them as defectors to the Soviet Union shocked the world and has subsequently provided fodder for a virtual cottage industry of spy novels. Only much later did it come to light that MacLean and Burgess were just two of the notorious Cambridge Five. Both men make cameo appearances in Joseph Kanon's terrific new spy novel, Defectors.
The book opens in Moscow in 1961, where an American publisher named Simon Weeks is just arriving to visit his notorious brother, Frank. Twelve years earlier Frank had defected to the Soviet Union and became "the man who betrayed a generation." Now he is writing a memoir that Simon's firm will publish. Unaccountably, the KGB has granted Frank permission to write and publish the book.
Simon and Frank are the sons of a former senior New Deal official. They're descendants of an eminent old New England family. Both are Harvard-educated because Harvard was, like so much else, a Weeks family tradition. Through childhood and adolescence, Simon idolized his older brother. He followed Frank to Harvard and then into the OSS in World War II. Now, the anger he felt when Frank defected in 1949 is surfacing again. Because of obvious omissions in the manuscript he received, Simon wonders how much of the truth Frank is telling. After all, as Simon learns very quickly, Frank remains a dedicated and active KGB officer, as he is quick to point out. But Simon can't afford not to publish the book, which clearly will be a huge bestseller.
Putting aside his doubts and anger, Simon settles down to work on the memoir with his brother under the watchful eye of Frank's minder and bodyguard, a KGB colonel. But Frank cooperates only marginally, interrupting to insist that Simon take time out to walk in the park with him and visit Moscow landmarks. It soon becomes clear that Frank has an ulterior motive: he wants Simon's help to defect back to the United States. With great reluctance, Simon quickly becomes embroiled in a complex, mysterious, and perilous plot to help Frank and his ailing wife escape the Soviet Union. Kanon tells the tale with great attention to detail and deep regard for his characters. As in so many of his other bestselling books, the author has thoroughly researched his topic. He conjures up a picture of the Soviet Union under Nikita Khruschchev that is both chilling and credible.
The book opens in Moscow in 1961, where an American publisher named Simon Weeks is just arriving to visit his notorious brother, Frank. Twelve years earlier Frank had defected to the Soviet Union and became "the man who betrayed a generation." Now he is writing a memoir that Simon's firm will publish. Unaccountably, the KGB has granted Frank permission to write and publish the book.
Simon and Frank are the sons of a former senior New Deal official. They're descendants of an eminent old New England family. Both are Harvard-educated because Harvard was, like so much else, a Weeks family tradition. Through childhood and adolescence, Simon idolized his older brother. He followed Frank to Harvard and then into the OSS in World War II. Now, the anger he felt when Frank defected in 1949 is surfacing again. Because of obvious omissions in the manuscript he received, Simon wonders how much of the truth Frank is telling. After all, as Simon learns very quickly, Frank remains a dedicated and active KGB officer, as he is quick to point out. But Simon can't afford not to publish the book, which clearly will be a huge bestseller.
Putting aside his doubts and anger, Simon settles down to work on the memoir with his brother under the watchful eye of Frank's minder and bodyguard, a KGB colonel. But Frank cooperates only marginally, interrupting to insist that Simon take time out to walk in the park with him and visit Moscow landmarks. It soon becomes clear that Frank has an ulterior motive: he wants Simon's help to defect back to the United States. With great reluctance, Simon quickly becomes embroiled in a complex, mysterious, and perilous plot to help Frank and his ailing wife escape the Soviet Union. Kanon tells the tale with great attention to detail and deep regard for his characters. As in so many of his other bestselling books, the author has thoroughly researched his topic. He conjures up a picture of the Soviet Union under Nikita Khruschchev that is both chilling and credible.
June 5, 2017
Defectors is a fascinating glimpse behind the Iron Curtain, specifically the Soviet Union, in the 1960’s. Simon Weeks is making an unprecedented visit to the U.S.S.R. to visit his brother Frank, an individual who defected from the U.S. to the Soviet Union in the early 1950’s. Frank has been given permission by the Soviet government to publish his memoirs, and his brother Simon is a bigwig at a publishing company that has agreed to handle the publication. As Frank cannot leave his adopted country, Simon must travel to Moscow to interview Frank and complete the memoir. As soon as Simon arrives, he realizes that Frank has other greater plans afoot, and the treachery and betrayals begin.
While I enjoyed the entire book, the best parts of this book by far were the descriptions of the lives of the American and British defectors in Moscow during this time period and 1960’s era Moscow itself. Stalin had only been dead for 8 years, and life as a Soviet citizen was restrictive and full of shortages and fear. The defectors are not treated as they had expected to be, and the Soviets employed all manner of spy techniques to keep an eye on these individuals.
If you like spy novels, I recommend picking this one up. His writing is a little different, and it took me a bit to get used to. Once I did, I really enjoyed the book. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While I enjoyed the entire book, the best parts of this book by far were the descriptions of the lives of the American and British defectors in Moscow during this time period and 1960’s era Moscow itself. Stalin had only been dead for 8 years, and life as a Soviet citizen was restrictive and full of shortages and fear. The defectors are not treated as they had expected to be, and the Soviets employed all manner of spy techniques to keep an eye on these individuals.
If you like spy novels, I recommend picking this one up. His writing is a little different, and it took me a bit to get used to. Once I did, I really enjoyed the book. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2017
All of Joseph Kanon's books are intelligent literary thrillers/historical fiction, and every one is great. But his latest book, DEFECTORS, is outstanding.
In 1961 a publisher, Simon, travels to the Soviet Union to edit the "memoir" of a former US citizen who defected to Russia in 1949--his brother, Frank. "Memoir" is in quotation marks because the truth of that book is suspect. The truth of anything Frank says is suspect.
So, when Frank tells Simon he wants to return to the US but can only do so with his help, Simon is on his guard but cannot refuse.
I will spare you further details so you can enjoy discovering them on your own. And you will.
Partly, that's because every word counts in this novel. Kanon never goes on and on with unnecessary descriptions, tempting his readers to skim, as so many authors do. Kanon never wastes his readers' time.
If I had to pick my favorite of all Kanon's previous books, it would probably be THE GOOD GÈRMAN. DEFECTORS ranks right up there with that book and may even surpass it.
In 1961 a publisher, Simon, travels to the Soviet Union to edit the "memoir" of a former US citizen who defected to Russia in 1949--his brother, Frank. "Memoir" is in quotation marks because the truth of that book is suspect. The truth of anything Frank says is suspect.
So, when Frank tells Simon he wants to return to the US but can only do so with his help, Simon is on his guard but cannot refuse.
I will spare you further details so you can enjoy discovering them on your own. And you will.
Partly, that's because every word counts in this novel. Kanon never goes on and on with unnecessary descriptions, tempting his readers to skim, as so many authors do. Kanon never wastes his readers' time.
If I had to pick my favorite of all Kanon's previous books, it would probably be THE GOOD GÈRMAN. DEFECTORS ranks right up there with that book and may even surpass it.
October 19, 2017
Another great espionage novel from Joseph Kanon
Defectors is set in 1960's Moscow where ex-CIA agent Frank Weeks, a notorious defector to the Soviet Union, wants to publish his memoirs. Frank’s brother, Simon hasn’t seen his brother in more than ten years, but he comes to Moscow to assist in its publication and to learn why Frank chose to betray his country and his family.
Kanon always captures a great sense of time and place in his descriptions of 1960’s Moscow. If you’re expecting high octane action, forget it, but if you’re after a powerful cerebral espionage novel you’ve come to the right place.
With a great cast of fellow defectors, including Frank’s wife Joanne we discover there’s more to the story than meets the eye leading to a great finale.
It’s difficult to mention much without a spoiler, but it’s safe to say that Kanon is a great espionage writer and this book is a worthy addition to the genre.
I received this book via netgalley, but was not required to write a positive review.
Defectors is set in 1960's Moscow where ex-CIA agent Frank Weeks, a notorious defector to the Soviet Union, wants to publish his memoirs. Frank’s brother, Simon hasn’t seen his brother in more than ten years, but he comes to Moscow to assist in its publication and to learn why Frank chose to betray his country and his family.
Kanon always captures a great sense of time and place in his descriptions of 1960’s Moscow. If you’re expecting high octane action, forget it, but if you’re after a powerful cerebral espionage novel you’ve come to the right place.
With a great cast of fellow defectors, including Frank’s wife Joanne we discover there’s more to the story than meets the eye leading to a great finale.
It’s difficult to mention much without a spoiler, but it’s safe to say that Kanon is a great espionage writer and this book is a worthy addition to the genre.
I received this book via netgalley, but was not required to write a positive review.
July 28, 2017
'Defectors', Joseph Kanon's latest, continues his long winning streak of intelligent, atmospheric thrillers. I don't think there's another writer better than Kanon in evoking time and place through writing technique (although Alan Furst is no slouch in that regard...), and when you combine great prose with an intricate, thoughtful plot, you have a great book. I've loved literally every one of his novels and Defectors is another fine effort.
Defectors is the story of a publishing guy whose brother had defected to Russia with CIA secrets after WWII. Several years have passed and the defector wants to tell his story. Who better than his brother to help him get it out there in the American market? The problem is that he's in the communist Soviet Union and his brother needs to travel to Moscow and endure all of the scrutiny reserved for non-believing foreigners .
The tension and almost claustrophobic atmosphere in Moscow are palpable throughout the story. Everyone's listening or being listened to, or followed, everyone the American comes into contact with (other than embassy employees) is either a Russian spy or a traitor to the west, and what begins as a straightforward 'help the brother finish his book' editing effort turns into an exfiltration project. Or does it?
Defectors has a great plot and is beautifully written with fully developed characters and realistic dialogue. Although the conclusion was a bit melodramatic, overall this is a wonderful book by a writer at the top of his game.
Defectors is the story of a publishing guy whose brother had defected to Russia with CIA secrets after WWII. Several years have passed and the defector wants to tell his story. Who better than his brother to help him get it out there in the American market? The problem is that he's in the communist Soviet Union and his brother needs to travel to Moscow and endure all of the scrutiny reserved for non-believing foreigners .
The tension and almost claustrophobic atmosphere in Moscow are palpable throughout the story. Everyone's listening or being listened to, or followed, everyone the American comes into contact with (other than embassy employees) is either a Russian spy or a traitor to the west, and what begins as a straightforward 'help the brother finish his book' editing effort turns into an exfiltration project. Or does it?
Defectors has a great plot and is beautifully written with fully developed characters and realistic dialogue. Although the conclusion was a bit melodramatic, overall this is a wonderful book by a writer at the top of his game.
June 1, 2017
Love for your country vs Love for your family.
In Defectors, loyalty to ‘the cause’ is stronger than the loyalty between brothers. After Frank Weeks defected, he’s now about to publish his memoir and that sees him reunited with his brother, Simon. The relationship between the two brothers is rocky to say the least, but as they spend time together and reminisce about their childhood and the mistakes of their past, you begin to wonder if their brotherly bond can be repaired when Frank makes a surprising proposal…
My knowledge of Moscow in 1961 is zero to none, I know zilch about the KGB and before reading this book I didn’t even know what defecting was. And you’ll be happy to know, none of that affected my enjoyment of this book, in fact it made it all the more enjoyable because not only did I learn something but I am now fascinated with what motivates someone to defect.
Marked as an intelligent thriller, I like to use the term ‘silent thriller’, there isn’t heaps of action and events move quite slow at times but the thrill is there, in the silent suspense – can Simon trust Frank as he reveals his plans? At times, I thought the pace of the story was extremely slow and it seemed like nothing was happening at all, but like a spy [shh, I believe I have the necessary skills to be a spy], I learned to look for clues in these quiet moments, and despite my skills of detection, I still wasn’t able to predict the clever way this story ended. Now I see why this is referred to as an intelligent thriller, what a clever plot twist.
I liked that Frank’s wife was incorporated into the story and we see how Franks actions affected her, both in the past and the present. Defectors has a little emotional thread to it too as you see a family pushed to its limits due to lies, secrets, betrayal, and more secrets. This feeling is heightened as at times Frank appears quite cold and this causes you to become even more suspicious of his end game.
Kanon added a thick emotional layer to this spy novel that shows that you don’t always need a fast pace and a ton of action to captivate the reader.
*My thanks to Emma Finnigan PR for sending me a copy of this book*
In Defectors, loyalty to ‘the cause’ is stronger than the loyalty between brothers. After Frank Weeks defected, he’s now about to publish his memoir and that sees him reunited with his brother, Simon. The relationship between the two brothers is rocky to say the least, but as they spend time together and reminisce about their childhood and the mistakes of their past, you begin to wonder if their brotherly bond can be repaired when Frank makes a surprising proposal…
My knowledge of Moscow in 1961 is zero to none, I know zilch about the KGB and before reading this book I didn’t even know what defecting was. And you’ll be happy to know, none of that affected my enjoyment of this book, in fact it made it all the more enjoyable because not only did I learn something but I am now fascinated with what motivates someone to defect.
Marked as an intelligent thriller, I like to use the term ‘silent thriller’, there isn’t heaps of action and events move quite slow at times but the thrill is there, in the silent suspense – can Simon trust Frank as he reveals his plans? At times, I thought the pace of the story was extremely slow and it seemed like nothing was happening at all, but like a spy [shh, I believe I have the necessary skills to be a spy], I learned to look for clues in these quiet moments, and despite my skills of detection, I still wasn’t able to predict the clever way this story ended. Now I see why this is referred to as an intelligent thriller, what a clever plot twist.
I liked that Frank’s wife was incorporated into the story and we see how Franks actions affected her, both in the past and the present. Defectors has a little emotional thread to it too as you see a family pushed to its limits due to lies, secrets, betrayal, and more secrets. This feeling is heightened as at times Frank appears quite cold and this causes you to become even more suspicious of his end game.
Kanon added a thick emotional layer to this spy novel that shows that you don’t always need a fast pace and a ton of action to captivate the reader.
*My thanks to Emma Finnigan PR for sending me a copy of this book*
July 9, 2017
“Defectors” a mesmerizing thriller opens in 1961 when Simon Weeks travels to Moscow at the request of his brother Frank, a notorious former CIA agent and defector to the Soviet Union who wants his expertise in completing his memoir before its published in America. Putting aside his bitterness and doubts when they reunite Simon quickly learns that Frank’s wife is a heartbroken drunk after the death of their son Richie; one of the aging defectors in their community mysteriously committed suicide; and that his brother has a plan to trade information to the CIA in exchange for refuge and protection in the United States. Set in the paranoid atmosphere of the Cold War, the plot quickly heats up as plans filled with lies, secrets and betrayal test the brothers’ loyalty.
Fast-paced and intense the suspense quickly escalates when Frank’s plan is compromised with an unforeseen murder and his timetable has to be accelerated. With shocking twists as duplicity and distrust increase, emotions intensify when new players are introduced in an ever-changing game of intrigue and as Frank’s KGB bodyguard becomes suspicious of Simon’s real objective.
A page-turner from beginning to end, Joseph Kanon infuses the plot with strong, complex and realistic characters that fire your imagination. Simon Weeks plagued with a traitor in his family and a adulterous wife seems naïve, open and honest until he begins to shed his mask with his own schemes and complicity in a murder. In contrast, his brother Frank a hero and officer in the Soviet Union is a charismatic spy who’s cold, calculating and perceptive; his duty and politics at odds with his love and loyalty to his wife and brother.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Defectors” a high-stakes intriguing thrill-ride and intend to read other novels by this talented author.
Fast-paced and intense the suspense quickly escalates when Frank’s plan is compromised with an unforeseen murder and his timetable has to be accelerated. With shocking twists as duplicity and distrust increase, emotions intensify when new players are introduced in an ever-changing game of intrigue and as Frank’s KGB bodyguard becomes suspicious of Simon’s real objective.
A page-turner from beginning to end, Joseph Kanon infuses the plot with strong, complex and realistic characters that fire your imagination. Simon Weeks plagued with a traitor in his family and a adulterous wife seems naïve, open and honest until he begins to shed his mask with his own schemes and complicity in a murder. In contrast, his brother Frank a hero and officer in the Soviet Union is a charismatic spy who’s cold, calculating and perceptive; his duty and politics at odds with his love and loyalty to his wife and brother.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Defectors” a high-stakes intriguing thrill-ride and intend to read other novels by this talented author.
July 17, 2017
My review from USA Today
*
Joseph Kanon often writes about the aftermath of wars – that starved euphoric moment when there might just be one bullet left over, for you. In Defectors he turns his gaze upon the Cold War, which was a war and its incipience and its aftermath all at once, giving us the story of two American brothers on opposite sides who meet again after twelve years, perhaps for the final time. Their names are Frank and Simon Weeks. Frank betrayed the CIA to the Soviet Union in 1949; now, Simon arrives in Moscow to edit Frank’s memoirs. The immediate question becomes whether Frank is capable of a second betrayal. In his smooth, tense narrative, Kanon excels in particular in his portrayal of various British and American spies in their sad, lionized, closely-surveilled Russian afterlives – Guy Burgess, Kim Philby. Imagine giving up all of life for an idea, we think! As if people didn’t still do it every day.
*
Joseph Kanon often writes about the aftermath of wars – that starved euphoric moment when there might just be one bullet left over, for you. In Defectors he turns his gaze upon the Cold War, which was a war and its incipience and its aftermath all at once, giving us the story of two American brothers on opposite sides who meet again after twelve years, perhaps for the final time. Their names are Frank and Simon Weeks. Frank betrayed the CIA to the Soviet Union in 1949; now, Simon arrives in Moscow to edit Frank’s memoirs. The immediate question becomes whether Frank is capable of a second betrayal. In his smooth, tense narrative, Kanon excels in particular in his portrayal of various British and American spies in their sad, lionized, closely-surveilled Russian afterlives – Guy Burgess, Kim Philby. Imagine giving up all of life for an idea, we think! As if people didn’t still do it every day.
June 26, 2018
Those who enjoy spy novels will definitely like this book. Good intrigue and a rather unexpected finale.
November 3, 2020
Joseph Kanon has become one of my favorite writers of spy thrillers, a genre I've loved since I read my first Robert Ludlum novel in my teens.
In DEFECTORS, Kanon turns his finely sharpened pen to the shadowy world of defectors from the West, who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War and fled to dubious refuge behind the Iron Curtain. The year is 1961. Simon Weeks, a New York publisher, arrives in Russia to oversee the completion of a highly controversial manuscript and surefire future bestseller: the memoirs written by his brother Frank, one of the United States' most notorious post-WWII spy-defectors.
Simon thought he'd put the past behind him, after his close relationship with his sibling was shattered by the revelation that the charismatic older brother he admired and envied worked in secret for the enemy. He and Frank have been estranged for twelve years since Frank's highly publicized defection, but upon his arrival in foreboding Moscow, Simon starts to realize the past is merely a thin veil between the present and the future.
Frank is as charming and evasive as ever, his outwardly comfortable facade in Russia masking tensions Simon fears to unravel. A family tragedy has left Frank's wife - who abandoned the U.S. to join her husband in exile - in an alcoholic-dependent downward spiral, and their circle is a closed one of fellow defectors, none of whom can be trusted. And everywhere they turn lurks the menace of the KGB, embodied by its protective agents, allegedly appointed to ensure the defectors' safety, but in reality acting like implacable human recording devices. One careless word, uttered in the wrong place or at the wrong time, could end in arrest and death.
Why has Frank suddenly decided to expose his past to the world? Why has he mandated only his brother Simon can publish it? Does he have an ulterior motive or does he seek some form of redemption? And what price will Simon pay for daring to trust his brother again? When violence erupts, Simon is caught up in a twisting gambit that casts into doubt everything he thought he knew about Frank and their past.
This is a taut, contained novel that reflects the suffocating existence of the defectors themselves. Not considered Russian despite their efforts on the USSR's behalf, despised by the nations they betrayed, they're trapped in a netherworld of precarious social acquaintance and ever-present suspicion. Kanon's prose is spare and evocative, his descriptions of deprivation in Russia and the defectors' disillusionment underscoring the stalemate of the Cold War.
At its core, however, DEFECTORS is about how those we love most can turn on us unexpectedly and how we cope, or fail to cope, with the emotional fallout.
In DEFECTORS, Kanon turns his finely sharpened pen to the shadowy world of defectors from the West, who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War and fled to dubious refuge behind the Iron Curtain. The year is 1961. Simon Weeks, a New York publisher, arrives in Russia to oversee the completion of a highly controversial manuscript and surefire future bestseller: the memoirs written by his brother Frank, one of the United States' most notorious post-WWII spy-defectors.
Simon thought he'd put the past behind him, after his close relationship with his sibling was shattered by the revelation that the charismatic older brother he admired and envied worked in secret for the enemy. He and Frank have been estranged for twelve years since Frank's highly publicized defection, but upon his arrival in foreboding Moscow, Simon starts to realize the past is merely a thin veil between the present and the future.
Frank is as charming and evasive as ever, his outwardly comfortable facade in Russia masking tensions Simon fears to unravel. A family tragedy has left Frank's wife - who abandoned the U.S. to join her husband in exile - in an alcoholic-dependent downward spiral, and their circle is a closed one of fellow defectors, none of whom can be trusted. And everywhere they turn lurks the menace of the KGB, embodied by its protective agents, allegedly appointed to ensure the defectors' safety, but in reality acting like implacable human recording devices. One careless word, uttered in the wrong place or at the wrong time, could end in arrest and death.
Why has Frank suddenly decided to expose his past to the world? Why has he mandated only his brother Simon can publish it? Does he have an ulterior motive or does he seek some form of redemption? And what price will Simon pay for daring to trust his brother again? When violence erupts, Simon is caught up in a twisting gambit that casts into doubt everything he thought he knew about Frank and their past.
This is a taut, contained novel that reflects the suffocating existence of the defectors themselves. Not considered Russian despite their efforts on the USSR's behalf, despised by the nations they betrayed, they're trapped in a netherworld of precarious social acquaintance and ever-present suspicion. Kanon's prose is spare and evocative, his descriptions of deprivation in Russia and the defectors' disillusionment underscoring the stalemate of the Cold War.
At its core, however, DEFECTORS is about how those we love most can turn on us unexpectedly and how we cope, or fail to cope, with the emotional fallout.
September 5, 2017
Thanks to the publisher for providing a free review e-ARC via Netgalley.
Simon Weeks and his older brother Frank were always together, including during their intelligence work through and after World War II. Frank was with the OSS and transitioned to its successor, the CIA. But all along Frank was a Soviet mole, seduced to the call of communism during the Spanish Civil War. In 1950, like so many spies before him, he defected to the USSR.
With such a brother, naturally Simon had to leave his job at the State Department. He wound up in publishing where, over a decade later he is approached by the Soviets to publish his brother’s memoirs and to come to Moscow to do final editorial work on them with Frank. Naturally, Simon has mixed feelings about the proposal, but in the end he wants to see Frank and Frank’s wife Joanna, Simon’s own girlfriend from long ago.
Once in Moscow, Simon sees the bizarrely privileged and yet claustrophobic life of a western defector. Simon himself is under the constant gaze of the KGB and that of the CIA and the western press stationed in Moscow. Then Frank makes a shocking proposition . . .
This is not a big action thriller; its thrills are mostly cerebral, as you try to figure out the dizzyingly complex plotting and motivations of all the players and, with Simon, attempt to stay ahead of them all––including his own brother. For a loyal man like Simon, the hardest part is understanding that betrayal is as natural as breathing to those he is up against.
There is a famous saying of E. M. Forster: “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.” I always thought this was a deep notion, but in this book Kanon tears it apart. He vividly shows that there is no such choice; that betraying one’s country by spying for another is a betrayal of everything, including friends and family.
I’ve always liked Kanon’s books, but he’s on a real roll recently, between this novel and his last one, Leaving Berlin, focusing on the Cold War and the subject of defectors to the USSR and the DDR. Compromise, collaboration, betrayal are all rich themes for Kanon’s exploration. Highly recommended.
Simon Weeks and his older brother Frank were always together, including during their intelligence work through and after World War II. Frank was with the OSS and transitioned to its successor, the CIA. But all along Frank was a Soviet mole, seduced to the call of communism during the Spanish Civil War. In 1950, like so many spies before him, he defected to the USSR.
With such a brother, naturally Simon had to leave his job at the State Department. He wound up in publishing where, over a decade later he is approached by the Soviets to publish his brother’s memoirs and to come to Moscow to do final editorial work on them with Frank. Naturally, Simon has mixed feelings about the proposal, but in the end he wants to see Frank and Frank’s wife Joanna, Simon’s own girlfriend from long ago.
Once in Moscow, Simon sees the bizarrely privileged and yet claustrophobic life of a western defector. Simon himself is under the constant gaze of the KGB and that of the CIA and the western press stationed in Moscow. Then Frank makes a shocking proposition . . .
This is not a big action thriller; its thrills are mostly cerebral, as you try to figure out the dizzyingly complex plotting and motivations of all the players and, with Simon, attempt to stay ahead of them all––including his own brother. For a loyal man like Simon, the hardest part is understanding that betrayal is as natural as breathing to those he is up against.
There is a famous saying of E. M. Forster: “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.” I always thought this was a deep notion, but in this book Kanon tears it apart. He vividly shows that there is no such choice; that betraying one’s country by spying for another is a betrayal of everything, including friends and family.
I’ve always liked Kanon’s books, but he’s on a real roll recently, between this novel and his last one, Leaving Berlin, focusing on the Cold War and the subject of defectors to the USSR and the DDR. Compromise, collaboration, betrayal are all rich themes for Kanon’s exploration. Highly recommended.
June 21, 2017
Frank Weeks defected to the USSR shortly after the end of WW2, betraying his country, the CIA and his family in the process. In the early 1960s his brother Simon is invited to Moscow to help Frank edit his memoirs for publication in the USA. On arrival, after being primed by the CIA, Simon is reacquainted with his brother and his brother’s wife (a former lover of Simon himself) and is plunged into a murky maelstrom of intrigue. It soon becomes clear that Frank intends to do rather more than publish his memoirs and Simon is envisaged as an essential instrument for his main purpose.
I so admire these literate, intelligent novels written by Joseph Kanon. This one certainly maintains the very high standard of his others. The crisp, convincing dialogue drives the narrative. There are surprises and shocks beautifully developed along the way. There is a parade of defectors including the fictional such as Frank, as well as the real, such as Guy Burgess. There is a real sense of paranoia and a surreal attempt by the defectors to see themselves as safe and happy in the socialist paradise when all around them the evidence argues against. These are men and women who have been traitors to others before. They will betray again. Trust no-one.
I so admire these literate, intelligent novels written by Joseph Kanon. This one certainly maintains the very high standard of his others. The crisp, convincing dialogue drives the narrative. There are surprises and shocks beautifully developed along the way. There is a parade of defectors including the fictional such as Frank, as well as the real, such as Guy Burgess. There is a real sense of paranoia and a surreal attempt by the defectors to see themselves as safe and happy in the socialist paradise when all around them the evidence argues against. These are men and women who have been traitors to others before. They will betray again. Trust no-one.
August 15, 2017
I enjoy a good thriller once in a while. But the qualifier matters. Cardboard characters, contrived suspense, and Hollywood cliff-hangers won't cut it. But an espionage novel that hinges on character rather than non-stop action and that provides glimpses of an unfamiliar or exotic world is a great treat. Joseph Kanon's latest, Defectors, fits the bill nicely. It's so good it can be forgiven for some breathless plotting in the final pages.
In 1970, I traveled to Scandinavia and the Soviet Union with a group sponsored by a left-wing lawyers' association. After stops in Stockholm, Helsinki, Leningrad, and Moscow, we flew to Central Asia, where we visited Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. A lovely, radical sixty-ish couple wasn't on the plane to Uzbekistan with us and didn't rejoin the group when we returned to Moscow before flying home. We were told there was a medical issue although both had seemed hale and hearty in the early going. Knowing their background, I couldn't help but wonder if they had defected. Is that how it would have been done in 1970? I have no idea. But I have thought about them occasionally and tried to imagine what it might have been like for them if they had indeed stayed in the Soviet Union. It's safe to say that their lives would not have been like those of the defectors in this gripping novel.
Frank Weeks wasn't an ordinary American Communist when he and his wife fled to Moscow in 1949. He had been a high-ranking intelligence officer about to be exposed as a spy for the Soviet Union after an operation went disastrously bad. Twelve years later, still working for the KGB, Frank has written a memoir that “the Service” will allow to be published, and his brother Simon has been approved to come to Moscow to edit the book, only to learn on arrival that Frank has an ulterior motive for this visit. There will be plenty of thriller-worthy action to come – deception, murder, betrayal, CIA and KGB operations and counter-operations – but the real pleasures of the novel are in the lives of Frank and Jo Weeks and their “friends” – the community of former British and American spies who are spared the privation of ordinary Russians but not the grim reality of the workers' paradise they believed in...the spacious but threadbare apartment, the musty dacha, the faded elegance of the Bolshoi, the privileged access to groceries, the vodka-soaked nights at the bar in the Metropol, the ever-present KGB minder...
Frank and Simon were close as boys and followed similar career paths, Frank into the CIA, Simon into the State Department. But was Frank using his brother, extracting valuable bits of information in casual conversation over their regular dinners? After Frank's betrayal and twelve years apart, the relationship between the brothers is tense but still intimate as Simon vacillates between trusting and being wary of his charming brother, and he is still drawn to Jo, with whom he had a brief dalliance before she met and married Frank. The fine supporting cast features a woman who once smuggled atomic secrets over a border in her hat, the lonely widow of a brilliant scientist, assorted Brits with assorted motives (including a couple of real-life spies), and Boris – the factotum who is always on hand and always listening.
Defectors is Kanon's eighth novel. The others are similarly satisfying, particularly his first, Los Alamos. It's a murder mystery with a compelling historical overlay as J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists in New Mexico race to develop the atomic bomb in the final days of World War II. There's no better way to lose sleep and absorb some modern history than a Joseph Kanon novel and Defectors may be his best yet.
In 1970, I traveled to Scandinavia and the Soviet Union with a group sponsored by a left-wing lawyers' association. After stops in Stockholm, Helsinki, Leningrad, and Moscow, we flew to Central Asia, where we visited Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. A lovely, radical sixty-ish couple wasn't on the plane to Uzbekistan with us and didn't rejoin the group when we returned to Moscow before flying home. We were told there was a medical issue although both had seemed hale and hearty in the early going. Knowing their background, I couldn't help but wonder if they had defected. Is that how it would have been done in 1970? I have no idea. But I have thought about them occasionally and tried to imagine what it might have been like for them if they had indeed stayed in the Soviet Union. It's safe to say that their lives would not have been like those of the defectors in this gripping novel.
Frank Weeks wasn't an ordinary American Communist when he and his wife fled to Moscow in 1949. He had been a high-ranking intelligence officer about to be exposed as a spy for the Soviet Union after an operation went disastrously bad. Twelve years later, still working for the KGB, Frank has written a memoir that “the Service” will allow to be published, and his brother Simon has been approved to come to Moscow to edit the book, only to learn on arrival that Frank has an ulterior motive for this visit. There will be plenty of thriller-worthy action to come – deception, murder, betrayal, CIA and KGB operations and counter-operations – but the real pleasures of the novel are in the lives of Frank and Jo Weeks and their “friends” – the community of former British and American spies who are spared the privation of ordinary Russians but not the grim reality of the workers' paradise they believed in...the spacious but threadbare apartment, the musty dacha, the faded elegance of the Bolshoi, the privileged access to groceries, the vodka-soaked nights at the bar in the Metropol, the ever-present KGB minder...
Frank and Simon were close as boys and followed similar career paths, Frank into the CIA, Simon into the State Department. But was Frank using his brother, extracting valuable bits of information in casual conversation over their regular dinners? After Frank's betrayal and twelve years apart, the relationship between the brothers is tense but still intimate as Simon vacillates between trusting and being wary of his charming brother, and he is still drawn to Jo, with whom he had a brief dalliance before she met and married Frank. The fine supporting cast features a woman who once smuggled atomic secrets over a border in her hat, the lonely widow of a brilliant scientist, assorted Brits with assorted motives (including a couple of real-life spies), and Boris – the factotum who is always on hand and always listening.
Defectors is Kanon's eighth novel. The others are similarly satisfying, particularly his first, Los Alamos. It's a murder mystery with a compelling historical overlay as J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists in New Mexico race to develop the atomic bomb in the final days of World War II. There's no better way to lose sleep and absorb some modern history than a Joseph Kanon novel and Defectors may be his best yet.
May 21, 2017
Dangerous games with perilous consequences are played to perfection in Defectors. This story of an American CIA agent’s defection during the 1960s is both fascinating and engrossing.
In Moscow, the life Frank Weeks leads with his wife and Russian bodyguard Boris is not what I’d expected at all. There are unwritten rules that are never broken and he’s careful not to abuse these publicly, but as he wrote most of them for ‘The Service’ he knows how to shape them to his advantage on occasion.
What I found interesting was his sense of purpose within 'The Service', the difference he expects to make regardless of the cost of his own country. When he voluntarily defected he left his brother behind with people asking questions he couldn’t answer. Even though Frank and his wife are officially held captive by his values, they have adopted a stoic performance for anyone who may be watching, listening and reporting their movements.
Frank is a curious character. On one hand you’d think him cold-hearted, in fact learning some of his problem solving techniques you’d better believe he is, but when the strains of a personal tragedy affect his wife he is motivated to take extreme action, offering a small glimpse of his personality other than being stamped as nothing more than a traitor.
Cue an invitation for Simon, his publicist brother, to join him in Moscow to discuss the draft manuscript of Frank’s memoirs which will set the record straight once and for all. Given the nature of Frank’s position, being a notorious spy, I would have thought that more intimidating powers were likely to object, but he has permission to go public providing he preserve the identities any ‘active’ agents.
But even as we follow Frank and a suspicious Simon (complete with the very loyal Boris) around on their meticulously planned sightseeing excursions while something even greater than the memoir is brewing, you never truly get a vivid picture of Frank’s train of thought. There’s always that feeling that he's keeping something back that will never be shared until the end.
Adapting to changing circumstances and knowing the shadow of a Russian agent is never far away becomes natural, like breathing. Although it does takes Simon a little longer to adjust during his short stay. Simon’s principles may differ from his brother but a bond remains, where threats and complications are tackled with unflinching spontaneity.
Defectors emphasises the human perspective in a story of spies, lies, and family ties, where even the best laid plans can buckle under the weight of the wrong decision and the element of surprise is always two steps ahead. I was impressed by the speed at which the narrative hurtled along while a veiled authority determined the outcome of people's lives with frightening unpredictability.
(I’m grateful to Emma Finnigan and the publishers for providing a copy of this title and it’s my pleasure to provide an unbiased review.)
In Moscow, the life Frank Weeks leads with his wife and Russian bodyguard Boris is not what I’d expected at all. There are unwritten rules that are never broken and he’s careful not to abuse these publicly, but as he wrote most of them for ‘The Service’ he knows how to shape them to his advantage on occasion.
What I found interesting was his sense of purpose within 'The Service', the difference he expects to make regardless of the cost of his own country. When he voluntarily defected he left his brother behind with people asking questions he couldn’t answer. Even though Frank and his wife are officially held captive by his values, they have adopted a stoic performance for anyone who may be watching, listening and reporting their movements.
Frank is a curious character. On one hand you’d think him cold-hearted, in fact learning some of his problem solving techniques you’d better believe he is, but when the strains of a personal tragedy affect his wife he is motivated to take extreme action, offering a small glimpse of his personality other than being stamped as nothing more than a traitor.
Cue an invitation for Simon, his publicist brother, to join him in Moscow to discuss the draft manuscript of Frank’s memoirs which will set the record straight once and for all. Given the nature of Frank’s position, being a notorious spy, I would have thought that more intimidating powers were likely to object, but he has permission to go public providing he preserve the identities any ‘active’ agents.
But even as we follow Frank and a suspicious Simon (complete with the very loyal Boris) around on their meticulously planned sightseeing excursions while something even greater than the memoir is brewing, you never truly get a vivid picture of Frank’s train of thought. There’s always that feeling that he's keeping something back that will never be shared until the end.
Adapting to changing circumstances and knowing the shadow of a Russian agent is never far away becomes natural, like breathing. Although it does takes Simon a little longer to adjust during his short stay. Simon’s principles may differ from his brother but a bond remains, where threats and complications are tackled with unflinching spontaneity.
Defectors emphasises the human perspective in a story of spies, lies, and family ties, where even the best laid plans can buckle under the weight of the wrong decision and the element of surprise is always two steps ahead. I was impressed by the speed at which the narrative hurtled along while a veiled authority determined the outcome of people's lives with frightening unpredictability.
(I’m grateful to Emma Finnigan and the publishers for providing a copy of this title and it’s my pleasure to provide an unbiased review.)
July 7, 2017
I think someone should buy the rights on this one soon and write a screenplay, because it's that good. The intelligence professionals from the U.S. and UK who disappeared and suddenly reappeared in the USSR during the Cold War is an interesting topic, and I think Kanon as usual has done a good job of revisiting it and injecting some high drama when he does so. He also brings in historical figures at the periphery of the narrative (e.g., "[J. Edgar] Hoover has it coming. He hasn't done a damn thing since he was swinging his hatchet at whiskey barrels. Just stamp his feet to see how fast people run away. And some blackmail on the side.") and plenty of historical material to bring the reader back to 1961 and the tension that followed the Francis Gary Powers trial. There is also underlying family friction (it's hard to derive which of the two brothers is the main protagonist) and lurking violent danger to keep the reader interested. My own first view of Russia was out a jet window from the final approach into St. Petersburg (1991, right after the city's name changed again) and Kanon's description of that experience tells me that he has also done so, because it's spot-on: "Rows of concrete apartment blocks, already cracked and stained with damp. Then pine trees and allotments. The farther they got from Leningrad, the poorer the countryside, sagging wooden farmhouses and muddy ditches, the same land he'd seen from the plane, open to tanks." It is these subtle but absolutely accurate details that display that not only has he researched the events he describes, but has likely gone to his settings to experience the human and cultural terrain. You could say the rub is in the dialog in Chapter 2: "'And here we are. In Yermolaevsky Street. Getting plastered. Apologizing.'"; but this novel is more than that. It is certainly about confession, but also loyalty, and wrestling with the consequences of one's past actions. Kanon's references to World War Two and the U-2 incident testify to that. Yet "Defectors" also dives into the flaws in people and the systems they serve, and I think Kanon has effectively reminded the reader that you can't confine that topic to the Soviet Union on the cusp of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Wholeheartedly recommend.
March 28, 2017
Defectors by Joseph Kanon- This is cold war story set in the late fifties/early sixties, about two brothers with a history of spying. Simon, who served with the OSS along side his brother during World War Two, and Frank, who caught the revolutionary spirit of Communism and defected to Russia, taking lives and secrets with him. Now. after twelve years, Simon is head of a small publishing house in New York, and Frank is a Colonel in the KGB. Frank is writing his memoirs and entices Simon to come to Russia under Nikita Khrushchev, to formulate a book deal. But old habits die hard and once in the shady bleak haunts of Moscow, Simon finds himself enlisted in a dubious scheme that scares him as much as intrigues him. Is Frank up to his tricks again? Can they possibly get away with it? The story is occupied buy a mixed casting of defectors, their minders, and the people they have hurt in the process. Excellent character development make everything realistic and gut-wrenching, when things start going off the rails. An intense read that always keeps you guessing. Not Le Carre', but close, and very enjoyable.
November 7, 2018
4.5 stars from 5
This Russian spy story is cleverly conceived and expertly conveyed to allow the reader to imagine the circumstances leading to brotherly deceptions. From the start of the book I was focused on the relationship of the two brothers rather than the ideological differences.
On the one hand, the older American brother defected to Russia in 1949 and now serves as officer in the KGB and has written a book the Service approves of. The younger brother had to establish himself away from his previous work for the state department and manages to succeed as a book publisher. Thus the opening of the game. This is Russia in 1961... CIA vs KGB. Believable events paced with the right amount of tension keeps you reading to the end.
Very compelling read, my first of this author's work. I am going to try to recommend this to my brother, a former spy whose Russian is impeccable. Whoops. He uses his real name on this site, so I guess I will have to notify him by email.
Library Loan
This Russian spy story is cleverly conceived and expertly conveyed to allow the reader to imagine the circumstances leading to brotherly deceptions. From the start of the book I was focused on the relationship of the two brothers rather than the ideological differences.
On the one hand, the older American brother defected to Russia in 1949 and now serves as officer in the KGB and has written a book the Service approves of. The younger brother had to establish himself away from his previous work for the state department and manages to succeed as a book publisher. Thus the opening of the game. This is Russia in 1961... CIA vs KGB. Believable events paced with the right amount of tension keeps you reading to the end.
Very compelling read, my first of this author's work. I am going to try to recommend this to my brother, a former spy whose Russian is impeccable. Whoops. He uses his real name on this site, so I guess I will have to notify him by email.
Library Loan
February 26, 2019
Kanon has done a commendable job in bringing Soviet Russia to life. The stifling atmosphere is palpable throughout and the descriptions of people and places are spot on.
Unfortunately, that‘s where my praise for this book comes to an end. The story is dull, confusing and mostly made up of interminable dialogue in a style which is irritating. There are very few conjunctions. Just very short, abrupt sentences, one after the other.
I found reading this to be a chore and I should have just dropped it but I kept hoping it would pick up at some point. It did, ever so slightly, towards the end but nothing to write home about. I‘m just relieved it‘s over now.
Unfortunately, that‘s where my praise for this book comes to an end. The story is dull, confusing and mostly made up of interminable dialogue in a style which is irritating. There are very few conjunctions. Just very short, abrupt sentences, one after the other.
I found reading this to be a chore and I should have just dropped it but I kept hoping it would pick up at some point. It did, ever so slightly, towards the end but nothing to write home about. I‘m just relieved it‘s over now.
June 22, 2017
My review of the book is now an online exclusive for Mystery Scene magazine. You can check it out here: http://www.mysteryscenemag.com/62-rev...
June 21, 2017
The Russia of Joseph Kanon's Defectors (Atria, digital galley via NetGalley) is the Soviet Union circa 1961, gray and grim as the Cold War. Even the Party faithful have to wait in long lines for food and depend on the black market for basic amenities. Simon Weeks has often wondered why his older brother Frank, a CIA golden boy, chose to defect in 1949. Was it money, ideology, gamesmanship? Now Frank has written his KGB-approved memoirs and asks Simon, who became a publisher after his brother's defection ended his State Department career, to edit the manuscript. Simon discovers his brother is as charming and wily as ever, even though he is accompanied everywhere by a minder, and the restricted, isolated lifestyle has turned his beautiful wife Joanna into an alcoholic. They consort only with other defectors, from famous figures like Guy Burgess to anonymous research scientists. A recent death in the group is presumed a suicide. When Frank begins to show his hand, Simon senses something is up and must fall back on old tradecraft. Betrayal is in the air, murder in a cathedral.
Kanon, who has written spy thrillers set in Istanbul, Berlin and Los Alamos, is at the top of his game. Defectors offers suspense and atmosphere galore, but it also explores the perplexing nature of a double agent, as well as enduring questions of loyalty to family and country. A timely tale.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever
Kanon, who has written spy thrillers set in Istanbul, Berlin and Los Alamos, is at the top of his game. Defectors offers suspense and atmosphere galore, but it also explores the perplexing nature of a double agent, as well as enduring questions of loyalty to family and country. A timely tale.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever
October 17, 2017
This was, indeed, a fascinating view of life behind the Iron Curtain for Western agents for the Soviets who defected (voluntarily or involuntarily) to the Soviet Union. I have a great fascination for the Cold War, but have never read about this small subset of westerners living out their lives behind the Iron Curtain. They had more privileges than most citizens, but the surveillance never, ever stopped.
At this point in time, I seldom read spy stories, but I do think this is an excellent example of that genre. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the writing style is different, but I think it was a perfect way to tell this story. Since the writing style contains many short sentences - like we all actually speak - this would be a good book to listen to.
At this point in time, I seldom read spy stories, but I do think this is an excellent example of that genre. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the writing style is different, but I think it was a perfect way to tell this story. Since the writing style contains many short sentences - like we all actually speak - this would be a good book to listen to.
September 2, 2020
A book editor visits his brother in 1961 Moscow to edit his memoirs of defecting to the Soviet Union. As one might imagine in a story centered around a double agent, there's cat-n-mousing galore, with a murder or two, lots of vodka based alcoholism, and no good options in the end. It has the standard types of the genre. The American CIA are cowboys. The Russians are taciturn. The agents are amoral and ruthless.
For a boy who knows very little of Moscow, it was amusing to run across a scene in the Metropol Hotel having recently read A Gentleman in Moscow. I imagine it is similar to a Muscovite being amused that two books reference the Empire State Building.
For a boy who knows very little of Moscow, it was amusing to run across a scene in the Metropol Hotel having recently read A Gentleman in Moscow. I imagine it is similar to a Muscovite being amused that two books reference the Empire State Building.
July 23, 2017
Held my interest, and of interest as it explored and illuminated what U.S. defectors to Russia mindsets may have been like, and explains their possible motives. Book takes place in same era as Burgess and McLean defections to Russia. Our subject defector takes his wife and small son with him. The son dies of illness, and poor wife is left at wit's end but loyal to her husband. Suspense and mystery at the end, and I must admit a surprise ending, but does not quite reach the pitch it might have.
October 20, 2022
I must confess, having read the first 30 or so pages of this book I realised I had read it before. I continued reading because there was so much about it that I couldn’t remember (says more about me than the author) and also, I think of Joseph Kanon as a writer I particularly enjoy.
This, like many of Kanon’s books, is a well-crafted, intelligent spy thriller set in the cold war era.
We are introduced to Simon who is a publisher and has, in 1961, been invited to travel to the Soviet Union to edit the memoir of a former US citizen who defected in 1949. The interesting twist is that the memoir has been written by his brother. Simon is simultaneously looking forward to seeing his brother – the defector- to whom he was once close, to understand something about his motivations and life, but he is also very suspicious of why he has been invited and what he might find. Of course, he also wants to know why his brother chose to betray his country.
Kanon keeps the tension high through much of the book and his depiction of the atmosphere in Moscow is fabulous and entirely credible to me. Simon meets an extraordinary cast of characters though most seem to be either spies or defectors and some are drawn from real life.
This is an excellent book and well worth an unexpected second read.
This, like many of Kanon’s books, is a well-crafted, intelligent spy thriller set in the cold war era.
We are introduced to Simon who is a publisher and has, in 1961, been invited to travel to the Soviet Union to edit the memoir of a former US citizen who defected in 1949. The interesting twist is that the memoir has been written by his brother. Simon is simultaneously looking forward to seeing his brother – the defector- to whom he was once close, to understand something about his motivations and life, but he is also very suspicious of why he has been invited and what he might find. Of course, he also wants to know why his brother chose to betray his country.
Kanon keeps the tension high through much of the book and his depiction of the atmosphere in Moscow is fabulous and entirely credible to me. Simon meets an extraordinary cast of characters though most seem to be either spies or defectors and some are drawn from real life.
This is an excellent book and well worth an unexpected second read.
June 5, 2024
I expected to like this more than I did. It’s loaded with spies and, especially, defectors. Set entirely in the USSR in about 1960, it gives a travelogue-like description of the life of a defector from the USA who has apparently become a model Soviet apparatchik, or has he, or hasn’t he. The story continues to the very last page.
I should have liked it a lot. My problem was that I found it too confusing. A spy story that’s too confusing? Go figure. Maybe it’s just me, I guess my brain’s not so sharp. In any case I plan to read a few more of the author’s works in the near future.
I should have liked it a lot. My problem was that I found it too confusing. A spy story that’s too confusing? Go figure. Maybe it’s just me, I guess my brain’s not so sharp. In any case I plan to read a few more of the author’s works in the near future.
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