Fiction

Mexico Set

Mexico Set

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  • Create Date：2021-06-15 08:51:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Len Deighton
  • ISBN：0241505453
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Summary

'Deighton is a marvel 。。。 a tale told by an author at the height of his power' Chicago Tribune

World-weary agent Bernard Samson is losing control of his personal and professional life。 Sent to Mexico to aid the defection of a KGB agent to the West， he has a chance to prove his worth。 Instead he is torn between conflicting loyalties， and lost in a maze of double-dealing and duplicity。 The second novel in the Game， Set and Match trilogy is a gripping portrayal of a man who can trust no one， not even those closest to him。

A BERNARD SAMSON NOVEL

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Reviews

Gordon Popular ，

Not as good as the first in the series。 The same characters are here， but their problem this time is a defector， is he real or not。 Over all a good book and you need to read so you can keep up with the series。

Pradeep Rajiv ，

To me， until I started reading Len Deighton， no one else has come close to John Le Carre in analysing the craft of Spying， its ramification on people， societies and Nations。 Reading Len Deighton takes me to streets of Berlin that I never visited， know people that I can never look at and be part of stories that I can never play part in。Spy Fiction is my favourite genre and Len Deighton makes me realise like Le carre did， why it so！ My salute to all the spies who led life on the edge and lifted th To me， until I started reading Len Deighton， no one else has come close to John Le Carre in analysing the craft of Spying， its ramification on people， societies and Nations。 Reading Len Deighton takes me to streets of Berlin that I never visited， know people that I can never look at and be part of stories that I can never play part in。Spy Fiction is my favourite genre and Len Deighton makes me realise like Le carre did， why it so！ My salute to all the spies who led life on the edge and lifted things out of brink。 。。。more

John Stanley ，

Great story， well written， maybe a little bit more action than usual for Deighton’s spy stories， very entertaining。 Looking forward to Bernard Sampson #3， “London Match。”

Charles ，

First thing – this is not three stories。 this is not three books。 this is one story broken into three convenient binders。As such you have to read all three。 In order。 Doing otherwise would be like watching just episode three of the Thorn Birds。 The story just won’t hold together or make sense。The first quarter of the first book left me with the impression that this was going to be a very dull story。 It turns out that setting the stage for the whole story took the author a little bit longer than First thing – this is not three stories。 this is not three books。 this is one story broken into three convenient binders。As such you have to read all three。 In order。 Doing otherwise would be like watching just episode three of the Thorn Birds。 The story just won’t hold together or make sense。The first quarter of the first book left me with the impression that this was going to be a very dull story。 It turns out that setting the stage for the whole story took the author a little bit longer than I expected。 Bernard Sampson turns out to be a great character。 Full of depth and pathos。 You will find yourself rooting for him before you’re halfway through the Berlin game。 The story has a visceral cat and mouse subplot that snakes through the entire series。 If you can get all three books and read from beginning to end it will be a wonderful weekend。 。。。more

Nikhil Khare ，

The convoluted life of Bernard Sampson and the aftermath of his wife's defection keeps you wanting to read more。 The author menacingly engages the audience in a cat and mouse game and the thrill of being a spy。 The convoluted life of Bernard Sampson and the aftermath of his wife's defection keeps you wanting to read more。 The author menacingly engages the audience in a cat and mouse game and the thrill of being a spy。 。。。more

Zbegniew ，

I listened to the audiobook of this and the narration was good。 It is the 2nd book in the first Bernard （accent on the first syllable， please） Sampson trilogy by Len Deighton。 In it， Bernard discovers that Cold War geopolitics is not nearly as dangerous as the office politics of his own service。 His wife， who was also employed by the service， turned out to be a Russian mole for years。 She has now defected to Russia。 His service wonders how he could be married to an enemy spy for all those years I listened to the audiobook of this and the narration was good。 It is the 2nd book in the first Bernard （accent on the first syllable， please） Sampson trilogy by Len Deighton。 In it， Bernard discovers that Cold War geopolitics is not nearly as dangerous as the office politics of his own service。 His wife， who was also employed by the service， turned out to be a Russian mole for years。 She has now defected to Russia。 His service wonders how he could be married to an enemy spy for all those years and not know it。 Now they are wondering if he was complicit in her treachery。 。。。more

Ian Racey ，

Had more incident than the first book。 The best part of these books is the everymanness of Bernard Samson。 He makes an excellent antihero。

Graham Robertson ，

Excellent。

David ，

Excellent。 Quite long。 Good characterisation。 Second in trilogy。 Follows Berlin Game。

James ，

I didn't like this as much as the first in the trilogy， as the protagonist Bernard was too clever for everyone else and had the measure of those around him， so there was less unease as to who he could trust。 This was what drew me to the opening novel， so the change was significant。Instead， the tension was whether he could 'enroll' a Soviet agent and entice him to England against the efforts of the KGB and bumbling British spies， much of which was set in Mexico。 There was the right balance of set I didn't like this as much as the first in the trilogy， as the protagonist Bernard was too clever for everyone else and had the measure of those around him， so there was less unease as to who he could trust。 This was what drew me to the opening novel， so the change was significant。Instead， the tension was whether he could 'enroll' a Soviet agent and entice him to England against the efforts of the KGB and bumbling British spies， much of which was set in Mexico。 There was the right balance of setting and plot， along with personal subplots， but I just didn't find the plot as interesting。 After being outwitted by an ambitious secretary， there is a ludicrous scene later on when she reappears and does a complete about turn， and the character of Zena is too one-dimensional。On the plus side there is more than just a simple narrative of competent， gallant Brits against useless Commies， but in a standard length novel， it did not seem as though much actually happened， so this was merely an average book。 Hopefully the third picks up again。 。。。more

Ben ，

Great dialog， but I prefer "Berlin Game。" Great dialog， but I prefer "Berlin Game。" 。。。more

Peter Reeves ，

Deighton is timeless。 Loved Mexico Set。 Bernard Sampson is a great character。 The plot weaves in and out。 Its just a smart enjoyable yarn。

Bob Box ，

Read in 1986。 More spy intrigue with Bernard Samson。 One of my favorites that year。

Jill ，

I did enjoy this follow up to Berlin Game， maybe not as much， but it was still very good。 Samson， having his wife defect to the KGB in Russia， is under suspicion in London， and is trying to clear himself。 The internal politics in London， is well described， leaving Samson never quite sure who to trust。 For readers who enjoy spy thrillers， this is definitely a book to choose。 I did enjoy this follow up to Berlin Game， maybe not as much， but it was still very good。 Samson， having his wife defect to the KGB in Russia， is under suspicion in London， and is trying to clear himself。 The internal politics in London， is well described， leaving Samson never quite sure who to trust。 For readers who enjoy spy thrillers， this is definitely a book to choose。 。。。more

Jim Ransom ，

Takes me back to my days in the Berlin BrigadeI so much enjoy Len Deighton’s books。 I was a U。 S。 Army Train Commander on the Duty Train that traveled thru East Berlin and back every night。 I read all of his books riding the train。 I have rediscovered them and am thoroughly enjoying getting to know the characters once again。 They are like old friends from my days as a young Lieutenant back in the mid 80’s。 Currently alternating between Samson and Travis McGee。 A great way to beat the Covid blues Takes me back to my days in the Berlin BrigadeI so much enjoy Len Deighton’s books。 I was a U。 S。 Army Train Commander on the Duty Train that traveled thru East Berlin and back every night。 I read all of his books riding the train。 I have rediscovered them and am thoroughly enjoying getting to know the characters once again。 They are like old friends from my days as a young Lieutenant back in the mid 80’s。 Currently alternating between Samson and Travis McGee。 A great way to beat the Covid blues。 Cheers！ 。。。more

David Evans ，

There’s a reason why Len Deighton’s books sold by the truckload。 He wrote spy fiction that has grimy， suspicious authenticity and his characters have a visceral sweaty solidity， most of them would fill excellent central roles。 In this trilogy Bernard Samson is the weary Michael Caine as Harry Palmer protagonist （with trademark glasses）。 He is recovering from the shock ending of Berlin Game by trying to help lure a prominent KGB operative to defect。 The odd thing is that no one on either side， Br There’s a reason why Len Deighton’s books sold by the truckload。 He wrote spy fiction that has grimy， suspicious authenticity and his characters have a visceral sweaty solidity， most of them would fill excellent central roles。 In this trilogy Bernard Samson is the weary Michael Caine as Harry Palmer protagonist （with trademark glasses）。 He is recovering from the shock ending of Berlin Game by trying to help lure a prominent KGB operative to defect。 The odd thing is that no one on either side， British or Russian seems to have any idea who is actually working for whom。 Samson himself is suspected of being KGB （perhaps he is） and he， in turn， suspects all his colleagues （except the loyal Werner） of batting for the other side。 This seems hard to accept。 It’s as if every player in the Welsh rugby team suspected all his teammates of trying to help England win the match。。。 and judging by recent performances this may be true。。。 my God！ 。。。more

Book collector ，

The second book in the excellent spy series。 The writing is excellent and the characters believable。 The plot is good and the settings well drawn。 Bernard Samson is a great character。 The story continues with twists and turns。 Great series。

Barbara Bengston ，

I have really enjoyed reading this series and am looking forward to the next book。 I have heard about the Samson trilogy for years and regret not reading it sooner。 Not only is the plot interesting， with lots of twists and turns， but the dry humor is especially enjoyable。

Chuck ，

Excellent spy novel。I'd read and enjoyed a couple of Deighton novels before picking up Mexico Set， but this one kind of awakened me to what an excellent writer this fellow is。 Deighton brings well honed style and craftsmanship to his story telling， resulting in a rich， substantive narrative that's a pleasure to read。 I did not deliberately start with the middle book of this trilogy; it just happened that Mexico Set was one of several Deighton novels among the collection of paperbacks I inherited Excellent spy novel。I'd read and enjoyed a couple of Deighton novels before picking up Mexico Set， but this one kind of awakened me to what an excellent writer this fellow is。 Deighton brings well honed style and craftsmanship to his story telling， resulting in a rich， substantive narrative that's a pleasure to read。 I did not deliberately start with the middle book of this trilogy; it just happened that Mexico Set was one of several Deighton novels among the collection of paperbacks I inherited from my father， and I jumped in without realizing it was Number 2。 I'll definitely be reading 1 and 3 as soon as possible。 。。。more

William Coombs ，

I really liked this， the second book in this series with Bernard Samson as the main character。 I look forward to starting #3。

Georgy Wilband ，

I forget how easy Leighton is to read。 There's a chapter where it's just a meeting and they talk and it is really well written I think - simple - but just carries the reader through a story whilst developing the readers ideas about the characters - loved it！ The story itself makes me smile as I half guess who did what or is about to do something！ Although I did spot an error in the time flow （washes the glasses and then someone is still drinking out of one - oops - should have had me to proof re I forget how easy Leighton is to read。 There's a chapter where it's just a meeting and they talk and it is really well written I think - simple - but just carries the reader through a story whilst developing the readers ideas about the characters - loved it！ The story itself makes me smile as I half guess who did what or is about to do something！ Although I did spot an error in the time flow （washes the glasses and then someone is still drinking out of one - oops - should have had me to proof read it！） Looking forward to reading the last one of this Trilogy - London Match。 As well as the others for the main character！ Recommended if you enjoy easy to follow， quick， snappy spy novels。 。。。more

Alfred Weber ，

Another fine spy thriller in this trilogy。 As good as LeCarre。

Michael Romo ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Sampson travels to Mexico with with his inept boss Dicky Cruyer in an attempt to turn KGB major Erich Stinnes。 While in Mexico City Sampson meets up with his longtime friend Verner Volkmann and his young and slippery wife Zena。 The Volkmanns complicate matters when they become involved in Sampson‘s mission。 Bernard knows that he must succeed or be considered a traitor like his wife Fiona。 This is excellent read made even more so by the exotic locale of Mexico City。

David ，

Bernard Samson adjusts slowly to the new reality of his life。 Quite lot of that new reality is also old reality。 But now the old reality is being run by new gamemasters。 And Bernard， convinced as he usually is that he’s usually right， continues to play the game while all about him others alter the rules。

Sam Reaves ，

This is the second of Deighton's Game， Set and Match trilogy， set in Berlin， Mexico and London respectively。 This was followed by two more trilogies for a total of nine books featuring MI6 agent Bernard Samson。 （Deighton also provided some backstory for the series in the standalone Winter。） This trilogy of trilogies amounts to an epic of a spy's life in the late Cold War。 Deighton has also written a number of novels set during the Second World War; he clearly has a feel for the momentous sweep o This is the second of Deighton's Game， Set and Match trilogy， set in Berlin， Mexico and London respectively。 This was followed by two more trilogies for a total of nine books featuring MI6 agent Bernard Samson。 （Deighton also provided some backstory for the series in the standalone Winter。） This trilogy of trilogies amounts to an epic of a spy's life in the late Cold War。 Deighton has also written a number of novels set during the Second World War; he clearly has a feel for the momentous sweep of twentieth-century history。 This broad vision makes him， for my money， a major novelist， regardless of genre。In this entry， Samson is tasked with "enrolling" a KGB officer in Berlin， i。e。 covertly signing him up as a double agent。 Samson goes to Mexico， where the target has been spotted on the fringes of Mexico City's German expatriate community， to make the approach。 Early contacts are ambiguous， and Samson must figure out who is playing whom。 The action moves back to London， Berlin， London again， and then Mexico for the climax。 Like all good spy novels， it's an intellectual puzzle as Samson tries to peel back the layers of deception。 Meanwhile， his personal life is in turmoil （details would require spoilers） and a great deal of the book is devoted to Samson's relationships with old friends， colleagues， superiors， in-laws and his estranged wife。 The inextricable tangling of his personal and professional lives is central to the interest of the series。My only quibble with this one is that the Mexico element is a bit artificial; Deighton admits in a preface that the country fascinates him， and you get the suspicion that he fell prey to the temptation to cram his research into a book。 But that's a very minor blemish; it's a solid entry in the epic of Bernard Samson。 。。。more

Sailaway ，

best spy series。 recommended。

Jim Cullison ，

This sophomore outing in the Cold War British spy saga of Bernard Samson is not only more gripping than the opening offering from Len Deighton， but it is wonderfully more comprehensible and coherent！ The arid and incisive wit that is the hallmark of this reliably cynical espionage opus is very much in evidence， as well as some insights about the exhaustion of the great Cold War power struggle circa the early 80s。 One can easily picture a middle-aged Michael Caine as the perpetually put-upon prot This sophomore outing in the Cold War British spy saga of Bernard Samson is not only more gripping than the opening offering from Len Deighton， but it is wonderfully more comprehensible and coherent！ The arid and incisive wit that is the hallmark of this reliably cynical espionage opus is very much in evidence， as well as some insights about the exhaustion of the great Cold War power struggle circa the early 80s。 One can easily picture a middle-aged Michael Caine as the perpetually put-upon protagonist， fending off Soviet spies as well as duplicitous office politicians as he grapples with an especially unique form of single parenthood。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Mal Warwick ，

Mexico Set is the second novel in Len Deighton's classic spy series。We first met Bernard Samson in Berlin Game， when the veteran MI6 field officer stumbled into the knowledge that his beloved wife， Fiona， was a Soviet spy。 In Mexico Set， the second of the ten novels in Len Deighton‘s （1929-） classic spy series （three trilogies and a prequel）， Bernard is plagued with the consequences of Fiona’s defection。 Even though it was he who tipped off the agency to Fiona’s treachery， many of his superiors Mexico Set is the second novel in Len Deighton's classic spy series。We first met Bernard Samson in Berlin Game， when the veteran MI6 field officer stumbled into the knowledge that his beloved wife， Fiona， was a Soviet spy。 In Mexico Set， the second of the ten novels in Len Deighton‘s （1929-） classic spy series （three trilogies and a prequel）， Bernard is plagued with the consequences of Fiona’s defection。 Even though it was he who tipped off the agency to Fiona’s treachery， many of his superiors are prepared to believe that he， too， is a traitor。 And all the while he is forced to take on a dangerous assignment to engineer the “enrollment” （recruiting） of a senior KGB officer — in order to prove his innocence。Len Deighton’s classic spy series continuesAll while struggling with the need to raise his two small children alone， Bernard’s job requires him to fly back and forth to Mexico， where Stinnes， the KGB man， has turned up。 Meanwhile， Fiona’s aristocratic father， who has little respect for Bernard， is attempting to force him to let the children move in with him。 And Fiona threatens to kidnap the children if he grabs Stinnes， who now works for her in Berlin。 It’s a perfect storm of impossible circumstances。 Deighton capitalizes on these fraught circumstances， producing a relentlessly suspenseful tale that adds new dimensions to the story of Bernard Samson。 。。。more

Benjamin ，

Deighton is often compared to Le Carre， and while there are similarities in the genre， Deighton is no Le Carre。

Susan ，

Having loved， “Berlin Game，” I was keen to read the second Bernie Samson novel。 “Mexico Set，” sees Bernie， and Dickie Cruyer， in Mexico。 They are there to persuade a senior KGB agent， Erich Stinnes， to defect。 As always， though， life is never uncomplicated in Bernie’s life and Stinnes works for Fiona， Bernie’s wife， who was found to be a KGB agent in the prevous novel。 Previously seen as an outsider， due largely to his class， and education， Bernie is now viewed with greater suspicion。 Those in L Having loved， “Berlin Game，” I was keen to read the second Bernie Samson novel。 “Mexico Set，” sees Bernie， and Dickie Cruyer， in Mexico。 They are there to persuade a senior KGB agent， Erich Stinnes， to defect。 As always， though， life is never uncomplicated in Bernie’s life and Stinnes works for Fiona， Bernie’s wife， who was found to be a KGB agent in the prevous novel。 Previously seen as an outsider， due largely to his class， and education， Bernie is now viewed with greater suspicion。 Those in London suspect he knew of Fiona’s disloyalty and even suspect him of involvement。 As this novel veers between London， Mexico City （‘they call it， ‘Mexico’ Bernie’ drawls Dickie， before leaving Bernie and heading off to California） and Berlin。 All of the characters we met in the previous novel are her too， as well as some new names。 There is Bernie’s old school friend， Werner， and his young， ambitious wife， Zerna。 There are those in London – Brett and Cruyer – and there is Henry Tiptree， Dickie’s young friend， who seems to pop up all over the place。 One of the things I love about these books are the characters and the sense of realism。 Although he is a spy， Bernie still has to deal with his children， financial troubles， a domineering father in law and a jealous brother in law。 There are also the complicated feelings he has to Fiona and the sense that all is not quite what it seems… I cannot wait to read on and find out more of Bernie’s story。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mexico Set

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mexico Set&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mexico Set&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0