Status Updates From The Dark Tunnel

An espionage scenario turns into a whodunit, turns into a suspenseful extended chase. There was a snake metaphor early, and then an actual snake pit...so that creepy cover is not just for fun. I like this - a bit of a weird stand-off where a villain lets someone get ahold of a gun when you think the baddie could prevent it; the scene plays weirdly - but overall, the mystery and suspense are effective.

Wow, riveting start. Flashback took me back to Munich in 1937, our narrator an American visiting there. Scary scenes. My understanding is that this is some kind of spy novel, so I'm ready for that. Supposed to get a bit messy in the plot department, but I'm hooked by the first chapters, so lets see how, uh, serpentine it gets...