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Lädt ... Damascus Station (2021. Auflage)von David McCloskey (Autor)
Werk-InformationenDamascus Station von David McCloskey
Top Five Books of 2021 (340) Books Read in 2023 (856) Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. The first thing you see when you pick up this book is an endorsement from General David Petraeus, ‘The best spy novel I have ever read’. I would like to respectfully suggest that reading-wise General David Petraeus should get out a bit more. Although the ecstatic reception in many of the books pages suggests that perhaps the problem is more with me. Ploughing on: this is intermittently gripping and the climax is riveting, but some of the characterisation lacks the depth and credibility that one would find in both Le Carré or Greene, both of whom have been mentioned as valid comparisons. The writing has also been over-praised. It’s functional more than anything. When McCloskey does attempt to be lyrical or poignant he falters. I could go on - how believable is the central love story? It’s very reminiscent of the one in the brilliant Canal Plus drama by Eric Rochant, 'Le Bureau des Légendes' but it works in that series more than anything because of the fantastic acting and skilful plotting. I didn’t really buy it here. Remember a time when the CIA was seen as either the bad guys or at best morally complicated? Back in the Seventies, post-Watergate, if the CIA put in an appearance in a book or film, they were almost never the guys in the white hats. Times have changed, people have moved on, and a former CIA officer like David McCloskey can write a novel that portrays the men and women of the CIA as white knights. Damascus Station is, however, a good story, if a bit more morally ambiguous than the author would have us believe. Set during the early period of the Syrian Civil War it tells the story of a CIA agent who is tasked with recruiting a young woman who, for some reason, sits in a position of power in the Assad regime but is believed to be recruitable. To turn her into a CIA spy, he seduces her. End of story. But that’s not how the story actually runs. Instead, he falls in love with her and breaks CIA rules that forbid him from sleeping with a “asset”. Because, you know, white knights would never do stuff like that. In case anyone missed the point, the Acknowledgments section is full of praise for the CIA, dedicated to its noble and brave men and women. A sequel is coming out this fall, set in Putin’s Russia. My guess is that once again the brave Americans from Langley will save the world. I think it should be said that although this is an espionage novel, it is based on actual facts relating to events back in the early 1960's. When reading it it helps not to take sides, either with the protagonist, spying for Israel, or the Syrian government counter-intelligence people who try to expose him. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Auszeichnungen
"A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in war-ravaged Damascus to hunt for a killer. CIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit Syrian Palace official Mariam Haddad. The two fall into a forbidden relationship, supercharging Haddad's recruitment and creating unspeakable danger when they enter Damascus to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American spy. But the cat-and-mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime, bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Asad's spycatcher, Ali Hassan, and his brother Rustum, the head of the feared Republican Guard. Set against the backdrop of a Syria pulsing with fear and rebellion, Damascus Station is a gripping thriller that offers a textured portrayal of espionage, love, loyalty, and betrayal in one of the most difficult CIA assignments on the planet"-- Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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The story has an authentic feel to it: there's plenty of spy tradecraft on display. There's an annoying use of acronyms, some defined but most are left to the reader to figure out.
A good read for fans of espionage fiction. ( )