An Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva (1995)
Daniel Silva is known for his spy and espionage series of books in which Gabriel Allon is the hero.
The Unlikely Spy, however, is not a part of this series.
The Unlikely Spy is Silva’s first novel, and what a tale he tells.
This story focuses on the secrecy surrounding the events that lead up to the Allies’ landing on Normandy on D-Day. The British have an elaborate false network of intelligence using Double Cross to leak to the Germans. The information must be plausible, but not too readily available so that it is believable. Some of the information, therefore, is real, and some is completely false.
Germany has a special V-chain of spies living in Britain to be activated when the need should arise. Among the deeply hidden spies is Anna Steiner, known now as Catherine Blake. She has been quietly living in London for the past 6 years, taking the identities of others who she either killed or who had died as infants.
After Hitler ordered infiltration of MI5, Britain’s intelligence, Catherine is called to duty. She is a beautiful loner who was recruited and manipulated by Vogel, a German Abwehr officer who has fallen in love with her. (Why are all female spies beautiful?)
British Intelligence, for its part, has recruited Alfred Vicary, a middle-aged bachelor who still pines for Helen, the love of his life, who dropped him when her father threatened to cut off her inheritance. Vicary had his knee shattered in World War II. He has been working as a university professor when he was tapped into service by the MI5. His background, therefore, makes him an unlikely spy. He finds that he enjoys much of the work and is quite suited for his new-found profession.
Silva skillfully reveals bits and pieces of the puzzle, switching between the actions of the British and the Germans, leaving the reader to wonder just who can be trusted.
Clearly, a lot of careful research went into writing this book. The story is based on actual events surrounding the D-Day invasion. Even though we all know that the Allies’ plans to invade were successful, Silva carefully describes how the plans were could have been thwarted.
A quick, but exciting read.
Read: April 30, 2010
