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Discipline Files #2
How to Betray Your Country
Things are looking bad for disgraced spy August Drummond. In emotional free fall after the death of his wife, fired for a series of unprecedented security breaches that saw him labelled a traitor...and now his neighbour on the flight to Istanbul won’t stop talking.
The only thing keeping him sane is the hunch that there’s something not quite right about the nervous young man several rows ahead - a hunch that is confirmed when August watches him throw away directions to an old European cemetery seconds before being detained by Turkish police. And when a reckless August decides to go in his place, little does he know that he is setting in motion a series of events that will test his ingenuity and resourcefulness to the limit, and bring him face to face with a terrifying figure from the dark heart of the Islamic State.
The second novel in a trilogy about loyalty and betrayal in the modern age, How to Betray Your Country is an authentic thriller about walking the line between following your conscience and following orders.
The only thing keeping him sane is the hunch that there’s something not quite right about the nervous young man several rows ahead - a hunch that is confirmed when August watches him throw away directions to an old European cemetery seconds before being detained by Turkish police. And when a reckless August decides to go in his place, little does he know that he is setting in motion a series of events that will test his ingenuity and resourcefulness to the limit, and bring him face to face with a terrifying figure from the dark heart of the Islamic State.
The second novel in a trilogy about loyalty and betrayal in the modern age, How to Betray Your Country is an authentic thriller about walking the line between following your conscience and following orders.
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2021
59 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
James Wolff
4 books47 followersJames Wolff grew up in Beirut and has lived in Damascus, Cairo and Istanbul. He worked as a British intelligence officer for over ten years.
His first novel, Beside the Syrian Sea (2018), was a Times Thriller of the Month and an Evening Standard Book of the Year. Upon publication of Wolff's second novel, How to Betray Your Country (2021), the Spectator described him as 'a major talent'. The New York Times called his third novel, The Man in the Corduroy Suit (2023), evidence of 'a memorable voice in the genre'.
His new novel, Spies and Other Gods, will be published in February 2026.
His first novel, Beside the Syrian Sea (2018), was a Times Thriller of the Month and an Evening Standard Book of the Year. Upon publication of Wolff's second novel, How to Betray Your Country (2021), the Spectator described him as 'a major talent'. The New York Times called his third novel, The Man in the Corduroy Suit (2023), evidence of 'a memorable voice in the genre'.
His new novel, Spies and Other Gods, will be published in February 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 29, 2021
I read the first book in this spy series, Beside the Syrian Sea, just over 2 years ago. I found the first half of that book quite slow and then raced through the second half. Exactly the same thing happened with this one. The novel is divided into 4 parts, and after a week spent reading Part 1 (which takes up more than half the text) I read the rest in a single evening. It seems this author’s style involves a relatively slow build up to an exciting denouement.
Although this is being described as the second book in a series, it’s largely a standalone novel. There are a few references to the events and the main character of the first book which would be meaningless if you hadn’t read it, but they are tangential to the main story here.
The previous book was set in Lebanon and this one is set in Istanbul. The main character, August Drummond, is an ex-British intelligence agent who has gone to pieces after the death of his wife. He is a dirty and dishevelled alcoholic with an I-don’t-care-about-anything-anymore attitude to life and in the early part of the book is quite a hard guy to like. He gets a job with a British company in Istanbul after faking a reference from his previous employers in the Security Service. The narrative set in Istanbul is interspersed with one about his previous career. I had to smile at one scene where Drummond’s conduct is examined at a disciplinary hearing that follows the same format as that used by my own employer. I’m glad to say none that I’ve been present at have been as chaotic as the one described in this book!
I write my “reviews” straight after finishing a book, so invariably they record my immediate impressions. Books will then either grow or diminish in my memory and Beside the Syrian Sea was one in the former category. I’m hoping this one will do the same. For now, 3.5 stars rounded up.
Although this is being described as the second book in a series, it’s largely a standalone novel. There are a few references to the events and the main character of the first book which would be meaningless if you hadn’t read it, but they are tangential to the main story here.
The previous book was set in Lebanon and this one is set in Istanbul. The main character, August Drummond, is an ex-British intelligence agent who has gone to pieces after the death of his wife. He is a dirty and dishevelled alcoholic with an I-don’t-care-about-anything-anymore attitude to life and in the early part of the book is quite a hard guy to like. He gets a job with a British company in Istanbul after faking a reference from his previous employers in the Security Service. The narrative set in Istanbul is interspersed with one about his previous career. I had to smile at one scene where Drummond’s conduct is examined at a disciplinary hearing that follows the same format as that used by my own employer. I’m glad to say none that I’ve been present at have been as chaotic as the one described in this book!
I write my “reviews” straight after finishing a book, so invariably they record my immediate impressions. Books will then either grow or diminish in my memory and Beside the Syrian Sea was one in the former category. I’m hoping this one will do the same. For now, 3.5 stars rounded up.
May 11, 2021
I loved this book -- but it was an odd experience for me, having been unable to finish By the Syrian Sea, the first book in this author's quasi-trilogy. How to Betray Your Country, however, hooked me fairly early with August Drummond, a disgraced former spy, who --grieving, depressed and self-medicating with alcohol -- behaves as if there is nothing left to lose.
James Woolff is very good with characters of all stripes, from fatuous, clueless upper-class co-workers to desperate refugees. This isn't a spy novel so much as it's a book about how spying damages people --its practitioners and targets alike.
This story is intelligent and sensitive yet gritty and horrifying. It is saved by flashes of grim humor. Now to go back and take another stab at By the Syrian Sea.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bitter Lemon Press for an advance readers copy.
James Woolff is very good with characters of all stripes, from fatuous, clueless upper-class co-workers to desperate refugees. This isn't a spy novel so much as it's a book about how spying damages people --its practitioners and targets alike.
This story is intelligent and sensitive yet gritty and horrifying. It is saved by flashes of grim humor. Now to go back and take another stab at By the Syrian Sea.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bitter Lemon Press for an advance readers copy.
April 12, 2022
I have to admit that the combo of title and publisher sucked me into picking this up without doing my usual due diligence. Had I done so, I would have realized this book functions as a sequel to the author's previous book, "Beside the Syrian Sea." This book opens with ex-MI5 agent August Drummond on a flight to Turkey, where he has taken a job with a British NGO with vague aims to provide some kind of media platform for Syrian opposition elements. Not that Drummond has any interest in this, he's just seeking some kind of escape and distraction from the grief of his wife's death, as he slides deeper into bottles of booze and pills. However, on the flight to Turkey, a passenger a few rows ahead of him catches his attention, and on a whim, he plunges down the rabbithole of pretending to be a British jihadi seeking to cross the border to join the Islamic State.
But the book actually opens with a top secret memo related to something called "Inkwell" -- the first in a recurring series of inter-office memos and transcripts that are sprinkled throughout the book. With all their codenames and special offices ("Gatekeeping", etc.), these are a little obscure and hard to immediately connect to Drummond. Over the course of the book it becomes clearer that they relate to Drummond's backstory, and presumably, some (if not all) of the events from the previous book. Between these and the various shell games being played out on the streets of Istanbul between Drummond, an Islamic State agent, a desperate schlub Syrian with a Playboy bunny tie, Drummond's smarmy former colleague, and Turkish intelligence, the reader can be left a bit uncertain of where they stand.
Personally, I found it quite engaging and refreshing -- a spy novel in which the hero is both highly skilled and intelligent, but also prone to massive errors in judgement. There's also a certain amount of sly and sarcastic dark humor underneath it all. The tone reminds me quite a bit of Mick Herron's "Slow Horses" series, if not quite as colorful or action-packed. I will definitely be watching for the next book and might even go back and read the first, although it's somewhat spoiled for having read this.
But the book actually opens with a top secret memo related to something called "Inkwell" -- the first in a recurring series of inter-office memos and transcripts that are sprinkled throughout the book. With all their codenames and special offices ("Gatekeeping", etc.), these are a little obscure and hard to immediately connect to Drummond. Over the course of the book it becomes clearer that they relate to Drummond's backstory, and presumably, some (if not all) of the events from the previous book. Between these and the various shell games being played out on the streets of Istanbul between Drummond, an Islamic State agent, a desperate schlub Syrian with a Playboy bunny tie, Drummond's smarmy former colleague, and Turkish intelligence, the reader can be left a bit uncertain of where they stand.
Personally, I found it quite engaging and refreshing -- a spy novel in which the hero is both highly skilled and intelligent, but also prone to massive errors in judgement. There's also a certain amount of sly and sarcastic dark humor underneath it all. The tone reminds me quite a bit of Mick Herron's "Slow Horses" series, if not quite as colorful or action-packed. I will definitely be watching for the next book and might even go back and read the first, although it's somewhat spoiled for having read this.
April 13, 2021
August Drummond is a disgraced British intelligence officer. He’s been drummed out of his job under suspicion of leaking information for moral purposes – information he felt the public or foreign law enforcement should know, and which his employers were keeping secret for their own bureaucratic reasons. He found his conscience after meeting an idealistic activist who he fell in love with, and who challenged his preconceptions. After her death in a traffic accident, and his being forced out of the service, Drummond has sunk into alcoholic despair. He’s taken a job in Turkey, and is on the flight there, when he sees a young man acting suspiciously. Guessing he’s an ISIS recruit on his way to fight in Syria, Drummond follows him when they land. The man is arrested by the Turkish police, but not before he dumps something in a bin. Drummond retrieves it and discovers a note detailing a rendezvous in a cemetery. He guesses the meeting to be with an ISIS facilitator/recruiter and on a whim decides to take the arrested man’s place. Needless to say, things aren’t all they seem, and soon August is out of his depth and in serious trouble.
How to Betray Your Country is the author’s second novel, following on from a brilliant debut, Beside The Syrian Sea. It’s a standalone really, in that the story doesn’t follow on from the tale the debut told, and while the main character and plot of the author’s debut is touched upon, this is a self-contained narrative that can be read on its own. That said, the author plans a third novel, and the trilogy is thematically related, and the novels certainly complement each other. They’re both extremely good books too, and I would recommend them both.
Like with the author’s debut, How to Betray Your Country centres around what happens when an intelligence officer acts against the system. The main character (as with the protagonist of his debut) is not a traitor turned by a foreign power or terrorist group but has his own reasons for his rebelliousness. Both novels do not portray the intelligence services in a good light, which is perhaps (or perhaps not) a surprise, seeing as the author is writing under a pseudonym and the publishers tell us he worked for the UK government for over ten years. Reading between the lines, it appears Wolff might well have worked for the intelligence services himself, and thus perhaps his negative portrayal might be more nearer the mark than the intelligence services themselves would care to admit.
Like Mick Herron’s Slough House series, James Wolff’s novels buck the trend of espionage novels, which tend to portray the intelligence services as all-powerful and their personnel as superhuman James Bonds. Instead, we have all too human people, many incompetent and/or venal, employed by clunking bureaucracies which are as keen to cover up their own errors as they are dangerous plots.
How to Betray Your Country is a brilliantly written novel and well worth a read. I would recommend the author’s debut as well and look forward to reading the third title in the trilogy whenever it might come.
How to Betray Your Country is the author’s second novel, following on from a brilliant debut, Beside The Syrian Sea. It’s a standalone really, in that the story doesn’t follow on from the tale the debut told, and while the main character and plot of the author’s debut is touched upon, this is a self-contained narrative that can be read on its own. That said, the author plans a third novel, and the trilogy is thematically related, and the novels certainly complement each other. They’re both extremely good books too, and I would recommend them both.
Like with the author’s debut, How to Betray Your Country centres around what happens when an intelligence officer acts against the system. The main character (as with the protagonist of his debut) is not a traitor turned by a foreign power or terrorist group but has his own reasons for his rebelliousness. Both novels do not portray the intelligence services in a good light, which is perhaps (or perhaps not) a surprise, seeing as the author is writing under a pseudonym and the publishers tell us he worked for the UK government for over ten years. Reading between the lines, it appears Wolff might well have worked for the intelligence services himself, and thus perhaps his negative portrayal might be more nearer the mark than the intelligence services themselves would care to admit.
Like Mick Herron’s Slough House series, James Wolff’s novels buck the trend of espionage novels, which tend to portray the intelligence services as all-powerful and their personnel as superhuman James Bonds. Instead, we have all too human people, many incompetent and/or venal, employed by clunking bureaucracies which are as keen to cover up their own errors as they are dangerous plots.
How to Betray Your Country is a brilliantly written novel and well worth a read. I would recommend the author’s debut as well and look forward to reading the third title in the trilogy whenever it might come.
March 21, 2021
‘𝑰𝒇 𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈’
How To Betray Your Country - James Wolff
August Drummond, disgraced spy, seems a pretty dysfunctional mess. He has lost his wife, been sacked from his job as a spy for treachery and he’s a drunk.
He is very slap dash, has a can’t be arsed attitude and is careering towards self destruction of some sort.
He has randomly taken a job in Turkey and on the plane over his spy skills kick in and he observes someone acting oddly. This stranger (34c) subsequently is arrested but not before he has left an address written down. August picks this up which leads him to a cemetery and so begins a series of events that get him embroiled in a shadowy IS murder plot of an Iranian scientist. He is in deep and cannot get out. August is forced into working again for the service by Larry who he got in a fight with and who knows nothing about August’s side mission with ‘the vizier’ but thinks he has August under control- this makes for some very humorous conversations.
This is a tightly plotted spy thriller with a bit of added humour which I liked. I especially enjoyed the characters of Youssef with his desperation and ‘try-hard’ Beatrice.
It is quite twisting, with flashbacks to his previous jobs, conversations with his wife which slowly unravel the reason why he was fired and why she died. There are documents from an investigation called Inkwell interspersed with the narrative which I found distracting at first but then found enhanced the story later and also made me laugh, the transcript of the interview when August gets fired is brilliant.
There are double crosses, treachery, rivalries and we are absorbed into the murky world of spying.
This is a slow burning spy thriller, which will also raise a smile.
✩✩✩✩
[AD-GIFTED]
I read this as part of a blog tour with Random Things Tours - Thank you
How To Betray Your Country - James Wolff
August Drummond, disgraced spy, seems a pretty dysfunctional mess. He has lost his wife, been sacked from his job as a spy for treachery and he’s a drunk.
He is very slap dash, has a can’t be arsed attitude and is careering towards self destruction of some sort.
He has randomly taken a job in Turkey and on the plane over his spy skills kick in and he observes someone acting oddly. This stranger (34c) subsequently is arrested but not before he has left an address written down. August picks this up which leads him to a cemetery and so begins a series of events that get him embroiled in a shadowy IS murder plot of an Iranian scientist. He is in deep and cannot get out. August is forced into working again for the service by Larry who he got in a fight with and who knows nothing about August’s side mission with ‘the vizier’ but thinks he has August under control- this makes for some very humorous conversations.
This is a tightly plotted spy thriller with a bit of added humour which I liked. I especially enjoyed the characters of Youssef with his desperation and ‘try-hard’ Beatrice.
It is quite twisting, with flashbacks to his previous jobs, conversations with his wife which slowly unravel the reason why he was fired and why she died. There are documents from an investigation called Inkwell interspersed with the narrative which I found distracting at first but then found enhanced the story later and also made me laugh, the transcript of the interview when August gets fired is brilliant.
There are double crosses, treachery, rivalries and we are absorbed into the murky world of spying.
This is a slow burning spy thriller, which will also raise a smile.
✩✩✩✩
[AD-GIFTED]
I read this as part of a blog tour with Random Things Tours - Thank you
April 21, 2021
How To Betray Your Country is the Follow up to Beside The Syrian Sea and is part of a loosely linked trilogy by James Wolff. The books read as standalones with completely different characters but are part of the same universe and a world being one that British Spies inhabit.
This book focuses on disgraced agent August Drummond, kicked out of the establishment for leaking sensitive information.
August is in a bad way, his wife lost her life tragically and now with no career, and drinking heavily he finds himself off to Istanbul to start a new job with a Government backed PR company. On the flight, whilst watching a sketchy passenger, August soon finds himself mixed up in a possible extremist plot.
This story by Wolff is so different from the usual spy thriller genre, in an exciting refreshing way. August is no superhero, he’s a broken man hanging onto existence by the skin of his teeth.
As the story unravels, this clever and intricately plotted thriller really comes alive, and is full of a cutting and scathing wit from Wolff, something noticeable in his writing, at times very serious yet with a savage humour.
Bureaucracy and incompetency weigh heavily in the pages of this withering and oft satirical portrayal of the uk intelligence service. There is no love lost in Wolff’s words.
Complex, layered, engrossing and gripping reading that lays bare the dark, brooding and treacherous world of espionage.
Slow burning, deviously crafted with a plot that’s razor sharp and whip smart, it’s Nothing short of outstanding and highly Recommended
5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This book focuses on disgraced agent August Drummond, kicked out of the establishment for leaking sensitive information.
August is in a bad way, his wife lost her life tragically and now with no career, and drinking heavily he finds himself off to Istanbul to start a new job with a Government backed PR company. On the flight, whilst watching a sketchy passenger, August soon finds himself mixed up in a possible extremist plot.
This story by Wolff is so different from the usual spy thriller genre, in an exciting refreshing way. August is no superhero, he’s a broken man hanging onto existence by the skin of his teeth.
As the story unravels, this clever and intricately plotted thriller really comes alive, and is full of a cutting and scathing wit from Wolff, something noticeable in his writing, at times very serious yet with a savage humour.
Bureaucracy and incompetency weigh heavily in the pages of this withering and oft satirical portrayal of the uk intelligence service. There is no love lost in Wolff’s words.
Complex, layered, engrossing and gripping reading that lays bare the dark, brooding and treacherous world of espionage.
Slow burning, deviously crafted with a plot that’s razor sharp and whip smart, it’s Nothing short of outstanding and highly Recommended
5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
January 2, 2025
With this second instalment of the series "Discipline Files", a pattern begins to surface: a former, possibly disgruntled, employee of HMG's Secret Service reaches his breaking point, henceforth he goes rogue and a disciplinary file is open (hence the series' title).
Then the rogue agent embarks in some kind of solo mission without a clear plan, tries to play opposite factions against each other just to find himself in the middle of cross fire, realising he's in well over his head until he looses completely control of the situation he put himself in.
This is the only common thread between the books, which can in fact be seen as standalone; the two protagonists cross path just briefly in the second book (and we have here a confirmation of the end of the previous book, which was left slightly blurred) but the stories are independent.
Jonas' breaking point in the first book was his father's kidnapping by ISIS, and that made him an interesting character and triggered a rather compelling story. August's breaking point in the present book is his wife' tragic and sudden demise; except that the story that ensue is in this case much less compelling and August is not a very interesting chap. The plot is actually quite confused, disjointed and meandering beyond implausibility.
Still, the narrative of the espionage world and the writing overall remain pretty good, and the finale is quite cathartic; this is good enough to get on with the third book.
Then the rogue agent embarks in some kind of solo mission without a clear plan, tries to play opposite factions against each other just to find himself in the middle of cross fire, realising he's in well over his head until he looses completely control of the situation he put himself in.
This is the only common thread between the books, which can in fact be seen as standalone; the two protagonists cross path just briefly in the second book (and we have here a confirmation of the end of the previous book, which was left slightly blurred) but the stories are independent.
Jonas' breaking point in the first book was his father's kidnapping by ISIS, and that made him an interesting character and triggered a rather compelling story. August's breaking point in the present book is his wife' tragic and sudden demise; except that the story that ensue is in this case much less compelling and August is not a very interesting chap. The plot is actually quite confused, disjointed and meandering beyond implausibility.
Still, the narrative of the espionage world and the writing overall remain pretty good, and the finale is quite cathartic; this is good enough to get on with the third book.
July 2, 2023
One of the better spy books that I have read in the last few years. The protagonist is a disillusioned former spy who somewhat inadvertently gets himself embroiled in an ISIS plot in Istanbul. Lots of interesting twists and turns related to the role of former Baathists in ISIS among other things and side characters including a Syrian refugee/hustler trying to reunite with his family. I liked the narrative device of telling parts of the story in the form of official memos. On to the third book.
August 7, 2021
Not a good time to read this - the main man is so tragic you know that it can only end in tragedy and I am not in the mood to read it. Shall wait until I’m happier.
June 1, 2021
August Drummond a divorced and unemployed is on a plane headed for Istanbul, Turkey—where he’s taken a job out of desperation. It’s beneath his intellect, skill set and talent. But it’s a paycheck . . . and a steady income is something he desperately needs. Mourning his wife Martha, Drummond has crawled into a whiskey bottle and taken a deep dive.
Drummond’s training and instincts kick in however, when he notices a passenger in seat 34c acting strangely. While the out of work ex-spy watches, the nervous young man in 34c—who looks like a British recruit to ISIS—secrets something in the book he’s been pretending to read. Minutes later, the plane lands and the passenger in 34c is arrested by Turkish Police and escorted off the plane. Intrigued, as well as halfway through a fifth of Gilbey’s gin he smuggled onto the Turkish Airways passenger jet, Drummond retrieves the man’s book and finds instructions for a clandestine rendezvous.
Whether from arrogance, boredom or just plain drunken bad judgment, Drummond follows the hand-written instructions to a midnight meeting in a deserted cemetery and presents himself as the man in 34c. He has no idea what he’s getting into, no backup from MI6, the British Intelligence Agency, and no plan for extricating himself from the insane danger he’s about to get himself into . . . which is of course, what makes this tightly plotted, action-driven and fascinating spy yarn so utterly compelling and irresistible. Wolf is a winner in the spy thriller genre, writing intricate, twisted and devilishly complex stories that grab the reader’s attention on page one and never ever lets go!
Drummond’s training and instincts kick in however, when he notices a passenger in seat 34c acting strangely. While the out of work ex-spy watches, the nervous young man in 34c—who looks like a British recruit to ISIS—secrets something in the book he’s been pretending to read. Minutes later, the plane lands and the passenger in 34c is arrested by Turkish Police and escorted off the plane. Intrigued, as well as halfway through a fifth of Gilbey’s gin he smuggled onto the Turkish Airways passenger jet, Drummond retrieves the man’s book and finds instructions for a clandestine rendezvous.
Whether from arrogance, boredom or just plain drunken bad judgment, Drummond follows the hand-written instructions to a midnight meeting in a deserted cemetery and presents himself as the man in 34c. He has no idea what he’s getting into, no backup from MI6, the British Intelligence Agency, and no plan for extricating himself from the insane danger he’s about to get himself into . . . which is of course, what makes this tightly plotted, action-driven and fascinating spy yarn so utterly compelling and irresistible. Wolf is a winner in the spy thriller genre, writing intricate, twisted and devilishly complex stories that grab the reader’s attention on page one and never ever lets go!
March 5, 2022
Perhaps Death Wish would have been a more appropriate title if it hadn't already been taken. August Drummond, secret agent, is consumed with grief for his dead partner who has awoken in him the spirit of rebellion she displayed as a human rights campaigner. The story is full of 'tradecraft' and briefing notes and this structure gives a seeming authenticity to the plot of an ISIS emir turned mercenary luring white radicals to the middle east then effectively selling them to his former paymaster. Drummond, while almost permanently drunk, remains remarkably lucid in his thought processes and it is here I found it all a bit of a stretch, but the only real plot issues I could find were the emir's trust in visiting the 'safe-house' on Drummonds request; It didn't sit quite right with the caution the emir had shown up to that point, and the other was Youssef turning up to save Drummond while the emir was conveniently somewhere else. Those moments apart this was a refreshingly different and the unfolding take down of Drummond's work nemesis, Lawrence, allowed for some amusing observations on character.
April 14, 2021
The synopsis for this book is a good length so it does go into depth. This is the second book in the trilogy, and I do think I would have benefited from reading the first book. The first book would have given me an idea of what happened to August Drummond and what caused his decline. It is however mentioned in this second book.
This is a story that is slower-paced than I am used to with a spy thriller style. I found this novel to be a spy thriller but it is more about looking at what's happening with August. So, while he is working and trying to discover plots the reader also joins him in his psychological journey.
August is a man who is very definitely struggling with grief, he has problems with his drinking and his general appearance. The author has portrayed him as a very sad and lonely person who is just hanging in there, trying to do his job and who is really on the edge. He is a character who I really felt for as he struggles with life and keeping in the loop with his work.
For me, this was more about August rather than the spy and espionage part, although that was very good indeed. It is a story that at first had me confused as I tried to work out the basics and then to get my head around the plot that is constantly evolving, I do feel for poor August in this respect!
Even though I did take longer reading this, I was so glad I persevered as things gradually started to come together, I found myself caring about what happened to August and also one of the other characters, Yousef. There are two different styles to this story, one is the story itself and the other is a series of reports and documents. These threw me initially and it was further into the story where I started to realise the significance of them.
This is a book that does fall into the spy thriller genre, its slower pace and the psychological side may throw readers if they are looking for a more general fast-paced story. I enjoyed this book and I did like the journey, it is one I would recommend.
This is a story that is slower-paced than I am used to with a spy thriller style. I found this novel to be a spy thriller but it is more about looking at what's happening with August. So, while he is working and trying to discover plots the reader also joins him in his psychological journey.
August is a man who is very definitely struggling with grief, he has problems with his drinking and his general appearance. The author has portrayed him as a very sad and lonely person who is just hanging in there, trying to do his job and who is really on the edge. He is a character who I really felt for as he struggles with life and keeping in the loop with his work.
For me, this was more about August rather than the spy and espionage part, although that was very good indeed. It is a story that at first had me confused as I tried to work out the basics and then to get my head around the plot that is constantly evolving, I do feel for poor August in this respect!
Even though I did take longer reading this, I was so glad I persevered as things gradually started to come together, I found myself caring about what happened to August and also one of the other characters, Yousef. There are two different styles to this story, one is the story itself and the other is a series of reports and documents. These threw me initially and it was further into the story where I started to realise the significance of them.
This is a book that does fall into the spy thriller genre, its slower pace and the psychological side may throw readers if they are looking for a more general fast-paced story. I enjoyed this book and I did like the journey, it is one I would recommend.
August 5, 2023
Really struggled to finish this one. The writing style is just not good. The story is so hard to untangle and while this guy is trying to be like LeCarre, he’s not.
The story of August Drummond is also very hard to follow. And it isn’t until the very end do you even figure out what’s happening. The beginning is very slow and the set up takes over half the book. But the second half just flies by. Unfortunately, I was hoping that this would build on the first book, but this is not a continuation of the first book and there’s very little mention of Jonah.
I’m struggling to recommend this series.
The story of August Drummond is also very hard to follow. And it isn’t until the very end do you even figure out what’s happening. The beginning is very slow and the set up takes over half the book. But the second half just flies by. Unfortunately, I was hoping that this would build on the first book, but this is not a continuation of the first book and there’s very little mention of Jonah.
I’m struggling to recommend this series.
August 16, 2021
3 1/2 stars for "How to Betray Your Country" by James Wolff. I think I'm a little at a disadvantage, not having read the first book in this series, which is why I'm going 3 1/2 instead of 3 stars. The first half to three-quarters of the book feels very disjointed. At times, I had difficulty figuring out who was speaking because the voices weren't very distinct and there weren't context clues to help my brain stay in the conversation. I thought the plot and twists were well done, but I didn't ever feel much for the main character.
May 3, 2021
I struggled a bit with the author's first book of this unrelated trilogy but this was good. After a slowburn simmering start it bursts into life and is well written, thoughtful and intelligent.
It deals with moral dilemmas and how one deals with them but there s enough derring do to keep everyone happy too. Good characterisation to makes this a read to remember - and I might have another go at his first offering now.
It deals with moral dilemmas and how one deals with them but there s enough derring do to keep everyone happy too. Good characterisation to makes this a read to remember - and I might have another go at his first offering now.
November 8, 2023
Terrific read with credible characters and towering over them even if he is there by accident rather than design is Augustus Drummond not quite an anti-hero but he has many faults even if courage and wiliness are two of his qualities. Not quite the Istanbul either tourists would recall. Written with gusto and great wit too, nicely-balanced with the tragic back story and which continues through the book. Wolff this down you will not be disappointed.
July 19, 2021
Ambitious, frustrating, nuanced and crisply written. Confirms that the author is one to watch but doesn’t live up to his first novel. The fragmented narrative which I guess is supposed to reflect the protagonist’s breakdown makes for a slippery read. The plot and structure needed greater focus as this could have been a really good book.
August 26, 2023
I rounded up, again. I wanted to love this book, with an intriguing story that reminds me a bit of Len Deighten, but, instead, I just liked it. The plot features an ex spy who spots a man acting strangely and becomes embroiled in some intrique. Still, it was good enough that I will read the third/finalbook in the series...if my library has it.
January 3, 2024
This isn’t in my usual purview of genres but my very good friend recommended it to me. There’s a lot of “case files” and “background piecing” going on that makes the story drag on. If you can just skip all that, the story would be a lot more fluid. I appreciate the writing style. I think this book will have a great appeal with those who like spy mysteries with a political bent.
June 9, 2023
Very good spy novel - a beaten up British former secret agent in Turkey and stumbling onto a plot involving a Daesch agent. Nothing is what it seems and the whole book is witty. Fast paced and entertaining.
August 29, 2023
Of the James Wolff spy trilogy, this is the least readable. The plot is convoluted and confusing, the motivations unclear, the characters fuzzily drawn. Even so, it's better than much of the spy fiction out there.
Read
December 11, 2023I recommend this story. It has unusual plot turns and the troubles chasing the hero are not so much as the storyline as they are of his own making in the mourning of his wife and the alcohol he consumes. He is the agent writing his own downfall who manages to uncover espionage along the way.
December 22, 2023
This is a great one. Our protagonist loses his wife and a colleague makes some disparaging remarks about her in a meeting. He ko's the colleague, is investigated, demoted, and retires.
His wife was never fond of his spy job to begin with. He sets out for retribution.
A wonderful novel!
His wife was never fond of his spy job to begin with. He sets out for retribution.
A wonderful novel!
June 14, 2025
An interesting read, takes an interesting stance on morality and governments. Too many run on chapters. I liked the ending and there were some really well written parts, but it doesn’t seem like it was done with editing.
Read
January 30, 2022Dnf. Lost interest
Read
March 2, 2022Fun spy book, main character has a sad arc but I liked how everything wrapped up.
July 9, 2022
Eerste keer een spynovel dus even wennen. Maar voor zo'n type boek, vond ik het wel leuk. Bleef aandachtig lezen
September 22, 2023
As good as LeCarre.
November 10, 2024
It was fine. Decent spy novel, I just struggled to connect for some reason.
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