A continuing story of the British agent Bernard Samson. In Spy Hook he meddled when he was instructed to steer clear, and now he is suffering the consequences. Hiding out in Berlin, he is surprised to learn he may return to London and all charges will be dropped. However, there are strings attached to this offer.
Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century America, the story follows four unique sisters—Jessica, Leonie, Mathy, and Mary Jo—each navigating their own paths while intertwined by love and hidden family secrets. Over five decades, their journeys reveal the complexities of sisterhood and the impact of their choices, exploring themes of identity, resilience, and the enduring bonds of family.
The third novel in Deighton's Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy. Spanning a ten year period (1977-87), Deighton solves the mystery of Fiona's defection - was she a Soviet spy or wasn't she? He also retells some of the events from the Game, Set and Match trilogy from Fiona's point of view.
The long-awaited reissue of the first part of the classic spy trilogy, HOOK, LINE and SINKER, when the Berlin Wall divided not just a city but a world. Working for the Department was like marriage is supposed to be - ''til death do us part' - but the Department is really not like that; and neither are many marriages, including that of Bernard Samson. The cool and cynical field agent of the GAME, SET and MATCH trilogy has grown older and wiser. But things have not gone well for Samson: old pals are not as friendly as they used to be and colleagues are less confiding than they once were. Now, starting with his mission to Washington, life has become even more precarious for Bernard. Ignoring all warnings, friendly, devious and otherwise, he pursues his own investigation and, in California, meets with the biggest surprise of his life…
Critical acclaim for Kate Atkinson:"Startlingly original" (Johanna Stoberock, The Seattle Times)"Really comic, really tragic, bracingly unsentimental." (The Boston Sunday Globe"An effervescent, affecting delight." (Rebecca Radner, The San Francisco Examiner Chronicle)"Atkinson's language is a joy." (Valerie Sayers, Commonweal)"Full of ambiguities and neat surprises." (Katharine Weber, The New York Times Book Review)"Vivid and intriguing....fizzes and crackles along." (Penelope Lively, The Independent)"Luminescent....sure and sophisticated, poetic and darkly comic."(Amanda Heller, The Boston Globe)On a weather-beaten island off the coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother, Nora, take refuge in the large, mouldering house of their ancestors and tell each other stories.Nora, at first, recounts nothing that Effie really wants to hear-like who her real father was.Effie tells various versions of her life at college, where in fact she lives in a lethargic relationship with bob, a student who never goes to lectures, seldom gets out of bed, and to whom Klingons are as real as the French and the Germans.But as mother and daughter spin their tales, strange things are happening around them.Why is Effie being followed?Is someone killing the old people?And where is the mysterious yellow dog?In a brilliant comic narrative which explores the nonsensical power of language and meaning, Kate Atkinson has created another magical masterpiece.