The Defector

Davina Graham #1

by Evelyn Anthony

British Intelligence Service agent Davina Graham falls in love with the KGB defector she has been ordered to debrief in this cold war thriller
 
British operative Davina Graham’s life is her work. Her latest assignment is her most daunting. For the past five months, she’s been trying to gain the confidence of Ivan Sasanov—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with him. Sasanov, a top KGB agent who defected to America, has an Achilles He desperately misses the family he left behind in Russia. In exchange for information, his wife and daughter must be brought to England and given asylum. But the KGB is already on to him—he barely escapes an assassination attempt. And now his wife has been arrested. With Sasanov’s daughter, Irina, in imminent danger, Davina knows there’s only one way to save the family of the man she loves.
 
Shifting between multiple viewpoints, this complex Cold War thriller will keep readers guessing as a diabolical chess game of espionage and intrigue plays out on a global stage. For Sasanov, it means returning to the country he betrayed. For Davina, a vulnerable woman in a place where she is now the hunted, it means risking everything for a future she may not live to see.
 
The Defector is the 1st book in the Davina Graham Thrillers, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Espionage, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Stephens Ward-Thomas,

Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.

She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.

They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.

In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.

In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.

In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.

She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.

NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.

Additional information added from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Fiona Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you start reading a novel with mediocre expectations of a little romance and a dash of intrigue, its a lovely surprise when you're grabbed tightly and whisked away to exciting places with characters you've come to like and dislike with equal intensity.
5 stars, and happy to say I have the next 3 in the Davina Graham series lined up on my bedside table.

[Kent Babin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good spy story held back by extraneous detail and introspective. The first third or so of the book is a bit of a slog. Once you get through that, though, the alternating multi-perspective approach really works well. Makes me wish the whole book would've been like that.


I do question the KGB's decision to send Harrington back to the UK because they thought he was free from suspicion. Seems like it would've been a great place for the final twist.

[Josefina Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yazarin Davina Graham serisinin ilk kitabiymis bense sonrakilerden baslamistim yinede iyi oldu bunu okumam. Tipik casus gizli polis örgutleri oyunlar iki yuzlulukler buyuk ulkelerin kucuk oyunlari..

[Buffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My love for Cold War suspense novels runs deep. This novel, written in the year of my birth, is inspiring me to seek out more like these. Good thing this is the first in series. I can indulge in my mid-20th century espionage fixation from the comfort of my warm, comfortable, American home all winter long—and no doubt comment again to my husband that I’m glad I am not a spy trying to infiltrate 1980’s USSR without a smart phone.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nicely written Cold War novel. A Russian defector, a mole in the British Secret Service, a female British agent, double cross, romance, intrigue, adventure - everything one could want in a spy thriller.

[Shelley C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book 30 or 40 years ago when it first was new. I’m not sure how I found it then but at the time I was reading a good deal of espionage books. I find myself going back in that direction and I have read the first two books in the Davina Graham series. The only thing I remember about the second book is that I won’t tell you what it is cause you probably know. I’ll be interested to read the third book. The thing about reading this book the second time was that as soon as I started to read the book I remembered who the mole was. I didn’t remember that the defector found the mole, but there was enough suspicion between the two characters who were involved in the case that I kept wondering did I pick the right one? I had read the book and I knew who the right one was and I still wondered if I had chosen correctly. In some ways she does a very good job of this book and then some ways it’s a little what’s the word thin. The plot gets thin sometimes. Now I understand because I’ve written a few novels myself that sometimes you have to fill in gaps. Sometimes I was just left shaking my head at some of the things she came up with to explain other things. I thought some of the scenes between Davina and the defector were a little sentimental, but at the same time, I thought she did a very good job of expressing his emotion and his thoughts about leaving his country. He had to have some sympathy for him, but then it sometimes she lets you just despise him only because of how he interact with Davina not because he’s a cruel person. I know it’s been 40 years since I read the book because during some of the dialogues I kept thinking you’re the one who decided to do this. Why are you taking it out on her but I could understand at the same time. I don’t remember having those thoughts 40 years ago when I read the book. I can tell that I have obtained some knowledge between that time and this because I recognized the names of people I also recognize events that were happening at the time and I don’t know how much of it she made up because Russian history of the 80s is not my entire forte but that can change. If I read the book again a third time I might be able to identify more names. The ironic thing is what made me read this book is that I am currently reading the Oleg Gordievsky story and it’s drawn me back to those days when I used to read espionage novels. Is it completely different story but it seems as if some of those emotions that were in gendered by the defection could be similar. I guess it just shows that I’ve done some thinking since 1981 or so. Anyway, now thank you my dear. I’m back on an espionage kick. I picked up Evelyn Anthony’s third book because I don’t know who ordered the execution. But I will. I’m not ready to read this quite yet. I need to take a break for my espionage pursuits. I have many many more books to read and thank God other things to give me a break. Now, if I can just read the Gordievsky story without putting it down every two chapters I might finish that book this year. :-) That’s a whole other story and I’ll tell it when I review the book. Smiley in the meantime, if you like sentimentality and a good thriller, this just might be the thing that you will enjoy. I gave it a three star rating because of some of the thinness of the plot but overall it’s a good read. :-)

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

My spouse got this out of the library as an e-book in preparation for an extended trip overseas, and it was a good choice--not too terrible when it comes to excessive violence and a Soviet era story that properly portrays Russians in a way that is very much how they appear now, decades later. Davina is a spy and her family has not idea. She gets involved with one of her assets and in a series of unfortunate events, she ends up going under cover. It is also a book where it is not a 100% success, which seems to me to be all together more realistic, and I will read the next one (there are only 4, which is the major downside).

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 ish. Ok but farfetched; the plot felt forced and the ending was pretty terrible as far as how everything went down in the end. I couldn't find it in myself to care about the MC's out of character/idiotic romance. I did really feel for the daughter in the story but she drops out of the book toward the very end and doesn't show up again so the readers can find out how she's doing.

Really don't see how MC's boss could have let her go into Russia without speaking a word of the language on a sensitive covert operation either.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

The Cold War is nearing its end and the spy vs spy game becomes more and more complicated. This one was a little slow to get into, eventually it gets moving to a satisfying conclusion.

[Sarah Rickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even Better the Second Time!

I read The Defector many years ago and loved it then. It most certainly holds your attention. It was if anything better the second time. I had forgotten much of the story, but it all came back “in spades!”

[Sally Spoelstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Defector

Fascinating story. Not only did it hold my attention, but I genuinely cared about the characters. The good characters, that is! This is. It a genre I usually read. Something about the summary drew me in and I’m glad it did.

[Jonno · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Cold War spy thrillers I’ve read! It seems as relevant today as ever. Evelyn Anthony wrote a fantastic story full of twists, interesting characters and edge of your seat excitement. I’m looking forward to reading another!

[Noni Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good spy story! 4+ stars.

[Libtechgurugoddess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wimpy heroine, grow a backbone!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not stop reading and finished it in two days. Not great literature, obviously, but exciting, well-written, and huge fun. Cannot wait to get to the next in the series!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well drafted plot but the characters, other than the main protagenists, seemed wooden. one reviewer called in a workmanlike thriller and I agree.

[Laura Rose Gatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoy Evelyn Anthony's books. This one was particularly enjoyable. She is knowledgeable about many topics.

[Bent Andreassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evelyn Anthony is a good and clever author.

[Susan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a change and enjoyed reading it. there are 3 more books in te Davina graham series I will definetly read them.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the writing flat and the character development thin. There wasn’t anything in the first 100 pages that hooked me. The “why should we care about this” was missing for me.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what the could have been.

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a few goes to get really started. Once I got used to the pace and writing style though, I couldn’t stop. These are real proper spy stories and I got completely sucked in! Great start to this series!

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author can be a little long-winded at times, but I’m really enjoying this little-known 1980s spy series.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Albatross back in the 1980s when it was first published. At the time I had no idea it was the third book in this sequence. Mercifully I have only vague memories of the characters or story, so I’m starting fresh.

The Defector is a terrific cold war thriller. This is Anthony at her most polished.the story worked then, and it works now. Most of the characters are interesting, the setting is believable, and the pace is largely breathless in the second half.

This is a terrific espionage story.

[Cynthia Catts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and decided it was time to revisit it. It held up really well, especially with Putin in charge. As a former head of KGB, some of the scenes in this book could still be happening today. Loved it just as much this time around, as when I first read it in the early '80's.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like spy novels, Evelyn Anthony is great. Her books are entertaining quick-reads.

[Pat]

I love the Davina Graham series!

[Jackie Simons]

Read 3/99

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thousands of unread books in this house and a chance remark by Misfit has me hunting down Evelyn Anthony from the library...

[Nancy Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this spy story in the 1980's. I loved it then and loved it now. Fortunately I was able to find the sequel.