A spoof?

What an odd and, to me, unsatisfactory book.

I have to assume it is meant to be a spoof spy novel. If I am right, it is simply not funny enough and John Mordred not interesting enough. There is an attempt to make him quirky but he just comes across as a fish out of water and an innocent abroad in the world. He is ineffectual, prone to falling in love with every woman he sees and buffeted about by the events surrounding him. He Is supposedly much valued by his spy masters but it is impossible to see why on this showing, apart from his facility for languages. Perhaps that is a sign that this is a spoof, an extended dig at the expense of the spy world?

It started off promisingly as though it were going to be a decent if unremarkable thriller, with Mordred being sent for a mission which goes wrong. In the second half it degenerates into a series of odd alliances with people changing sides and allegiance. There is a seemingly interminable football match whose progress is described ad nauseam. The heavies are pantomime villains. The dialogue is strained. The action stops occasionally for a recap by the characters about the political background. Quite early on I lost interest in who was on which side. Suddenly there was a set piece showdown which fizzled out and we were back to John Mordred and his irritating sisters.

If it is not spoof then it is just an uninteresting spy novel.

If I want wry intelligent humour about the world of intelligence, I will stick with Len Deighton. If I want a more modern hard-edged humour I will stick with the peerless Mick Herron.

A word on the reader. Unfortunately, all his men sounded the same (apart from the Scot) and there was no attempt to make the women sound like women. That made the dialogue very difficult to follow.

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