Irina Kusak is the daughter of a Czech Nobel-laureate father and Communist mother. She is recently divorced from the ruthless and ambitious head of the Czech secret police Jiri Hrádek. After her mother's death in the 1970's, she makes it known to appropriate contacts that she wants to escape from repressive Czechoslovakia and join her father Jaromir Kusak in the West. A group of individuals dedicated to providing such assistance is assembled and starts Irina on a harrowing journey across the Czech border into Austria, then onward to where her father awaits her. A key member of this team is David Mennery, who had been her lover in Prague 16 years prior. Hrádek has "allowed" her escape in order to have her lead him to her father’s hiding place, so Hrádek can return Jaromir Kusak to Czechoslovakia. There is much switching of cars, modes of transportation, and intermediate destinations as Irina and her team try to avoid discovery by Hrádek 's ruthless men chasing them.This is a very exciting tale, which I enjoyed quite a lot. I do recommend it. [Book 40 of revised 2012 target 70 (Jan-10; Feb-11; Mar-9; Apr-8; May-2)]
A Cold War era story of defection, featuring some intelligent, capable, brave women as lead characters. What's more, this is a thriller written by a woman writer! Seriously, what's not to like?It's a Cold War game of cat-and-mouse, and our protagonists receive very little respite from their apparatchik pursuers. No one knows who to trust and who to suspect, but they do know that there is a cat among the pigeons.The story never rests too long in any one place--the reader and Irina (our defector) moves from Czechoslovakia to Switzerland very quickly. This is not James Bond, however. There is nothing glamorous about Irina's flight from behind the Iron Curtain. There are no big explosions, not even a whole lot of violence. Everything is done with a neat, quiet urgency, and there are lots of close calls.A quiet, well written thriller. Your knuckles will never be white from gripping the armrest too tightly, but you will feel the urgency driving the characters in this story.
Do You like book The Snare Of The Hunter (1983)?
Not MacInnes' most thrilling work, but suspnseful enough to keep me interested. I enjoyed her delve into the amateur/low-tech "spy" work. I always love a story where common sense wins out over technology and proffessionals. The romance left much to be desired for me. I liked the characters but I would have prefered a different romantic couple than she chose. Irina is nice and all, but I liked Jo. All in all, I'm glad I read it--it was a nice way to pass the time--but "neither five nor three" and others of MacInnes' works are more my favs.
—Rebecca Lewitt
Unless I misread the book, Irina was no longer married when the events of this book took place. Plus isn't the whole premise here that she would have married the Romeo here, David, years ago - and certainly before and instead of her marriage to the Communist villain - had the oppressive regime not prevented it?Of course, there is the Christian view of marriage as an unbreakable sacrament, which I respect and to which I subscribe in real life, but it is not usually much in evidence in spy thrillers and certainly not in this one.Otherwise, I agree with the review: OK but not her greatest.
—Linda
