From Publishers Weekly
In this fast-moving thriller based on the real-life mystery concerning the identities of Soviet "moles" in British intelligencespecifically the "Fifth Man" in the celebrated Oxford-educated group of traitorsHartland has concocted a nail-biting tale featuring such real-life figures as Richard Sorge and Klaus Fuchs. When an East German scientist eager to defect turns out to be the son of a famous Mata Hari of the 1950s who may well know the identity of the mole, British intelligence creaks into action. How a young British spy-ette gets the old woman out of East Germany, and how spy master David Nairn discovers who is actually deceiving whom provide moments of terror and mystery. Hartland paints an intriguing portrait of a dedicated espionage agent whose emotions are repeatedly betrayed by her masters, and creates convincing characters whose fates will hold readers spellbound. Former diplomat and intelligence officer Hartland (Seven Steps to Treason) has the background to make it all ring true. Paperback rights to Berkley.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
British spy David Nairn returns for his third appearance, once again assisted by his young sidekick, Sarah. This time their mission is to establish whether the dead MI5 director, Sir Jack Carteret, had been a Soviet mole and whether others are still in place in the British security service. The story spans a timeframe from the turbulent Shanghai of 1930 to the complacent Whitehall of today and is loosely based on the official uncertainty in the case of the real-life Sir Roger Hollis. Despite a promisingly complicated plot based on phony defectors and a massive campaign of disinformation to protect long-time Soviet agents in the West, the book fails to come alive, probably because the fiction has been overwhelmed by the headlines and speculations of the last few decades. Disappointing.John North, L.R.C., Polytechnical Inst., Toronto
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
