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Harry Maxim #1
The Secret Servant
Book by Lyall, Gavin
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
411 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Lyall
69 books31 followersGavin was born and educated in Birmingham. For two years he served as a RAF pilot before going up to Cambridge, where he edited Varsity, the university newspaper. After working for Picture Post, the Sunday Graphic and the BBC, he began his first novel, The Wrong Side of the Sky, published in 1961. After four years as Air Correspondent to the Sunday Times, he resigned to write books full time. He was married to the well-known journalist Katherine Whitehorn and they lived in London with their children.
Lyall won the British Crime Writers' Association's Silver Dagger award in both 1964 and 1965. In 1966-67 he was Chairman of the British Crime Writers Association. He was not a prolific author, attributing his slow pace to obsession with technical accuracy. According to a British newspaper, “he spent many nights in his kitchen at Primrose Hill, north London, experimenting to see if one could, in fact, cast bullets from lead melted in a saucepan, or whether the muzzle flash of a revolver fired across a saucer of petrol really would ignite a fire”.
He eventually published the results of his research in a series of pamphlets for the Crime Writers' Association in the 1970s. Lyall signed a contract in 1964 by the investments group Booker similar to one they had signed with Ian Fleming. In return for a lump payment of £25,000 and an annual salary, they and Lyall subsequently split his royalties, 51-49.
Up to the publication in 1975 of Judas Country, Lyall's work falls into two groups. The aviation thrillers (The Wrong Side Of The Sky, The Most Dangerous Game, Shooting Script, and Judas Country), and what might be called "Euro-thrillers" revolving around international crime in Europe (Midnight Plus One, Venus With Pistol, and Blame The Dead).
All these books were written in the first person, with a sardonic style reminiscent of the "hard-boiled private-eye" genre. Despite the commercial success of his work, Lyall began to feel that he was falling into a predictable pattern, and abandoned both his earlier genres, and the first-person narrative, for his “Harry Maxim" series of espionage thrillers beginning with The Secret Servant published in 1980. This book, originally developed for a proposed BBC TV Series, featured Major Harry Maxim, an SAS officer assigned as a security adviser to 10 Downing Street, and was followed by three sequels with the same central cast of characters.
In the 1990s Lyall changed literary direction once again, and wrote four semi-historical thrillers about the fledgling British secret service in the years leading up to World War I.
Gavin Lyall died of cancer in 2003.
Lyall won the British Crime Writers' Association's Silver Dagger award in both 1964 and 1965. In 1966-67 he was Chairman of the British Crime Writers Association. He was not a prolific author, attributing his slow pace to obsession with technical accuracy. According to a British newspaper, “he spent many nights in his kitchen at Primrose Hill, north London, experimenting to see if one could, in fact, cast bullets from lead melted in a saucepan, or whether the muzzle flash of a revolver fired across a saucer of petrol really would ignite a fire”.
He eventually published the results of his research in a series of pamphlets for the Crime Writers' Association in the 1970s. Lyall signed a contract in 1964 by the investments group Booker similar to one they had signed with Ian Fleming. In return for a lump payment of £25,000 and an annual salary, they and Lyall subsequently split his royalties, 51-49.
Up to the publication in 1975 of Judas Country, Lyall's work falls into two groups. The aviation thrillers (The Wrong Side Of The Sky, The Most Dangerous Game, Shooting Script, and Judas Country), and what might be called "Euro-thrillers" revolving around international crime in Europe (Midnight Plus One, Venus With Pistol, and Blame The Dead).
All these books were written in the first person, with a sardonic style reminiscent of the "hard-boiled private-eye" genre. Despite the commercial success of his work, Lyall began to feel that he was falling into a predictable pattern, and abandoned both his earlier genres, and the first-person narrative, for his “Harry Maxim" series of espionage thrillers beginning with The Secret Servant published in 1980. This book, originally developed for a proposed BBC TV Series, featured Major Harry Maxim, an SAS officer assigned as a security adviser to 10 Downing Street, and was followed by three sequels with the same central cast of characters.
In the 1990s Lyall changed literary direction once again, and wrote four semi-historical thrillers about the fledgling British secret service in the years leading up to World War I.
Gavin Lyall died of cancer in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 10, 2017
Gavin Lyall was one of the best of the post-war British thriller writers, and in my opinion he reached the height of his powers with the Major Maxim books in the eighties. This is the first of the series. The setup is that the British prime minister wants somebody anonymous and flexible to handle security problems at Number 10, accountable only to him and if necessary expendable. His minions bring in Harry Maxim, freshly widowed and just back from a tour with the crack SAS. Nobody is quite sure what Maxim is supposed to be doing until a crisis erupts involving the PM's new nuclear policy adviser, whose appointment sets off alarms on both sides of the Iron Curtain. When East bloc hit men show up gunning for a Czech defector who claims to know of a mole in MI5, Maxim does what he was trained to do, which creates more of a stir than the PM's people bargained for. The bodies mount up as Maxim goes off the radar and starts following the clues to find out what the big secret is that could sabotage British nuclear policy. What makes all the Maxim books entertaining is the tension between the hush-hush world of Maxim's bosses and his cut-to-the-chase approach to solving the problems they generate. Great action and suspense.
September 15, 2013
In less pages that it takes Tom Clancy to describe how Jack Ryan takes his coffee and the underlying social-economic implications of the coffee for right-wing America, Gavin Lyall spins a crisp, exciting tale of spies, counter-spies and human frailty that zips around Western Europe and taps back into elements of the Second World War. The Author, like many from his era, has an economic way with words that creates effective environments without leaving the reader gasping for description but definitely without insulting their intelligence by regurgitating Lonely Planet for each location in the story.
The story itself is credible and, in its time, contemporarily relevant; it introduces a range of interesting characters, most of whom are fairly drab (this IS the UK of the late 70s and early 80s), but who all contribute effectively to a fast-paced and exciting story that doesn't culminate until the last couple of pages. From some of the links on Goodreads I can see that this is the first of a few tales featuring Harry Maxim and I will be hunting the others down...
The story itself is credible and, in its time, contemporarily relevant; it introduces a range of interesting characters, most of whom are fairly drab (this IS the UK of the late 70s and early 80s), but who all contribute effectively to a fast-paced and exciting story that doesn't culminate until the last couple of pages. From some of the links on Goodreads I can see that this is the first of a few tales featuring Harry Maxim and I will be hunting the others down...
July 1, 2019
A brisk and efficient little thriller. Lyall often got mentioned in the same breath as Le Carre because both were writing 'spy stories', but while the latter might hold his head up alongside Conrad and Greene as a 'serious' novelist. Lyall was essentially an entertainer. This one moves briskly and effectively, with regular action scenes and a few nice asides. Maxim himself doesn't really come to life until later in the series (here he's a collection of traits and issues), but it's well-plotted and has a nicely grisly revelation about what happened in the desert forty years earlier. Read today, it's a period piece technologically and politically (Maxim waiting to use a public telephone made me nostalgic for the days when it was much easier to be incommunicado), but I learnt the Czech word for squirrel which will, I'm sure, come in handy one day. Perhaps if I'm involved in complex rodent-related espionage with the notorious 'Secret Squirrel'?
June 23, 2015
Espionage at its most grittiest, visceral and uncertain... Lyall was a master and this is a forgotten gem of the genre
November 28, 2021
The Secret Servant marked a new era in Lyall's writing; from his adventure thrillers to a Le Carre-type spy-ish thriller. And it worked well with this first book in his Major Maxim series. There are more ethical gray spaces than his earlier novels had, and the plot is driven by a Cold War-era Soviet Union as bad guy storyline. It has Lyall's usual brilliant dialogue, and the tale's main twist is surprising and amazingly simple.
May 25, 2018
I was first drawn into these novels and this world by a young Charles Dance as the soldier newly attached to Number Ten BBC series "The Secret Servant" in the 1980s. From then onwards I could only see Dance as Harry Maxim and eagerly awaited each new book from Gavin Lyall.
Major Harry Maxim is a Prime Ministerial appointment, somewhat resented by the Civil Service, finding himself an unwilling "desk soldier" combined with general trouble- shooter. The problem is that trouble and shooting seem to be involved rather too often where Maxim is concerned, for Agnes Algar of MI5 and her seniors in the corridors of power. His new mentor George Harbinger generally hopes to dissolve most problems in whisky, but is occasionally stirred to action providing support for Harry.
Seemingly random events occur, such as a grenade hurled through the front door of Number Ten, a love-struck Wing-Commander MP harbouring a beautiful Soviet agent, the suicide of a mid-ranking Civil Servant and the possibility of a "mole" in the Security Services. All of which begin to be linked to the recent government appointment of a dissolute Cambridge professor to head up and explain the new unilateral British nuclear policy to the rest of Europe - and Maxim is appointed his watchdog.
Now deemed an expert in the theory of warfare and one-time hero of a younger Harry, Professor Tyler's self-willed behaviour threatens to disrupt British defensive and foreign policy and may hide a deeply buried secret. A mystery letter traced to Ireland sparks more action when Maxim finds himself up against the KGB.
Possibly rather confusing at first, the novel spreads out and gains confidence as we get to know the horrified reactions and murky methods of the Whitehall mandarins, and the trusty alliance between Harry, George and Agnes strengthens. Gavin Lyall's first foray into combining thriller with the world of espionage and Whitehall politics was a witty, well plotted and resounding success.
Major Harry Maxim is a Prime Ministerial appointment, somewhat resented by the Civil Service, finding himself an unwilling "desk soldier" combined with general trouble- shooter. The problem is that trouble and shooting seem to be involved rather too often where Maxim is concerned, for Agnes Algar of MI5 and her seniors in the corridors of power. His new mentor George Harbinger generally hopes to dissolve most problems in whisky, but is occasionally stirred to action providing support for Harry.
Seemingly random events occur, such as a grenade hurled through the front door of Number Ten, a love-struck Wing-Commander MP harbouring a beautiful Soviet agent, the suicide of a mid-ranking Civil Servant and the possibility of a "mole" in the Security Services. All of which begin to be linked to the recent government appointment of a dissolute Cambridge professor to head up and explain the new unilateral British nuclear policy to the rest of Europe - and Maxim is appointed his watchdog.
Now deemed an expert in the theory of warfare and one-time hero of a younger Harry, Professor Tyler's self-willed behaviour threatens to disrupt British defensive and foreign policy and may hide a deeply buried secret. A mystery letter traced to Ireland sparks more action when Maxim finds himself up against the KGB.
Possibly rather confusing at first, the novel spreads out and gains confidence as we get to know the horrified reactions and murky methods of the Whitehall mandarins, and the trusty alliance between Harry, George and Agnes strengthens. Gavin Lyall's first foray into combining thriller with the world of espionage and Whitehall politics was a witty, well plotted and resounding success.
July 12, 2012
Just over half way through, and I'm giving up. I found this an amazingly difficult, boring and unenjoyable book to read.
I found the characterization weak, and the clues to the plot even weaker, things would be dropped into the story with the subtlety of ants tip-toeing across a dusty floor. Even the violent scenes were ants-in-the-dust boring (& usually I am completely freaked by violence.) The many references to spies and spying activities took up much of my time. Time trying to work out what was being insinuated. Many of the pivotal concepts could have been written in a foreign language they were so alien to me. Bears, Cut outs, Box 500 ???? Huh? The whole atmosphere at 10 Downing Street, and the cameraderie between the main players got to me too - a sort of old boy's network of hierarchy and interaction that was virtually meaningless to me.
I feel that I did not even begin to slot into the reader position offered me by this book. It felt uncomfortable to me in so many different respects. The writing style was way outside my comfort zone. I would be interested to read another book in this genre though (spies/thrillers.) Perhaps it's the whole genre that is not my cup of tea.
I found the characterization weak, and the clues to the plot even weaker, things would be dropped into the story with the subtlety of ants tip-toeing across a dusty floor. Even the violent scenes were ants-in-the-dust boring (& usually I am completely freaked by violence.) The many references to spies and spying activities took up much of my time. Time trying to work out what was being insinuated. Many of the pivotal concepts could have been written in a foreign language they were so alien to me. Bears, Cut outs, Box 500 ???? Huh? The whole atmosphere at 10 Downing Street, and the cameraderie between the main players got to me too - a sort of old boy's network of hierarchy and interaction that was virtually meaningless to me.
I feel that I did not even begin to slot into the reader position offered me by this book. It felt uncomfortable to me in so many different respects. The writing style was way outside my comfort zone. I would be interested to read another book in this genre though (spies/thrillers.) Perhaps it's the whole genre that is not my cup of tea.
June 21, 2012
Comfort reading. A well-written thriller that I've read a dozen times - ideal study-break reading
January 24, 2024
There was a long gap between Judas Country and The Secret Servant. I’m not sure what Gavin Lyall’s personal circumstances were at this time, but even for an author not renowned for his prolificacy five years does seem a very long time to wait before producing your ninth novel.
It’s well worth the wait, however. Lyall introduces us to Major Harry Maxim, an SAS officer trained in enemy reconnaissance and combat who is seconded to No.10 Downing Street at the specific request of the Prime Minister to plug a series of damaging security leaks. Maxim quickly proves his worth by defusing a bomb, but struggles with civil diplomacy and the Secret Service’s expectations. He even forgets to take his gun to a suspicious rendezvous which leads to chaos on the streets of London as he battles Soviet Bloc spies who wish to recapture a defecting agent.
Lyall is spot on with his observations of the English [yes, I stress English] civil service practice as well as the tighter points of gunsmithery, cars, planes, knives and a fair dab of espionage. It’s all nominally make-believe, but the fact you do believe it is what makes The Secret Servant so successful. The plot twists and turns and while there is sporadic and nasty bouts of action as well as some sensually smooth sex, Maxim’s role is more one of an investigator than a trouble shooter. The involvement of MI5, through the boisterous female division head Agnes Algar, as well as George Harbinger, the PM’s uptight half-drunk Private Secretary and seeming head of internal security, creates a nice triangle of characters who perform everyday duties alongside a wider context, that of an unsubstantiated threat to the Cold War peace talks. Maxim is at the spearhead, but he always has appropriate political backup. A series of tense meetings in offices, pubs, clubs, houses and cars hint at the clandestine nature of Maxim’s work. It’s rather John Le Carre and I wondered if Lyall had spent time reading those Circus / Smiley adventures and deciding to tread a more realistic, hard-nosed path for his thrillers.
Such as it is, the plot involves a stolen and now missing document which may implicate NATO’s head nuclear strategist, Professor John Tyler, in war crimes. Like the best thriller heroes, Maxim spends most of the story hunting for the document while encounters with summary villains, aides and interested parties expands his knowledge of past and present events, allowing him to solve the puzzle despite death and bloodshed. It is a little convoluted, but that doesn’t hurt and the end came as a surprise which, given the amount of reading I’ve done of these kind of books, was exceedingly refreshing.
Maxim has a back story including a murdered wife and a fostered son. Lyall explains this efficiently, dwelling enough for us to understand without extraneous detail. We pant for more, I guess, and perhaps in later adventures more will come to light. Unlike all Lyall’s other novels, his hero is a secret agent, albeit not exactly a spy and this allows the author to project a more cohesive persona. Maxim is considerably less wordy than Lyall’s usual fare; his droll humour better suited to the environment; in fact there’s less of that which is a bonus. Maxim’s army training also helps us believe he can make the decisions and carry out the military style tasks he does.
This is a splendid, short and involving read and I’d recommend it. The best of Gavin Lyall yet.
It’s well worth the wait, however. Lyall introduces us to Major Harry Maxim, an SAS officer trained in enemy reconnaissance and combat who is seconded to No.10 Downing Street at the specific request of the Prime Minister to plug a series of damaging security leaks. Maxim quickly proves his worth by defusing a bomb, but struggles with civil diplomacy and the Secret Service’s expectations. He even forgets to take his gun to a suspicious rendezvous which leads to chaos on the streets of London as he battles Soviet Bloc spies who wish to recapture a defecting agent.
Lyall is spot on with his observations of the English [yes, I stress English] civil service practice as well as the tighter points of gunsmithery, cars, planes, knives and a fair dab of espionage. It’s all nominally make-believe, but the fact you do believe it is what makes The Secret Servant so successful. The plot twists and turns and while there is sporadic and nasty bouts of action as well as some sensually smooth sex, Maxim’s role is more one of an investigator than a trouble shooter. The involvement of MI5, through the boisterous female division head Agnes Algar, as well as George Harbinger, the PM’s uptight half-drunk Private Secretary and seeming head of internal security, creates a nice triangle of characters who perform everyday duties alongside a wider context, that of an unsubstantiated threat to the Cold War peace talks. Maxim is at the spearhead, but he always has appropriate political backup. A series of tense meetings in offices, pubs, clubs, houses and cars hint at the clandestine nature of Maxim’s work. It’s rather John Le Carre and I wondered if Lyall had spent time reading those Circus / Smiley adventures and deciding to tread a more realistic, hard-nosed path for his thrillers.
Such as it is, the plot involves a stolen and now missing document which may implicate NATO’s head nuclear strategist, Professor John Tyler, in war crimes. Like the best thriller heroes, Maxim spends most of the story hunting for the document while encounters with summary villains, aides and interested parties expands his knowledge of past and present events, allowing him to solve the puzzle despite death and bloodshed. It is a little convoluted, but that doesn’t hurt and the end came as a surprise which, given the amount of reading I’ve done of these kind of books, was exceedingly refreshing.
Maxim has a back story including a murdered wife and a fostered son. Lyall explains this efficiently, dwelling enough for us to understand without extraneous detail. We pant for more, I guess, and perhaps in later adventures more will come to light. Unlike all Lyall’s other novels, his hero is a secret agent, albeit not exactly a spy and this allows the author to project a more cohesive persona. Maxim is considerably less wordy than Lyall’s usual fare; his droll humour better suited to the environment; in fact there’s less of that which is a bonus. Maxim’s army training also helps us believe he can make the decisions and carry out the military style tasks he does.
This is a splendid, short and involving read and I’d recommend it. The best of Gavin Lyall yet.
October 25, 2021
As a fan of classic Cold War thrillers, this author has been on my radar for a while. This first book in the Major Maxim quartet introduces our hero as an SAS soldier seconded by the Prime Minister to work out of 10 Downing Street. An MOD official has committed suicide and questions are being asked about Britain's expert at a forthcoming European defence conference. Harry is brought in to provide a no-nonsense approach to get to the bottom of things.
I took a while to get into this novel. The cover makes comparisons to Le Carre, an author I never warmed to. Thankfully this is more in the Len Deighton mould: witty dialogue, complex plotting and occasional bursts of action. I loved the banter between Harry's boss George and "Box 5000" spy Alice. These are characters I look forward to revisiting. There's a great WW2 flashback to a North African patrol behind enemy lines plus a "punch to the guts" finale.
The field craft and politics are spot on with a plot that's believable and not overly complicated. It's well served by efficient prose that's occasionally lit by the odd nugget eg. "Alice had that most valuable of all talents in the intelligence world, something that MI5 headhunter at Oxford had hoped for but could only guess at all those years ago: loyalty that lasted beyond disillusionment."
There's an odd lack of explanation for the tragedy that opens the novel but maybe this will be picked up in later books. I now understand the love for this series and already have the next three lined up on my thriller shelf.
I took a while to get into this novel. The cover makes comparisons to Le Carre, an author I never warmed to. Thankfully this is more in the Len Deighton mould: witty dialogue, complex plotting and occasional bursts of action. I loved the banter between Harry's boss George and "Box 5000" spy Alice. These are characters I look forward to revisiting. There's a great WW2 flashback to a North African patrol behind enemy lines plus a "punch to the guts" finale.
The field craft and politics are spot on with a plot that's believable and not overly complicated. It's well served by efficient prose that's occasionally lit by the odd nugget eg. "Alice had that most valuable of all talents in the intelligence world, something that MI5 headhunter at Oxford had hoped for but could only guess at all those years ago: loyalty that lasted beyond disillusionment."
There's an odd lack of explanation for the tragedy that opens the novel but maybe this will be picked up in later books. I now understand the love for this series and already have the next three lined up on my thriller shelf.
July 26, 2023
I seem to have passed by Gavin Lyall without happening on any of his works - my loss! This was a great story, well crafted and told. Had I not enjoyed so much of John Le Carre's work, I might well have found this book impossible to read. But as soon as I cottoned on to the author's intent, it became great.
Ordinarily I'd have given this five stars because the story caught me, and kept me wanting to read more until it was finished. But the publishers of my Kindle edition, Silvertail books, appear to have invested absolutely no effort into formatting it for Kindle. There is no structure to help flip back and forwards to help me make sure I've got the characters, locations and times right. "Go to" offers beginning, and end - and that's all. So one star deducted for that.
If you don't like John Le Carre, or have never read his works, this book might not suit you. But Harry Maxim is now on my list of characters to read more of.
Ordinarily I'd have given this five stars because the story caught me, and kept me wanting to read more until it was finished. But the publishers of my Kindle edition, Silvertail books, appear to have invested absolutely no effort into formatting it for Kindle. There is no structure to help flip back and forwards to help me make sure I've got the characters, locations and times right. "Go to" offers beginning, and end - and that's all. So one star deducted for that.
If you don't like John Le Carre, or have never read his works, this book might not suit you. But Harry Maxim is now on my list of characters to read more of.
December 21, 2020
Early 80s thriller in which SAS veteran Harry Maxim is appointed to act as enforcer at Number 10 Downing Street during nuclear target option talks in Luxembourg. He has to act as minder for a Cambridge professor and former WWII SAS desert soldier who is Britain’s top strategist.
The defection of a Czech female operative comes with the revelation of a mole in MI5 that can discredit the professor in the eyes of both the West and the Russians.
Maxim sets out to discover what’s going on and there’s plenty of action that leads him eventually to Provence and an interview with one of Professor Tyler’s former Long Range Desert Group colleagues. The description of desert warfare is brilliantly evoked.
Fans of a Monty Python sketch concerning shipwrecked sailors in a small open boat will be uncomfortably reminded of the line, “What, with a gammy leg?”
The defection of a Czech female operative comes with the revelation of a mole in MI5 that can discredit the professor in the eyes of both the West and the Russians.
Maxim sets out to discover what’s going on and there’s plenty of action that leads him eventually to Provence and an interview with one of Professor Tyler’s former Long Range Desert Group colleagues. The description of desert warfare is brilliantly evoked.
Fans of a Monty Python sketch concerning shipwrecked sailors in a small open boat will be uncomfortably reminded of the line, “What, with a gammy leg?”
May 15, 2023
This is an espionage novel in the classic vein which isn't bad, but I expected Anthony Price and this story never reaches that level. This book marks the beginning of Mr. Lyall's second to last series and was called the 'peak of his writing.' I can't evaluate that having read none of his other books, but the quality of this one is a matter of taste. I found the lengthy flashbacks to the North African campaign in WWII dull. The other weakness is our hero Major Harry Maxim who fits Christopher Fowler's assessment that Lyall's heroes are "... square-jawed men dodging bullets and doing man things." In this book, Maxim is so detached he's more like a narrator than the protagonist. His interaction with MI5 liaison Agnes Algar is probably intended as a romantic sub-plot but Harry's too dispassionate for that. He does his bit laconically. Early on, there's a lot of bureaucratic chit chat included in the not-so-great dialogue, but Harry contributes little. (Agnes speaking in a fake Cockney accent is the low point.) The plot is interesting in spots, but very conventional. I was waiting for some far-fetched bit at the end, as plausibility has never been a requirement for thrillers, but this one stays solidly inside the lines. I didn't dislike this book. It was good in spots but dull overall despite a fair amount of violence. For me, it simply wasn't exciting enough to be called a thriller. Mildly recommended for fans of Cold-War espionage novels.
November 17, 2023
When SAS Major Harry Maxim is seconded to Downing Street as a liaison, he seems unsure why. We learn early on his wife was killed in a plane crash, but little more, and his son lives with his grandparents.
Soon after starting his new role, a hand grenade is thrown through the door of Number 10. A key government official commits suicide, while Professor John Tyler, a strategist, is due to talk to NATO about Armageddon. Maxim is assigned to protect Tyler, but a terrible secret from his past threatens the NATO talks and much more.
Gavin Lyall is a new discovery for me, and a pleasant one. Written in the eighties, this is a typical Cold War espionage thriller, and an excellent one at that. I already have the second Harry Maxim book on my Kindle.
Soon after starting his new role, a hand grenade is thrown through the door of Number 10. A key government official commits suicide, while Professor John Tyler, a strategist, is due to talk to NATO about Armageddon. Maxim is assigned to protect Tyler, but a terrible secret from his past threatens the NATO talks and much more.
Gavin Lyall is a new discovery for me, and a pleasant one. Written in the eighties, this is a typical Cold War espionage thriller, and an excellent one at that. I already have the second Harry Maxim book on my Kindle.
July 11, 2020
Short, punchy sentences. The economy of word and the elegant descriptive power of Gavin Lyall creates scenes suggestive of Le Carre and Chandler. This powerful writing coupled with imaginative plots, sub plots and deviousness. Gavin Lyall has a clear understanding of the military mind, the procedures and ramifications of power and his work is beautifully researched. Wow, I have been reading Gavin Lyall for over 45 years ( that makes me very old) and still I look forward to reading his work and savour every word. Mr Lyall, you are greatly missed.
February 13, 2021
There were several times I thought I would have to have my husband read a section and explain it to me. He is much more interested in military history than am I. I kept reading and eventually the story became clear enough for me to get the gist of what was happening and why. I like the character of Harry Maxim, a major in the British army who has been assigned to 10 Downing Street. He doesn't know precisely why. No one seems to know, but we are glad that he is there with his military knowledge and integrity. The ending was a surprise for me.
February 23, 2023
Stylishly Spun Plotting
Laconic, and with a wry wit, Gavin Lyall's thriller deftly avoids the bombast and violent excess that all too often attends this genre. Lyall does Whitehall politics very well, at times he leans into territory mined by that sardonic BBC TV show "Yes Minister". And with his lean concave face usually wearing a polite smile, his well realised protagonist Major Maxim is no credulity-stretching military superman but a believably competent and capable army officer.
Laconic, and with a wry wit, Gavin Lyall's thriller deftly avoids the bombast and violent excess that all too often attends this genre. Lyall does Whitehall politics very well, at times he leans into territory mined by that sardonic BBC TV show "Yes Minister". And with his lean concave face usually wearing a polite smile, his well realised protagonist Major Maxim is no credulity-stretching military superman but a believably competent and capable army officer.
September 21, 2023
This is really classic spy stuff us versus them with Harry Maxim as our lead man. Brought in to do a job and probably used as an expendable asset Harry goes about his business looking for a letter which could be an embarrassment for the government and their nuclear advisor Tyler who is representing them in a European committee on atomic defence against Russia. However Harry is a survivor and a company man to boot looking after the interest of the "headmaster" as the bodies gather. Good cloak and dagger story of political intrigue and WWII desert warfare history.
September 19, 2022
an old favourite thriller
I read this series longer ago than I really want to remember.
So when I found it on Kindle Unlimited it was a great re-read.
I had forgotten just how good these books - so I will be borrowing the rest and over the next couple of weeks.
5 stars and recommended as a gritty thriller set during the later parts of the Cold War
I read this series longer ago than I really want to remember.
So when I found it on Kindle Unlimited it was a great re-read.
I had forgotten just how good these books - so I will be borrowing the rest and over the next couple of weeks.
5 stars and recommended as a gritty thriller set during the later parts of the Cold War
June 19, 2023
This is a well crafted Cold War thriller. This novel compares favorably to John le Carré, Frederick Forsyth, and Alistair MacLean. It was timely when written, and still reads with a believability uncommon in modern espionage fiction.
I should note the formatting of this Kindle edition is poor. It is a single file without delineated chapters.
I should note the formatting of this Kindle edition is poor. It is a single file without delineated chapters.
Read
August 4, 2024The entire Major Maxim series are some of the best Cold War era espionage books out there. They tend to get overlooked in light of the excellent books by Len Deighton and John Le Carre. Excellent books where the protagonist, British SAS Major Harry Maxim isn't a spy but ends up thrust into the game.
December 9, 2024
A forgotten gem
This book still resonates in today’s uncertain times and contains all the necessary ingredients of the espionage thriller. A lot of the narrative is very dated but to those of us who grew up during that era not too difficult to slip back into. A classic that should be on everyone’s shelf.
This book still resonates in today’s uncertain times and contains all the necessary ingredients of the espionage thriller. A lot of the narrative is very dated but to those of us who grew up during that era not too difficult to slip back into. A classic that should be on everyone’s shelf.
January 30, 2021
When it comes to Gavin Lyall, the only question I ask is why he wrote so relatively little - but then, the quality speaks for itself. I've been reading and re-reading his books for a quarter of a century now, and they remain top-flight entertainment.
May 28, 2021
An excellently paced yarn with nicely-framed episodes of excitement. Lovely construction of characters, including a cameo of Major Harry Maxim's son, who serves to flesh out Maxim's moral compass. It made for grand bedtime reading (out loud, to my wife). We will have more in this series.
May 26, 2023
Lyall is the master of laconic storytelling.
Well researched and well written, he draws his characters out into three dimensional beings. The action prices are not overly gruesome and the dialogue is particularly sharp and waspish.
Well researched and well written, he draws his characters out into three dimensional beings. The action prices are not overly gruesome and the dialogue is particularly sharp and waspish.
June 12, 2023
HOT DOG! Written back in the 80's when spies were real spies.
The first book was magnificent, I'm ready to read the rest.
Have paid my cover entry and all... their age makes the books cheaper than a whole SCOOP of chips!
The first book was magnificent, I'm ready to read the rest.
Have paid my cover entry and all... their age makes the books cheaper than a whole SCOOP of chips!
Read
June 11, 2023I started reading this book and decided it was not for me.
June 12, 2023
lost my way
I lost my way at the end that was my fault for leaving three days gap but it was still enjoyable
I lost my way at the end that was my fault for leaving three days gap but it was still enjoyable
January 29, 2024
Of its time in style and feel - published 1980 - but very good as a wartime secret threatens to upset present -day diplomacy. Well structured and well written
September 4, 2024
Shockingly bad. Simplistic to an almost juvenile degree.
Nothing to recommend it and have to say, after reading 55% of it, it was a complete waste of my time.
Nothing to recommend it and have to say, after reading 55% of it, it was a complete waste of my time.
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