Robert Littell ´ 4 Read
A spy thriller classic from the author of The Company
Before Robert Littell vaulted onto the bestseller lists with The Company, The Amateur, which has been long out of print, established him as a contemporary master of the espionage thriller. In this sleek and murderous novel, Charlie Heller is an ace cryptographer for the CIA, a quiet man in a quiet back-office job. But when his fiancée is murdered by terrorists and the Agency decides not to pursue her killers, Heller takes matters into his own hands. The fact that he is an amateur makes him all the more dangerous. Mind-blowing in its intelligence, pulse-pounding in its suspense, The Amateur is a stunner. The Amateur
I liked this, in the end. It started to pick up when the main character finally began to get his revenge. Then he began to have a personality: before that he was just a government scribe. I especially liked the Czech intelligence officers, the neat solution to a Shakespeare mystery, and the very cool and satisfying ending. If only all secrets-spilling could be as neat. Paperback Just about a five star. 4.5 for sure.
I found this book as a recommendation either from the Library web site or here at Good Reads, not sure which. I had never even heard of Robert Littell. Apparently he has written some good and popular books; this being one of them.
In a quick summary, a cipher geek (this was 1971, so todays equivalent of a computer nerd) falls into a situation where some bad people do something bad to someone he loves. Mr Computer/Cipher geek decides that even though he's an amateur, he's going to do his best impression as a professional assasin and hunt down those who are responsible.
Not a unique idea for sure, but Mr. Littell does a fine job of telling this story. He also does well with character development, and has some nice plot twistys at the end. Bravo. Paperback Review to follow Paperback Amateur extends to the writing of the book as well as the title. Mixing metaphors with cliches produces lines like these:
- “Plowing toward retirement like an icebreaker, the lady Consul General half raised her right hand and asked in a voice ideally suited to recorded announcements, ‘Do you swear or affirm that you have told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?’”
- “And the terrorists… They appeared out of the smoke and swirling dust like a medieval apparition, masked genies summoned up for the denouement of a passion play, Heironymus Bosch’s nightmarish vision of the guardians of hell.”
- “in the chancellery in Bonn the storm raged. Footsteps resounded through the long marble corridors of power…”
If that doesn’t make you appreciate the high art of spy fiction from le Carré and Furst, nothing will. Paperback Velice nadšeně jsem hltala stránky, které mě uvedly do socialistické Prahy a války KGB s CIA a československou kontrarozvědkou.
Nechyběl humor, sex a láska. Především ale kniha obsahuje šokující detailní postupy CIA, informace o zbraních a systému tak spletitého a podlého, že do něj pouhý smrtelník nemůže vidět.
Celá recenze na http://www.channach.com/robert-littel... Paperback
An excellent book about an office worker for the CIA who's girlfriend is murdered by terrorists.
The officer worker (an amateur) blackmails the CIA into sending him behind communist lines to assassinate the 3 terrorists.
A book about the healing power of revenge (or not), about redemption, anger, and the enduring power of love, and new love.
There are some comedic dialogues, and some really good intelligent smart writing.
My first Littell book, selected just at random, and I was exceptionally impressed, so much so, that I am saving the book in my home library for future reference.
Highly recommended.
Four and a half stars. Paperback I normally enjoy Littell's work but I hated the premise of this one: the main character's girlfriend is killed in a terrorist/hostage situation so the whole book is about him seeking eye for an eye vengeance? Please. Paperback There are things the CIA does, and things that it knows, that it doesn't want others to know about. A very fine suspense novel under the guise of spy fiction. Paperback A cliche novel with bullet holes in the plot and lack lustre narration. Paperback I loved the intro and general concept for this book. So when the bottom dropped out a third of the way through and it toddled off into oblivion with no conceivable development of any kind, it was a serious disappointment.
Although it was fun to imagine a bunch of dudes in a deep squat pointing guns at each other in their aim stance. Paperback
