I knew Henry Maxfield in the 1960s but never read this book until now. I enjoyed. Legacy of a Spy and was surprised by its relevancy to today's international political political world and it's similarity to today's generation of spy novels. Trains not planes, Volkswagons not the black SUVs, no computers and no AI to write the story. Just a man with a great background writing a story that may reflect some of his own experience.
I first read this novel many, many years ago -- my father swore he knew who the author personally in Germany after the war (Maxfield, I was told, is a pseudonym). I have a hard copy tucked away somewhere, but haven't seen it in years, so downloaded the Kindle edition on a whim. While some of the spy stuff would be considered quite quaint today, it still stands up as a suspenseful and intricate Cold War novel. Not sure whether this pre-dates Bond or if they would be contemporary, but I suspect if you love early Bond, you would love this novel.