February in the Library: Espionage!

by Anne Newins

Volunteering in the library is full of surprises.  Recently, we were startled to find that we have over 100 books that are related to espionage, more than expected.  These include  both fiction and non-fiction books. What has made this topic so popular in America?

Readers have been interested in spy stories for centuries.  In 1821, James Fenimore Cooper wrote The Spy, followed by The Bravo in 1831.  World Wars I and II  triggered more spy novels, but the genre really took off during the Cold War.  According to a column in novelsuspects.com, “With so much anxiety and speculation surrounding the tense relationships between these world powers, spy novels became a way for writers to take a guess what was going on behind the scenes.”  Since 9/11, many recent novels are accounts of spy organizations fighting terrorist threats.

Spy novels typically include characteristics of adventure and detective novels, including a strong hero/antihero.  The main character usually is a spy trying to function in a political environment.  Many of the books are complex and the ending may not always be happy.  On the other hand, Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club stories feature a cast of retired spies and are amusing.

Daniel Silva, Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, and Alan Furst are popular with Manor residents, along with many others.  I would like to highlight a few favorite books:

Anything written by John le Carré.  The late le Carré is considered one of the best novelists of the post cold-war era.  Described by Dwight Garner as a “sophisticated, morally ambiguous writer,” even readers who are not fans of spy fiction might enjoy his books.  Le Carré was a member of the British Foreign Service and his understanding of how these agencies work underlies many of his books.

A Woman of No Importance:  the untold story of the American Spy who helped win World War II, by Sonya Purnell.  This 2019 best seller tells the true story of Virginia Hall, a socialite who was the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and was a major force in the development of the French Resistance.  In one of her death-defying experiences, Hall hiked over the Pyrenees, despite having a prosthetic leg.

The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron.  Herron fans may already have read his Slough House series and been watching Slow Horses, a television series.  The RVM library recently ordered a stand-alone novel, The Secret Hours, which should be available to residents in the latter half of February.  Few could resist a book with the opening line of “The worst smell in the world is a dead badger.”  This witty, suspenseful, and complex book is full of interesting British spies, and was described by reviewer Chris Hewitt as  “the good guys are bad, the bad guys are worse, and the reader is in luck.”

Readers interested in doing a little snooping themselves might investigate the Red Dot and Black X shelves located opposite of the main library entrance.  These donated paperbacks are not catalogued and may be borrowed for as long as you desire.

This month’s photo exposes a suspicious character engaged in literary espionage.  Uh-oh!