Death by Espionage: Intriguing Stories of Deception and Betrayal [Hardcover]

Drawing on the long history and cosmopolitan membership of the International Association of Crime Writers, the author of the Arkady Renko thrillers has stitched together a crazy quilt of 19 spy stories set in locales as far-flung as Israel, Cuba and Thailand. Smith's selections include works by major 19th-century figures such as Guy de Maupassant and Mark Twain, as well as tales by lesser-known modern practitioners, including Carmen Iarrera and Jean-Hughes Oppel. There are also entries from authors whose fame lies in other genres: John D. MacDonald's "Betrayed," Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" and John Jakes's "Dr. Sweetkill." The result is an intriguing mix of classic stories and new, post-Cold War points of view that often subvert the James Bond archetype. Ambrose Bierce's excellent account of a meeting between a noble Confederate spy and a Union captain, "The Story of Conscience," demonstrates the affection a man can feel for his enemy. Arnaldo Correa's solid entry, "Spy's Fate," features a Cuban master spy whose demanding job has destroyed the happiness of his family. Jose Latour's compelling "Golam" describes an Israeli agent who decides to write his memoirs in order to gain recognition for his secret feats. There are some disappointing selections, and many modern giants are missing (Ian Fleming, Eric Ambler, Graham Greene among them), but Smith's compilation can wear a sturdy cloak and shining dagger with honor. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A memorable collection of 16 stories, edited with an insightful introduction by the accomplished Smith(Havana Bay, p.480, etc.), who also recently won the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers for his novel Rose. The group of distinguished, well-published, and, in most cases, well-known authors represented here includes the likes of Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and Maupassant, going on to John D. MacDonald, John Jakes, John Lutz, Jean-Hugues Oppel, and Michael Collins. Just as varied as the talent, of course, are the adventures and their settingsthe Adirondacks during the Reagan-period Cold War years; Los Angeles and the Tommy Dorsey swing era on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor; or Prussian-occupied Colombes, France, at the time of WWI, where Maupassant takes us fishing with two temporarily noncombatant foot soldiers. Mark Twain writes of a galloping case of what Smith describes as ``spy fever'' during the Civil War, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary crime sleuths, Holmes and Watson, lend their prodigious powers of detection to solving the puzzle of missing intelligence plans that in the wrong hands could threaten the British Admiralty. A timeless potpourri and hours of great reading in digestible portions for professional and amateur spy-meisters alike. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

...you'll find "Death By Espionage" a collection certain to satisfy. -- Palo Alto Daily News, January 22, 2000

Smith has done excellent work in this selection of espionage stories. -- The Decatur Daily, October 24, 1999

So few spies reach retirement age. Perhaps that's because the first rule of the game is that everybody dies-well, almost everybody. The quest for information makes for complex and particularly interesting characters, and at least a few of them survive to enjoy the ill-gotten fruit of their labors. Or is it ill-gotten?

The stories in DEATH BY ESPIONAGE come from the imaginations of members of the International Association of Crime Writers and some of the world's best-known authors. Their agents stealthily slip in and out of this collection of twenty stories with settings ranging from a Civil War outpost and Victorian England to Hitler's Fortress Europa and the post-Cold War world. The stories delve into themes of betrayal, revenge, and treachery and demonstrate the mind games and manipulations for which spies are so renowned.

These stories brim with missions behind enemy lines, red herrings, Swiss bank accounts, ingenious entrapments, and coded instructions. There are German spies in America and Allied spies in Europe during World War II. There are Israeli spies and spies in Latin America. There are assassins and seducers, stolen plans and intricate games of cat and mouse. And there are grudges. The universal rule, however, is that no one gets to write their memoirs.

Editor and author Martin Cruz Smith has penned many best-selling works and is the winner of the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers for his novel, "Rose." Other successful titles include "Canto for a Gypsy," "Nightwing," "Gorky Park," "Polar Star," "and "Red Square." Currently at work on his next novel, he lives in California with his wife and children.