A Game of Spies, by John Altaman
As my three faithful readers know, I’m into World War II spy thrillers. Why that era? Perhaps the good and bad, dressed in stark black and white. Perhaps, I lived before and shades of forgotten memories creep into the present. But, a more common answer is that there are some damn good…Oh, pardon me Martha, I meant to say some darn good writers who have picked out the era to produce novels that envelope you in the time, the excitement, populated with indelible characters, and a terrifically bitter taste of constant danger.
Who are my favorites: For flying, from the skies of England to the scorching sands of the Sahara, there is only one: Derek Robinson. No one else comes close.
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-good-clean-fight-by-derek-robinson.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-splendid-little-war.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2012/03/another-gem-from-derek-robinson-piece.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2012/01/goshawk-squadron-novel-of-breakneck.html
For the behind the scenes of spying and resistance across the broad expanse of Europe, leading up to and through the war, one name springs out, Alan Furst. Yep, wrote about his novels, too.
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-hero-of-france-by-alan-furst.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-world-at-night-paris-1940-by-alan.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-foreign-correspondent-by-alan-furst.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2020/11/mission-to-paris-by-alan-furst.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2020/11/mission-to-paris-by-alan-furst.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2020/10/under-occupation-by-alan-furst.html
https://stroudallover.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-spies-of-warsaw-book-review.html
Now it’s time to add another name: John Altman
Just finished reading A Game of Spies, a twisting, turning, streak of a novel, where nothing is certain, nothing is either believed or doubted. Yes, spy craft is a game of uncertainty, in a stew of true and false, double crosses, and true believers. Altman captures both the time and the motives and characters in the steamy atmosphere of France and the Low Countries, as the German army and the German nation’s egomaniac leader plot the beginning of the war.
I can’t help but compare this novel to those by Alan Furst. Same time, same place, however the differences are stark. Furst takes his time in developing characters and atmosphere. The plot slowly evolves. Altman, on the other hand, feeds the readers a buffet of characters with a streamlined plot and a host of twists and turns. It is not until the second half of the book that characters maintain clarity, and are distilled into the good and the bad. Even so, there are still lingering doubts. All hinges on the kernel of the plot. Will the English find out the German war plan or not. And, if they do, will they know what to do with it.
Many know the broad stroke history of the Second World War, but few of us know behind the scene details on which hinged every major event. Unless we are historians, our minds infused with letters and other documents, old newspapers, and interviews with the players, we don’t even know what we think we know.
Furst especially, but also to a lesser extent, Altman, have done the research for you, and doing so have written intricately woven and finely plotted novels that will immerse you in the time, while keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Of the two authors, if you want to linger in the time, smell the cigarette smoke, reach into the hearts of the characters and live in the murky political mud, pick Furst. But, if you want a racehorse, grab A Game of Spies and hold tight on the reins.
For me, it doesn’t depend on the skill of the authors, for both are keenly observant artists. It depends strictly on my mood. Sometimes I enjoy a smooth ride, observing every detail of the neighborhood, and other times I want to feel the wind in my face.
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