The 8th book in the Bernard Sampson series.

British espionage novel featuring Bernard Samson, spy extraordinaire.

It's hard to provide a capsule summary of this book without spoiling previous installments in the Bernard Samson series. Let us just say that Bernard is required to track down his wife's brother-in-law, George, who has gone missing from his home in Switzerland and is rumoured to be hiding out in Poland. This takes place in the late 1980s; the Wall is close to coming down (although the characters don't know that yet) and Bernard is feeling particularly vulnerable as a middle-aged field agent on a temporary contract in an organization that's suffering cutbacks. At the same time, he and his wife are still trying to piece together their relationship, and there's still the matter of his former mistress, Gloria, to attend to. That's enough for any spy to be handling.

This was an okay book in the series. I probably started it at the wrong time; it took a while to get into, but once I did I managed to finish it fairly quickly. Bernard continues to amuse with his observations, even as the reader tries to figure out what he's exaggerating and what he's holding back on. It's probably best read soon after its predecessor, Faith, to keep the details fresh. Charity is next, and should probably be read soon. ( )

series: Faith, Hope, Charity. ( )