Fiction

Spy Hook

Spy Hook

  • Downloads：7006
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-06 09:51:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Len Deighton
  • ISBN：024150547X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Millions of pounds have gone missing， and the Department have sent agent Bernard Samson to Washington to track them down。 But this mission is just the start of something far deeper and darker。 It will take him from the English suburbs to Berlin， the South of France to Los Angeles and the heart of a maelstrom。

In the first part of the Hook， Line and Sinker trilogy， friends become enemies， pursuer becomes victim and no one - not even Bernard himself - is above suspicion。

A BERNARD SAMSON NOVEL

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Reviews

John Stanley ，

Even well into the book I was leaning towards three stars but it’s a really good story， and very well written， slow but by no means dull。 It’s not really a complete novel however。 It simply wraps things up as a “part one” of the three-book series that it is and absolutely requires continuing on with the next book， “Spy Line” which I will happily do。

François Carrière ，

meh

Jonathan ，

Another entry in the Bernard Samson series that finds him three years on from London Match and getting embroiled in yet more office politics。 It's good to be back in this world， though it's clearly just the set up for the trilogy， with a cliffhanger ending pushing the reader on to Spy Line。 Great stuff。 Another entry in the Bernard Samson series that finds him three years on from London Match and getting embroiled in yet more office politics。 It's good to be back in this world， though it's clearly just the set up for the trilogy， with a cliffhanger ending pushing the reader on to Spy Line。 Great stuff。 。。。more

John Tallett ，

Lots of mundane details but then Deighton pulls it all together at the end in a compelling and interesting way。

Susancatobrien ，

Enjoyable As I continue to go through the Bernie Samson books the plot lines really open out pleased that I have chosen to read them in order after my mix up with book 1 and 2。 Really enjoying the characters looking forward to Spy Line

Nikhil Khare ，

The paranoia of Bernard increases gradually since his wife's defection to the East。 The first trilogy ended with a cliff hanger and the next trilogy picks off right after。 The writer has beautifully engrossed readers into the "looking over the shoulder" attitude of Bernard and led to his discoveries and adventures。 The paranoia of Bernard increases gradually since his wife's defection to the East。 The first trilogy ended with a cliff hanger and the next trilogy picks off right after。 The writer has beautifully engrossed readers into the "looking over the shoulder" attitude of Bernard and led to his discoveries and adventures。 。。。more

Justin ，

Variation on the theme of Le Carré

Bob Box ，

Read in 1989。 Terrific spy thriller in the Samson series。

David Evans ，

Episode 4 - three or four years after Game， Set and Match and Bernard Samson is still not trusted by the Department， perhaps not without reason。 Anyway， characters he presumed dead have a habit of reappearing unexpectedly and further derailing his attempts to make sense of the shady politics of his masters。 Samson， who shows great insight into his colleagues’ psyche by observing their mannerisms， stubbornly pursues the truth and we start to get the impression that the great shock at the end of “ Episode 4 - three or four years after Game， Set and Match and Bernard Samson is still not trusted by the Department， perhaps not without reason。 Anyway， characters he presumed dead have a habit of reappearing unexpectedly and further derailing his attempts to make sense of the shady politics of his masters。 Samson， who shows great insight into his colleagues’ psyche by observing their mannerisms， stubbornly pursues the truth and we start to get the impression that the great shock at the end of “Game” may， in fact， have been part of an even bigger conspiracy。Once again the descriptions of Cold War Berlin are atmospheric and gripping。 。。。more

William Coombs ，

I continue to love this series。

Book collector ，

Bernard Samson returns for his second trilogy。 As usual the writing is excellent。 The pace is slower in this first book but it's a great story。 Bernard Samson returns for his second trilogy。 As usual the writing is excellent。 The pace is slower in this first book but it's a great story。 。。。more

Leonard ，

Another quick read， hard to put down。 a lot of fun to read some of the English slang terms and the joking terms their intelligence people use， such as "the Yellow Submarine"。 unfortunately I have not been able to get the books in this series in order， so I have some holes in the plot that compound the story。 Another quick read， hard to put down。 a lot of fun to read some of the English slang terms and the joking terms their intelligence people use， such as "the Yellow Submarine"。 unfortunately I have not been able to get the books in this series in order， so I have some holes in the plot that compound the story。 。。。more

Mathew Smith ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Whew that was a fun 3 days。 I haven't read this in years， and seeing it destined for a charity shop inspired me to pick it up and give it another go :）。 Three days later and I'm done。The book itself is super easy to read， and easy to get to grips with despite the fact that over 30 years have now passed since the height of the cold war， making it seemingly difficult to relate the world then to the world now， and the fact that I （accidentally） started on book 4！ Spy Hook， weaves together all of th Whew that was a fun 3 days。 I haven't read this in years， and seeing it destined for a charity shop inspired me to pick it up and give it another go :）。 Three days later and I'm done。The book itself is super easy to read， and easy to get to grips with despite the fact that over 30 years have now passed since the height of the cold war， making it seemingly difficult to relate the world then to the world now， and the fact that I （accidentally） started on book 4！ Spy Hook， weaves together all of the strands of our central character， Bernard Sampson life to convincingly portray an isolated， lonely， seemingly stuck man， almost helplessly drawn in to a web of lies that he can either align with and proper， or unpick， and suffer the consequences。 With Bernard's backstory convincingly laid and beautiful tiny insights of the state， thoughts and outlook of world at that time， it's easy to see where our central character will go， but near impossible to see who's pulling the strings。 The ending leaves you no option but to turn the page and start the next in the series。 If only I hadn't left the next book in London。。。 :）。 Easy to read， with beautiful descriptions。 It didn't make me question my outlook on life， but that's not why I picked it up ;）。 。。。more

David ，

Slowly， painfully， Bernard Samson comes to suspect that the amount he doesn’t know about his life， wife， job， etc。， is immense。

Nigel ，

Hello prersent surivivors of covid and furure historians trawling the ancient net archives for tiny fragments of social and cultural life during what we with little affection and great trepidation call 2020， but which the future will centextualise in ways we probablty prefer to avoid imagining。 The only insight I have to offer is that reading and reviewing books is hard。 Really， really hard。 I don't know why。 It's just difficult。 Everything feels difficult。 Everything's tense and anxious， even f Hello prersent surivivors of covid and furure historians trawling the ancient net archives for tiny fragments of social and cultural life during what we with little affection and great trepidation call 2020， but which the future will centextualise in ways we probablty prefer to avoid imagining。 The only insight I have to offer is that reading and reviewing books is hard。 Really， really hard。 I don't know why。 It's just difficult。 Everything feels difficult。 Everything's tense and anxious， even for people like me relatively well set up to endure lockdown。Anyway。 I have read a few books， and I haven't reviewed them， hopefully I'll get back to them at some point。 I picked up Spy Hook having watched the old TV adaptaion of Game， Set And Match on YouTube。 Personally， I thought it was very good with excellent performances and a good script。 It did make me not exactly nostalgic but wistful about the good old grimy grey drizzly days of the Cold War and the threat of nucear annihilation and the backstabbing， treachery， double dealing and sheer human waste of the espionage game。 so I fished out Spy Hook because I couldn't remember how it all worked out in the subsequent trilogies。 Poor old belligerent and pig-headed Bernard Sampson ploughs on doggedly with a life wrecked by his wife's defection。 Poking around in places he doesn't belong despite increasingly elaborate warnings by everyone around him leads him to a troubling conclusion and a whole heap of trouble， and then the book ends and I don't have Spy Line， and the libraries aren't taking orders yet， dammit！ When will my suffering end？ 。。。more

Jim Cullison ，

You’re wondering where it’s going， and then it detonates in your face， leaving you wanting a sequel。 Fortunately， one is supplied。

Jan Urbanek ，

Not good。 Too long and really nothing happens。 Hope it is a setup for better next two。 California parts especially boring。 Deighton is best when story takes place in Berlin。 All those rising ups from dead were a little too much

Nigeyb ，

There's something about a long series of books which amount to a saga that is really appealing and enjoyable。 I had this experience with Anthony Powell's wonderful A Dance To The Music Of Time series of 12 novels which remains one of the greatest literary adventures I've ever enjoyed。 These Bernard Samson books are a whole different kettle of fish but the saga element is still there and it's no surprise that this Bernard Samson ennealogy has been referred to as Len Deighton's magnum opus。 An enn There's something about a long series of books which amount to a saga that is really appealing and enjoyable。 I had this experience with Anthony Powell's wonderful A Dance To The Music Of Time series of 12 novels which remains one of the greatest literary adventures I've ever enjoyed。 These Bernard Samson books are a whole different kettle of fish but the saga element is still there and it's no surprise that this Bernard Samson ennealogy has been referred to as Len Deighton's magnum opus。 An ennealogy being the name for a series of nine novels， despite there being a tenth novel - Winter: A Berlin Family， 1899-1945 - which is a prequel to the series。I read the first three books in the Bernard Samson trilogy （Berlin Game， Mexico Set， and London Match） in 2019 and I'm keen to read the rest of the Bernard Samson series in 2020。 After the wonderful opening trilogy， Spy Hook takes the story to the next level。 Bernard Samson appears to have revealed yet more betrayal， duplicity and deceit in London Central。 Despite being warned off on numerous occasions Bernard just will not let it lie。 Has he pieced together the truth behind Fiona's defection？ His tentative conclusions are certainly plausible。 Spy Hook contains an elaborate and complex plot and yet， in Len Deighton's effortless way， it is easy to follow。 Deighton claims these books can be read as stand alone thrillers but I am not convinced。 This series only really works as part of an ongoing saga and each book reveals new surprising twists and revelations。I wanted to read something different after finishing Spy Hook however it ends on such a cliffhanger that I suspect I'll be carrying straight on with Spy Line （Bernard Samson， #5）。4/5The blurb for Spy Hook （1988）。。。。Working for the Department was like marriage is supposed to be – ''til death do us part' – but the Department is really not like that; and neither are many marriages， including that of Bernard Samson。 The cool and cynical field agent of the GAME， SET and MATCH trilogy has grown older and wiser。 But things have not gone well for Samson: old pals are not as friendly as they used to be and colleagues are less confiding than they once were。Now， starting with his mission to Washington， life has become even more precarious for Bernard。 Ignoring all warnings， friendly， devious and otherwise， he pursues his own investigation and， in California， meets with the biggest surprise of his life… 。。。more

Matt Raubenheimer ，

9/10。 As a reader who ‘grew up’ on the action packed spy novels of the James Bond series， I could hardly have predicted that I would one day find spy novels as low key and quiet as this one as thrilling as the Bonds。 The plot has Bernard Samson investigating a financial trail which may be connected with his wife’s defection， and although there isn’t any real action for almost the entire length of the novel Deighton’s prose， Samson’s acerbic wit and observations and the slowly unraveling plot mak 9/10。 As a reader who ‘grew up’ on the action packed spy novels of the James Bond series， I could hardly have predicted that I would one day find spy novels as low key and quiet as this one as thrilling as the Bonds。 The plot has Bernard Samson investigating a financial trail which may be connected with his wife’s defection， and although there isn’t any real action for almost the entire length of the novel Deighton’s prose， Samson’s acerbic wit and observations and the slowly unraveling plot make this book a proper page turner。 I reached the end and although I’d planned to jump onto a completely unrelated novel I have to shelve those plans and instead immediately pick up Spy Line and keep reading this ongoing saga。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I have an audible version read by James Lailey

Chumba Tribes ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bernie as stubborn and uncontrollable as ever。 Operation Hook has just started to unfold before his very eyes and he is already hanging to dry。 Meanwhile， Len paints a fine picture of California in contrast to grim Berlin - but only weatherwise。 Can’t wait to read Bernie 5。

Peter ，

Took a long time to get going。 The story left hanging encouraging the reading of the second book to find out what is going to happen。

Russell Berg ，

A drop in the usual very high quality for Deighton but still quite good。

Adrian Cusniriuc ，

This is the 4th book in the Samson series I read this summer and basically I cannot stop。 Len Deighton has mesmerising style of writing which somehow manages to grip your attention 100% and raise your heart rate to 130 bpm :） next one please

Almustafa Couch ，

Quite a good addition to the "Samson" series where Bernard is encouraged to investigate embezzlement （on the surface）。 This book contains a story about the apolitical and amoral nature of espionage and the flexibility （inconsistency） of the trade。 Whereby a person is judged for political expediency rather than past action （s）。 It does include a follow-up on the situation of the kids。The book is a good read and a good member of the Samson series。 Quite a good addition to the "Samson" series where Bernard is encouraged to investigate embezzlement （on the surface）。 This book contains a story about the apolitical and amoral nature of espionage and the flexibility （inconsistency） of the trade。 Whereby a person is judged for political expediency rather than past action （s）。 It does include a follow-up on the situation of the kids。The book is a good read and a good member of the Samson series。 。。。more

Richard Wagner ，

i'm really enjoying Deighton's espionage novels。 interesting characters， great storytelling， and a cliffhanger ending makes ya want to read more and more。 （it is the beginning of a trilogy after all。） i'm really enjoying Deighton's espionage novels。 interesting characters， great storytelling， and a cliffhanger ending makes ya want to read more and more。 （it is the beginning of a trilogy after all。） 。。。more

Peter Learn ，

Better。 More plot。 Less creepy Gloria。

Michael Martz ，

I've become a big fan of Len Deighton over a short period of time after 'discovering' him probably 40 years after he began writing a bunch of really fine novels in my favorite genre。 I began nearly at the beginning of his output， tearing through the Game/Set/Match trilogy section and loving every minute， but Spy Hook was a bit of a disappointment。 Still very good， but with a glacial pace taken toward resolving the main plot and a conclusion that wasn't very conclusive。Spy Hook begins with Bernar I've become a big fan of Len Deighton over a short period of time after 'discovering' him probably 40 years after he began writing a bunch of really fine novels in my favorite genre。 I began nearly at the beginning of his output， tearing through the Game/Set/Match trilogy section and loving every minute， but Spy Hook was a bit of a disappointment。 Still very good， but with a glacial pace taken toward resolving the main plot and a conclusion that wasn't very conclusive。Spy Hook begins with Bernard Samson， the 'star' of the series， assigned the task of discovering what happened to a bunch of money that disappeared from the British spy coffers。 As this happens during the Cold War era and Samson's been under suspicion himself since his wife defected to the Russian side and has become a big KGB player， the assignment isn't as simple as it seems。 Action bounces between London， both East and West Berlin， France， California， and DC and Samson leverages his relationships in his attempt to fulfill his assignment， but absolutely nothing is simple here。 Many questions are introduced from all sorts of directions and， in the end， the riddle is somewhat solved but Samson finds himself on the run。Deighton's writing is excellent， though it has 'aged' a bit since Spy Hook was written back in the 80's。 He presents a nice 'slice of life' in an era where the Iron Curtain still existed， social mores were a bit different， and the technological advances that inform today's intelligence operations weren't available。 The book is a bit slow and the conclusion wasn't satisfying in the least， but it does set us up for Deighton's future work。 。。。more

Peter ，

Good traditional spy story with believable characterisation。 But come on Bernard， take the hint。

Jonathan Wilson ，

A new beginning in the storyAfter the first trilogy， this book Mark's a new beginning in the world of Bernd Samson。 There is plenty of mystery and a lot of tension， but I felt it needs a clearer villain。 I'm sure that they will emerge over the course of the trilogy and cant wait to read the next installment。 A new beginning in the storyAfter the first trilogy， this book Mark's a new beginning in the world of Bernd Samson。 There is plenty of mystery and a lot of tension， but I felt it needs a clearer villain。 I'm sure that they will emerge over the course of the trilogy and cant wait to read the next installment。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Spy Hook

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

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