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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Dan Fesperman's highly accomplished The Amateur Spy is a salutary reminder that writing as ambitious as this does not always parley into massive sales; while Fesperman’s series of novels have always enjoyed healthy attention from readers (and won unanimously high praise from critics), he is not yet in the category, saleswise, of many a far less gifted writer. But perhaps it’s inevitable: when a writer raises the standards of the thriller novel to something approaching literature (as Fesperman has incontrovertibly done), he will leave behind those seeking more straightforward fare. That’s not to say that the author ever disregards the central tenets of storytelling: the level of excitement engendered by such books as his striking debut Lie in the Dark, The Small Boat of Great Sorrows and his last book, the much-acclaimed The Prisoner of Guantanamo ensured that readers were comprehensively gripped, but Fesperman was simultaneously able to freight in notions of betrayal, loyalty and the dark agencies that shape the fate of nations. That’s very much the case here.
One of Fesperman's protagonists, Freeman Lockhart, is working with an old friend, Omar, in Jordan, but he is also in the awkward position of spying on him, reporting back on his friend to an agency investigating Omar's financial situation. At the same time, another act of spying is taking place in Washington, where Aliyah Rahim is watching the behaviour of her husband, a doctor traumatised by the death of their daughter. She is convinced that the distrust of Arab Americans that came into being after 9/11 is responsible. She begins to feel that her husband is in the process of putting together an act of violent retribution -- and the stakes are no less high for Freeman, bought (like her) into an impossible situation in which doing the right thing is by no means straightforward.
Fesperman’s experience as a war correspondent – along with his acute political radar -- informs all his books with an intelligence and tension that is rarely found in thriller writers on either side of the Atlantic. Each new book by him seems to match the achievement of the one before, and The Amateur Spy raises the bar even higher for Fesperman. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Dan Fesperman's novels always offer interesting and thought-provoking commentary on contemporary world events and in THE AMATEUR SPY he tackles Middle East terrorism with a story that contains a disquietingly topical element...A fine thriller to add to his impressive body of work' (Susanna Yager, Sunday Telegraph 20060712)
'A gritty verisimilitude against a subtle political backdrop. The scene-setting is vivid and dramatic. Mr Fesperman is especially good on the murky frontier where journalists, aid-workers and spies trade information...He is honing the genre of intelligent political thrillers. Foreign correspondents should note: they now have some new standards to match.' (Economist 20060716)
'It goes without saying that Fesperman is a master of orchestrating tension - but he is equally good at characterising his vulnerable, conflicted protagonists' (Daily Express 20060716)
'Fesperman taps another timely issue in his fourth topical thriller...a superb job' (Publishers Weekly 20060716)
'Fascinating ... a thought-provoking and exciting read' (Observer on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'An absorbing novel with some provocative commentary on America's war on terror' (Susannah Yager, Sunday Telegraph on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'A neat sense of conspiratorial tension...Fesperman's use of spy tradecraft is good - even creative - and never more elaborate than the situation calls for' (Washington Post on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'A superb spy thriller worthy of sharing shelf space with the novels of John le Carré and Ken Follett...darkly imaginative...draws a dramatic portrait' (USA Today on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20090109)
'A terrific novel of intrigue, duplicity and death in the shadow of the Khyber Pass...Fesperman is that rare journalist who is also a gifted novelist...first-rate' (Washington Post on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'One of the best writers of intelligent thrillers based on contemporary events working today...observant, thoughtful, witty' (Baltimore Sun on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO )
'A new book by Dan Fesperman is becoming a major literary event . . . an utterly compelling thriller and quite simply the best I’ve read all year.' (Sunday Telegraph on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Fesperman offers a level of cultural and political nuance not always found in adventure thrillers.' (Booklist on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'A first-rate geopolitical yarn . . . Fesperman combines his strong eye for detail with bleak film-noir cynicism, managing to make plot twists that could have felt contrived seem depressingly believable.' (Entertainment Weekly on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Dan Fesperman has written that rare thing: a fine and intelligent novel that makes you think, and keeps you turning the pages.' (Val McDermid on THE SMALL BOAT OF GREAT SORROWS )
'In THE WARLORD'S SON, Dan Fesperman, an American foreign correspondent who covered the war in Afghanistan, succeeds in writing a convincing, accurate thriller . . . This book is worth reading if only for the passage where the hero, Skelly, glimpses Osama bin Laden at a public hanging; the scene both convinces and frightens.' (The Economist on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Fesperman is the closest thing America has to John le Carré, a writer of great elegance and sophistication whose novels are as topical as they are compelling. In a market saturated by factory-made thrillers, Fesperman stands out as a spy novelist of the highest quality.' (Charles Cumming, The Week ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
'A gritty verisimilitude against a subtle political backdrop. The scene-setting is vivid and dramatic. Mr Fesperman is especially good on the murky frontier where journalists, aid-workers and spies trade information...He is honing the genre of intelligent political thrillers. Foreign correspondents should note: they now have some new standards to match.' (Economist 20060716)
'It goes without saying that Fesperman is a master of orchestrating tension - but he is equally good at characterising his vulnerable, conflicted protagonists' (Daily Express 20060716)
'Fesperman taps another timely issue in his fourth topical thriller...a superb job' (Publishers Weekly 20060716)
'Fascinating ... a thought-provoking and exciting read' (Observer on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'An absorbing novel with some provocative commentary on America's war on terror' (Susannah Yager, Sunday Telegraph on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'A neat sense of conspiratorial tension...Fesperman's use of spy tradecraft is good - even creative - and never more elaborate than the situation calls for' (Washington Post on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20060716)
'A superb spy thriller worthy of sharing shelf space with the novels of John le Carré and Ken Follett...darkly imaginative...draws a dramatic portrait' (USA Today on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO 20090109)
'A terrific novel of intrigue, duplicity and death in the shadow of the Khyber Pass...Fesperman is that rare journalist who is also a gifted novelist...first-rate' (Washington Post on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'One of the best writers of intelligent thrillers based on contemporary events working today...observant, thoughtful, witty' (Baltimore Sun on THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO )
'A new book by Dan Fesperman is becoming a major literary event . . . an utterly compelling thriller and quite simply the best I’ve read all year.' (Sunday Telegraph on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Fesperman offers a level of cultural and political nuance not always found in adventure thrillers.' (Booklist on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'A first-rate geopolitical yarn . . . Fesperman combines his strong eye for detail with bleak film-noir cynicism, managing to make plot twists that could have felt contrived seem depressingly believable.' (Entertainment Weekly on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Dan Fesperman has written that rare thing: a fine and intelligent novel that makes you think, and keeps you turning the pages.' (Val McDermid on THE SMALL BOAT OF GREAT SORROWS )
'In THE WARLORD'S SON, Dan Fesperman, an American foreign correspondent who covered the war in Afghanistan, succeeds in writing a convincing, accurate thriller . . . This book is worth reading if only for the passage where the hero, Skelly, glimpses Osama bin Laden at a public hanging; the scene both convinces and frightens.' (The Economist on THE WARLORD'S SON )
'Fesperman is the closest thing America has to John le Carré, a writer of great elegance and sophistication whose novels are as topical as they are compelling. In a market saturated by factory-made thrillers, Fesperman stands out as a spy novelist of the highest quality.' (Charles Cumming, The Week ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another good novel by Fesperman. I like the fact that he generally steers away from US/UK detective characters, introducing us to the Bosnian policeman Vlado Petric (Lie in the Dark, ...Great Sorrows), a US journalist in Afghanistan (Warlord's Son), to an interrogator (Guantanamo), and now a diplomat in Jordan.
These different settings help Fesperman stand out from the crowd, and this one is no exception, a diplomat forced to spy in Jordan and the Palestinian territories and who comes across more than he bargains for.
Could have done with a stronger ending, but that's my personal view.
These different settings help Fesperman stand out from the crowd, and this one is no exception, a diplomat forced to spy in Jordan and the Palestinian territories and who comes across more than he bargains for.
Could have done with a stronger ending, but that's my personal view.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
13 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A long, tedious path to a somewhat exciting climax
4 Nov 2009
Format:Paperback
I found this to be very slow going. The major part of the novel has the main character acting very much the amateur and takes his time doing so. Seems like he makes boo-boos that even we armchair spies wouldn't make. And the reading of his bumbling is just plain dull. The climax is exciting, but it takes a heck of a long while to get there.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
superb espionage thriller
6 Mar 2008
Format:Hardcover
After years working in the world's most dangerous spots as an aid worker, fifty-five year old Freeman Lockhart retires. He and his thirty-something Bosnian spouse Mila take residence on the island of Karos in the Aegean Sea.
However, on their very first night, three home invaders abduct Freeman. They demand he do their bidding. He is to go to Jordon to spy on a former aid co-worker Omar al-Baroody. If he refuses, they will publicly destroy him and his wife by revealing his darkest secret involving his spouse when they worked in Africa. Stunned, he travels to Amman while in Washington, D.C. Dr. Abbas Rahim plans a terrorist attack that ties back to Freeman's Jordanian mission.
THE AMATEUR SPY is a superb espionage thriller and the audience will show their appreciation by reading it in one entranced sitting. Freeman is terrific as the title character blackmailed into a scenario that is out of his skill level but failure is unacceptable as he knows the price. Fans will sympathize and root for him while watching him bungle his way through a dangerous mission in which he knows no matter what he does someone will die.
Harriet Klausner
However, on their very first night, three home invaders abduct Freeman. They demand he do their bidding. He is to go to Jordon to spy on a former aid co-worker Omar al-Baroody. If he refuses, they will publicly destroy him and his wife by revealing his darkest secret involving his spouse when they worked in Africa. Stunned, he travels to Amman while in Washington, D.C. Dr. Abbas Rahim plans a terrorist attack that ties back to Freeman's Jordanian mission.
THE AMATEUR SPY is a superb espionage thriller and the audience will show their appreciation by reading it in one entranced sitting. Freeman is terrific as the title character blackmailed into a scenario that is out of his skill level but failure is unacceptable as he knows the price. Fans will sympathize and root for him while watching him bungle his way through a dangerous mission in which he knows no matter what he does someone will die.
Harriet Klausner
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but curiously unmoving and unengaging
23 Mar 2008
Format:Hardcover
I won't go into a full rehash of the story, as the publishing reviews and other member reviews have done that in great detail. Essentially, this is the story of a retired aid worker (Freeman Lockhart) who's recruited by a murky intelligence agency to perform some spying for them targeting one of his former associates, a Palestinian now running a charitable fundraising organization. Of course, the question Lockhart is to determine is if, in fact, that's really all his old friend is up to. As leverage, three agents from the unnamed agency threaten Lockhart's young wife while also threatening to reveal to her a secret from Lockhart's past he doesn't want revealed because he's afraid of how it will affect her.
Okay, I know that all sounds complicated; well, it gets even more so as the story progresses.
At the same time, in Washington, DC, an American doctor of Middle Eastern descent and his wife, whose daughter was killed in a passport screwup while overseas which may have been caused by delays due to her Middle Eastern last name -- or so the doctor believes -- find themselves involved in a plot to commit a terrorist act against a gathering of high government officials.
See what I mean?
There are some interesting ideas here: an "amateur spy" with absolutely no intelligence training or experience bumbling his way through an operation; the byzantine politics of the Middle East, with its various competing factions; the world of aid distribution and cease-fire monitoring.
Unfortunately, author Fesperman had so many balls in the air he ends up dropping several of them.
When we finally learn the identity of the agency that's behind his "recruitment", that entire thread of the story abruptly disappears. Somehow or another, the threat they posed to his entire lifestyle becomes an absolute non-issue. The parallel stories of Lockhart and the doctor and his wife are dependant on far too many incredible happenstances. Lockhart's wife Mila -- the motivating factor in all his actions -- is almost a cartoon character, a virtual non-entity, simply the "McGuffin" of the story (to borrow from Hitchcock). He acquires a gun, and then never does anything with it, including never getting any ammunition. Fesperman throws up beaureaucratic obstacles to a couple of characters' departure from Jordan that suddenly -- and for no discernible reason -- disappear when it suits the story's timeline for them to leave the country.
For me, the parts of the story dealing with the refugee world in Jordan and the parasites of various persuasions that feed from and upon it was very interesting, and earned the three stars I gave this book. But I don't think le Carre is in any danger of losing his throne in this genre.
Okay, I know that all sounds complicated; well, it gets even more so as the story progresses.
At the same time, in Washington, DC, an American doctor of Middle Eastern descent and his wife, whose daughter was killed in a passport screwup while overseas which may have been caused by delays due to her Middle Eastern last name -- or so the doctor believes -- find themselves involved in a plot to commit a terrorist act against a gathering of high government officials.
See what I mean?
There are some interesting ideas here: an "amateur spy" with absolutely no intelligence training or experience bumbling his way through an operation; the byzantine politics of the Middle East, with its various competing factions; the world of aid distribution and cease-fire monitoring.
Unfortunately, author Fesperman had so many balls in the air he ends up dropping several of them.
When we finally learn the identity of the agency that's behind his "recruitment", that entire thread of the story abruptly disappears. Somehow or another, the threat they posed to his entire lifestyle becomes an absolute non-issue. The parallel stories of Lockhart and the doctor and his wife are dependant on far too many incredible happenstances. Lockhart's wife Mila -- the motivating factor in all his actions -- is almost a cartoon character, a virtual non-entity, simply the "McGuffin" of the story (to borrow from Hitchcock). He acquires a gun, and then never does anything with it, including never getting any ammunition. Fesperman throws up beaureaucratic obstacles to a couple of characters' departure from Jordan that suddenly -- and for no discernible reason -- disappear when it suits the story's timeline for them to leave the country.
For me, the parts of the story dealing with the refugee world in Jordan and the parasites of various persuasions that feed from and upon it was very interesting, and earned the three stars I gave this book. But I don't think le Carre is in any danger of losing his throne in this genre.
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