Len Deighton was the author of super-cool spy stories in the 1960s. That was the era when England won the World Cup, British fashion was the bee's knees, and the Beatles were in their prime. From the perspective of dismal Britain, derided by everyone in Europe, a golden age. Deighton's stories are dry, humorous, thrilling and full of suspense, and full of the feeling that Britain is where it is at. Read and ... either, remember, if you are as old as me, or wonder!

This one is the first book of a trilogy about a poor chap - a British spy, whose wife has defected.

Lots of Len Deighton books were turned into movies, of which The Ipcress File is deservedly the most famous - really worth seeing, or the debut of Michael Caine as a new species of cool London man (who cooked!)