Epitaph for a Spy

ISBN: 1-55690-170-4 Order from: Recorded Books

A well-executed tale of an civilian dragged into the affairs of spies, this book alternates tension with boredom, and suffers from an ambiguous and somewhat grim tone.

Reviewed by David on October 03, 1999

Genre: Mystery (Cloak and Dagger, Amateur Sleuth)

Synopsis: Vadassy is a Hungerian immigrant in France a few years before WWII. Lacking self-confidence, and with uncertain legal status, Vadassy looks forward to another pleasant and rather lonely vaction in the South of France. However, when his picture-taking make him a suspected spy, the machinations of unscrupulous police as well as a real, if unknown, spy, fill the last days of his stay with excitement, anger, fear and courage.

Full Review: The main protagonist is portrayed with deftness and realism by both the internal dialogue and the apt reading of the narrator. The mixture of fear, shyness, quick-lived anger and occasional insight of the well-educated but precariously positioned immigrant make a solid impression.

The other characters are more roughly sketched, and their dialogue, and the narrator's tone, frequently turn them into caricatures. To some extent this may be intential, to indicate the cyphers that casual acquintances can become with the burden of suspicion weighing on one's point of view. However, this does make the reader's involvement more difficult.

The other major flaw are the bouts of angst and powerlessness that the narrator experiences, frequently going for overly long, and rather unexciting passages.

The ending is not particularly satisfying. Both the angst, and the rather depressing resolution, are probably a realistic outcome of the situation described. The grimness of the coming war, and the suffering that the Nazi Germany had already started imposing on Europe, color much of the book.

This choice of realism over drama makes the book less than entirely satisfying. While skillfully written (and narrated), this book combines too much frustration with too little pleasure.

Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5;

ISBN: 1-55690-170-4 Order from: Recorded Books