This novel is also unusual in that the plot is taut, a straightforward telling of Quiller's relentless search for Heinrich Zossen, a Nazi war criminal who Quiller detests. It does have a good bit of action with tense moments of suspense but still a cold, often matter-of-fact story.
All of these descriptions are negatives, yet I liked the book quite a bit, and I like the character. Maybe because he is so believable. Spying is not romanticized. The first person narration pulled me in immediately.
For me this book doesn't rank up there with those of Deighton, le Carré, or McCarry but then I have only read one book in the series, so maybe I will be won over in future books. The style is unique. There are another 18 books in the series, written over 30 years, and I will definitely be reading more of them.
This book was originally published in 1965 under the title The Berlin Memorandum. Adam Hall is a pseudonym for Elleston Trevor, and you can learn more about him at The Unofficial Quiller Web Site.
There is a film adaptation, starring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max Von Sydow, and Senta Berger. I did not find that the film measured up to the book. It was a very loose adaptation, and I thought the story was confusing. It did move pretty fast but it seemed to be more of an art piece than an action film. However, there are many fans of the movie and I would love to hear other opinions. I will probably be watching it again. The director was Michael Anderson and the screenwriter was Harold Pinter.
See these sources for more detail and other opinions:
- Book review at Tipping my Fedora; Film review by Sergio Angelini at BFI Screenonline.
- Review at Past Offences
- Review at Existential Ennui
- THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM REVISITED at Crime Fiction Lover
- Review at Col's Criminal Library
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Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, 2004 (orig. pub. 1965)
Length: 220 pages
Format: Trade Paperback
Series: Quiller #1
Setting: Berlin
Genre: Espionage
Source: From my TBR piles; purchased in 2014.