My On Crime Column: Rereading Len Deighton's Reissued Spy Thrillers

I was sorry to read that one of my favorite writers, Len Deighton (seen in the below photo), died last month. But at 97, he certainly lived a good, long life.

Although he had not published a book in many years, his obituary appeared in nearly every newspaper and Internet website.

You can read his obituary and about his life and work via the link below:

Spy thriller author Len Deighton dies at 97 | AP News

Although he wrote close to 40 books, his best-known novel was his first, The Ipcress File, which featured a nameless narrator. The narrator, a spy, was unlike most other fictional spies in that he was a working-class smart aleck.

I liked the Deighton narrator and his sardonic voice. I also liked Deighton's clever plots and his vivid descriptions of characters, places, things and food (Deighton is an accomplished cook).   

I also enjoyed actor Michael Caine in the film series based on Deighton’s novels, The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and Billion Dollar Brain.

Over the years, I’ve read nearly all of Deighton’s novels, including his WWII military history novels and his clever alternative history novel, SS-GB, which takes place in a post-WWI Briton that the Nazis have defeated and now occupy. 

Prior to his death, Deighton must have been pleased that in 2022 British ITV offered a series adapted from The Ipcress File. The series runs on AMC+ in the USA. I’ve not yet seen the series as I don’t subscribe to AMC+, but I’ll certainly watch it when it moves to Netflix or Amazon.  

And Len Deighton must have been pleased that Grove Atlantic began reissuing his novels. I have copies of the reissued The Ipcress Files, Funeral in Berlin, and SS-GB, three of my favorite Deighton thrillers, and I reread them. I believe they hold up nicely after all these years. 

Grove Atlantic also reissued Deighton’s Yesterday's Spy, Billion Dollar Brain, An Expensive Place to Die and Spy Story. 

As I read about Len Deighton’s death, I happened to be reading Grove Atlantic’s reissued The Horse Under Water, which featured the first-person narrator from The Ipcress File. It is a fine thriller in which the narrator spy is sent to France to deal with a sunken WWII Nazi sub, drugs and a cast of clever characters.

Afterwards, I began reading Grove Atlantic’s reissued Twinkle, Twinkle Little Spy, which is another fine thriller. The narrator spy is sent to the Sharara Desert to meet a defecting Soviet scientist. Like Len Deighton’s other thrillers, this one has interesting characters, clever narration and dialogue, and a fine plot.

If you have not read Len Deighton, I suggest that you do so. If you have not read him in years, I suggest you do so again.  

Note: You can read my other online On Crime columns via the link below: 

Paul Davis On Crime: My Online On Crime Columns