The IPCRESS File
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- Create Date：2021-04-30 10:51:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Len Deighton
- ISBN：0241505429
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Summary
Len Deighton's classic first novel， whose protagonist is a nameless spy - later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine。
The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton's first novel， it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing。
When a number of scientists mysteriously disappear in Berlin， what seems to be a straightforward case rapidly becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy。 It is a conspiracy that takes Len Deighton's working-class hero on a journey that will test him to the limits of his ingenuity and resolve， and call on him to prove himself as a spy at the very top of his game。
The film of The Ipcress File gave Michael Caine one of his first and still most celebrated starring roles， while the novel itself has become a classic。
The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton's first novel， it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing。
When a number of scientists mysteriously disappear in Berlin， what seems to be a straightforward case rapidly becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy。 It is a conspiracy that takes Len Deighton's working-class hero on a journey that will test him to the limits of his ingenuity and resolve， and call on him to prove himself as a spy at the very top of his game。
The film of The Ipcress File gave Michael Caine one of his first and still most celebrated starring roles， while the novel itself has become a classic。
Reviews
Phil Stubbington
，
Enjoyed the film a few short years ago， but the book has dated badly。
Vince C
，
Hmmmm。 I will admit， I started this one all wrong。 For some reason， I expected more of a serious， intellectual Cloak & Dagger style。 This one would appeal more to boys who haven't figured out puberty yet。 I noticed some reviewers questioned the author's lack of actual experience in the espionage field。 That may have something to do with it。 Either way， I have no desire to read any further books concerning the "Unknown Spy" protagonist。。。 nor do I really care what his name is。 Hmmmm。 I will admit， I started this one all wrong。 For some reason， I expected more of a serious， intellectual Cloak & Dagger style。 This one would appeal more to boys who haven't figured out puberty yet。 I noticed some reviewers questioned the author's lack of actual experience in the espionage field。 That may have something to do with it。 Either way， I have no desire to read any further books concerning the "Unknown Spy" protagonist。。。 nor do I really care what his name is。 。。。more
J
，
A dense， complex Cold War thriller requiring the modern reader to concentrate， both due to the content and the style。 I wonder if it would have been eaier to read fifty years ago。 The writing throws in brief period details and references。 It is also uses metaphor that might have been more straight-forward to read when the book was written。 I don't think I missed much detail， but I can imagine a modern author making it much more palatable for modern readers。The atmosphere of being able to trust n A dense， complex Cold War thriller requiring the modern reader to concentrate， both due to the content and the style。 I wonder if it would have been eaier to read fifty years ago。 The writing throws in brief period details and references。 It is also uses metaphor that might have been more straight-forward to read when the book was written。 I don't think I missed much detail， but I can imagine a modern author making it much more palatable for modern readers。The atmosphere of being able to trust no-one really pervades the first-person view。 It does resolve satisfyingly at the conclusion of the book though。 And it's fast-paced generally， but without any real markers when the action kicks in。 That's partly reflecting a very cool protagonist， and the rapidity and suprise with which violence flares and ebbs， but I'd expect more evidence of the narrator's adrenaline。It's also one of the few novels I can think of using fictional footnotes。 （I assume most are fictional。） Terry Pratchett is the only other author I can think of that like them so much。 They break up the flow if you can't resist reading them like me， but again they really give a sense of the Cold War setting and the players in it， most of whom went through WW2。I found it fascinating but hard work。 I now want to watch the film。 I'll probably also read another of his in the next year though。 。。。more
Ken French
，
I liked the movie version and I've liked other Deighton novels， but this one was not good。 The plot meanders all over the place and some scenes are just pointless。 I know that he was trying to show that espionage work is not glamorous like Bond but that doesn't mean the book should be pure drudgery。 I liked the movie version and I've liked other Deighton novels， but this one was not good。 The plot meanders all over the place and some scenes are just pointless。 I know that he was trying to show that espionage work is not glamorous like Bond but that doesn't mean the book should be pure drudgery。 。。。more
Joe Derry Hall
，
I have read and loved lots of spy books。 I honestly don’t understand the fuss about this one。 Some of the overall ideas are strong and I can see why it was turned into a good film。 But the narrative is very uneven， unclear and not well structured。 It often just didn’t make sense to me。 It felt like a not very well written book。 I didn’t care about the characters， or the plot really as it was so hard to follow， and I mainly wanted it to end。 Clearly there are other people who feel very differentl I have read and loved lots of spy books。 I honestly don’t understand the fuss about this one。 Some of the overall ideas are strong and I can see why it was turned into a good film。 But the narrative is very uneven， unclear and not well structured。 It often just didn’t make sense to me。 It felt like a not very well written book。 I didn’t care about the characters， or the plot really as it was so hard to follow， and I mainly wanted it to end。 Clearly there are other people who feel very differently and I respect that， but this was my take。 Go elsewhere。 。。。more
Randy Meyer
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A jumbled mess。。。。 characters appear out of nowhere with no connection。 Just not good 。。。
Mike
，
Ugh。 This is the worst kind of spy novel， where the spy is bounced around from chapter-to-chapter like a pinball and encounters new characters that appear and disappear into thin air （“thin” being a key word， as the characters are paper thin）， who drop important information into his lap that he never seems to gather on his own。 “I have to track Raven！”*random character appears*“We’ve already found him， sir！ Just go to this location…”“Cheerio！”Then we get the Cold War clichés piling up in a shagg Ugh。 This is the worst kind of spy novel， where the spy is bounced around from chapter-to-chapter like a pinball and encounters new characters that appear and disappear into thin air （“thin” being a key word， as the characters are paper thin）， who drop important information into his lap that he never seems to gather on his own。 “I have to track Raven！”*random character appears*“We’ve already found him， sir！ Just go to this location…”“Cheerio！”Then we get the Cold War clichés piling up in a shaggy dog narrative。。。political assassinations， atomic bombs， mind control…I just didn’t care about any of it from the very beginning。Spy novels are very hit-or-miss for me。 I love Greene， Fleming， and the little I’ve read of Forsyth。 The couple I’ve read from Ludlum， Clancy， and le Carré are ok。 I rank this with the Buchan’s The 39 Steps and Childers’ The Riddle of the Sands as almost unbearably dull。 。。。more
Tom Boston
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The spy with no name
Dan
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Back where it all begins。Great fun。
Niranjan Limaye
，
The author is so in love with his super intellect that he chooses to display that wit even at the cost of readability。 While the book picked up in the last third， I was completely at loss for the first two third and came on the verge of giving up at least thrice。
Graeme Dunlop
，
It's been quite a while since I first read The Ipcress File。 I'd been on a bit of a Bond kick and watched the Michale Caine movie and thought， "I must read that again"。 And I'm glad I did。A great spy novel which probably changed the spy genre。 It's a lot more grounded and "real" （or more working class at the very least） than the Bond books and the nameless protagonist has a world-weary， cynical quality which I find both attractive and amusing。 Although， he's probably a bit too smart for his own It's been quite a while since I first read The Ipcress File。 I'd been on a bit of a Bond kick and watched the Michale Caine movie and thought， "I must read that again"。 And I'm glad I did。A great spy novel which probably changed the spy genre。 It's a lot more grounded and "real" （or more working class at the very least） than the Bond books and the nameless protagonist has a world-weary， cynical quality which I find both attractive and amusing。 Although， he's probably a bit too smart for his own good; he doesn't fit the establishment and the rather old-boy network that the British intelligence agencies are painted to be。 And you have to keep up with the narrative to follow what's going on。 It's not a particularly lazy read。As this was written in the 60's， you may find there's a lot of anachronisms。 The money is pre-decimal British currency so there's lots of talk about guineas and shillings which make no sense to me！I see a lot of people in Goodreads reviews were disappointed by the book and I'm not sure why。 I'll grant you it can be hard to follow because the narrative is a little more stream-of-conciousness than straightforward narrative; that's why I said above you have to pay attention。 Personally， I find it involving and interesting。 I'll also confess to being a big Deighton fan because of the Bernard Sampson trio of trios; if that lot isn't one of the best spy narratives in all of fiction， I don't know what is！ 。。。more
Michael Martz
，
I've become a Len Deighton fan since making my way through a few of his spy trilogies。 He's a solid writer with great characters and a seemingly up-to-date knowledge of the spy game。 I reached back nearly 60 years into his extensive catalog to check out his initial foray into the genre， 'The Ipcress File'， and it was interesting to see from whence he came。 It was supposedly a very hot novel when first released， but it's pretty dated language wise， the plot is confusing， and the conclusion a litt I've become a Len Deighton fan since making my way through a few of his spy trilogies。 He's a solid writer with great characters and a seemingly up-to-date knowledge of the spy game。 I reached back nearly 60 years into his extensive catalog to check out his initial foray into the genre， 'The Ipcress File'， and it was interesting to see from whence he came。 It was supposedly a very hot novel when first released， but it's pretty dated language wise， the plot is confusing， and the conclusion a little on the incredible side。 The main character， the narrator who shall remain nameless， is a British spy。 He's initially assigned an off-the-books role in tracking down a foreign agent who's snatching scientists working on the hottest new technologies。 After much intrigue and with the unfortunately common usage of English colloquialisms from the early 60s that impeded any modern reader's understanding of some of the action， he finds himself on a Pacific atoll as an observer to an upcoming nuclear test。 He's actually， though， being tested to see if he's a spy giving away secrets to the other side of the Iron Curtain。 One of the more irritating aspects of the plot is that， at the conclusion， the narrator lets us in on his explanation of what occurred in the previous several hours the readers have put in trying to make sense of the story。 In fact， the narrator himself during the course of his escapades （and escapes）， had little concept of what was going on but once things settled down he graciously gave us an explanation。 That type of thing always irritates me。The Ipcress File was an imperfect beginning for a writer who became a legend in the genre。 It's not a bad book but it hasn't aged well。 。。。more
Dr。 Usual
，
As spy thrillers go， this one pretty much sucked。
Richard
，
I remember seeing Len Deighton books at the bookstore as a teenager and so I thought I would give one of his most known a try。I enjoyed the read about days and espionage but it moved or changed scenes very quickly and so was difficult to really follow。
Francis Kennedy
，
Fast-moving and fizzing with energy and intrigue。 Wide-ranging yet economical use of detail makes the book colourful and real， and keeps the reader curious to read more。 The story takes the protagonist from Soho， London to Lebanon and a Pacific atoll and home again。 I loved the jargon-laden style of the cynical wise-cracking know-it-all narrator and delighted in the amusing characters sparring and interacting with him。 It was such a fresh and exhilarating ride， I was only disappointed by the rat Fast-moving and fizzing with energy and intrigue。 Wide-ranging yet economical use of detail makes the book colourful and real， and keeps the reader curious to read more。 The story takes the protagonist from Soho， London to Lebanon and a Pacific atoll and home again。 I loved the jargon-laden style of the cynical wise-cracking know-it-all narrator and delighted in the amusing characters sparring and interacting with him。 It was such a fresh and exhilarating ride， I was only disappointed by the rather flat ending （the film handled it better）。 I think there were just too many loose ends spun out by the plot that they had to be dealt with after the action was finished。 Or perhaps I was just disappointed that it was all over。 。。。more
Madhukar Sakorkar
，
I am a great fan of Len Deighton。 I tried to read Ipcress File， Deighton's first book， in the seventies in my early youth and failed to go beyond the first hundred pages。 I tried once more after I bought a paperback in the local bookstore but was unable to complete as there was a long gap and had forgotten the story which meant starting all over again！ I bought the kindle edition and decided to read it in a few sittings。 Not to be。 But I had kept a cast of characters and small notes of important I am a great fan of Len Deighton。 I tried to read Ipcress File， Deighton's first book， in the seventies in my early youth and failed to go beyond the first hundred pages。 I tried once more after I bought a paperback in the local bookstore but was unable to complete as there was a long gap and had forgotten the story which meant starting all over again！ I bought the kindle edition and decided to read it in a few sittings。 Not to be。 But I had kept a cast of characters and small notes of important events in the book。 His hero in this book is a working-class chap， crafty， and street smart。 Harry is what he was referred to in the novel and was christened as "Harry Palmer" in the movie of the same title， that was made after the success of the novel。 Harry gets seconded to WOOCP（P）， acronym never explained， a special intelligence unit directly under the charge of cabinet and center of inevitable envy of other intelligence units。 Harry is reporting to Dalby， the head of WOOC（P）。 The disappearance of top biochemists is creating waves in Whitehall and Dalby ropes on Harry to investigate。 Jay， as it turns out to be in the business of capturing the scientists and offering them to any party who would pay enough。 Harry discovers that Americans are doubting him to be working for KGB。 There are a number of confusing twits and the needle of suspicion oscillating uncontrollably。 Harry along with Dalby and Harry's new hire Jean are made to attend an atomic bomb test site of the US government in the Pacific Ocean on an atoll where Harry gets abducted。 An attempt is made to indoctrinate him with sophisticated brainwashing techniques。 The story is quite complex and confusing， to say the least。 In the end， I realized that my loyalty to Deighton and an urge to be not having to say that I haven't read his first hit offering， kept me going。 I like his subsequent books， especially， Funeral in Berlin， Billion-Dollar Brain， Winter， and the Bernard Samson series。 Okay， so what I enjoyed in the book？ Deighton's cocky style， of course。 Witty， sometimes funny， and sarcastic descriptions and conversation is the inimitable feature of Deighton's prose。 Throughout the book， I enjoyed this characteristic of Deighton's writing。 If anything， the introduction written by Deighton in 2009 is sufficient to prove this。 Sample this "Being unaware of what's coming ahead can be an advantage。 It shines a green light for everything from enlisting in the foreign legion to getting married。 So， I stumbled into writing this book with a happy optimism ignorance provides。" Or， "Ross was a regular officer; that is to say， he didn't drink gin after 7。30 p。m。 or hit ladies without first removing his hat。 We had decided to hate each other。 Being English， this vitriolic relationship manifested itself in oriental politeness。" Whatever said， with an occasional spell of boredom that the reader has to endure， the plot becomes interesting and gripping after Harry's abduction。 Look， I like Deighton， do you？ If， yes， go for it and savor。 。。。more
Par Pandit
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Slow to start but got better。 Nothing sexy but more believable to me。
Richard Vratanina
，
Wonderful individual scenes and it's fun to have them stich together without being told the whole story at one go。 It blows me away that this could have been the author's first novel。 So much technical military background and plot involvement， such a wide ranging plot across very different settings and they all rang true。 Alsi a time capsule of 1962's conceptions of people ans cultures。 Wonderful individual scenes and it's fun to have them stich together without being told the whole story at one go。 It blows me away that this could have been the author's first novel。 So much technical military background and plot involvement， such a wide ranging plot across very different settings and they all rang true。 Alsi a time capsule of 1962's conceptions of people ans cultures。 。。。more
Baba
，
Deighton's first published book， and now 'modern' classic spy thriller featuring a working class spy getting way out of his depth in a conspiracy involving murder， intrigue and his ingenuity。。。 doesn't grasp me in any way and is a huge struggle to finish！ Sorry！ 2 out of 12。 Deighton's first published book， and now 'modern' classic spy thriller featuring a working class spy getting way out of his depth in a conspiracy involving murder， intrigue and his ingenuity。。。 doesn't grasp me in any way and is a huge struggle to finish！ Sorry！ 2 out of 12。 。。。more
W
，
Deighton，Fleming，Le Carre，all these British spy writers bore me big time。But，at least，Fleming and Le Carre came from an intelligence background，Deighton didn't。The Ipcress File was Deighton's first spy novel，a Cold War thriller with an unnamed narrator。It is supposedly an espionage classic。For me，it certainly isn't。There is some sort of dark conspiracy and it has to do with nuclear weapons，but the whole thing is too convoluted and confusing。I couldn't get interested at all。This book was also ada Deighton，Fleming，Le Carre，all these British spy writers bore me big time。But，at least，Fleming and Le Carre came from an intelligence background，Deighton didn't。The Ipcress File was Deighton's first spy novel，a Cold War thriller with an unnamed narrator。It is supposedly an espionage classic。For me，it certainly isn't。There is some sort of dark conspiracy and it has to do with nuclear weapons，but the whole thing is too convoluted and confusing。I couldn't get interested at all。This book was also adapted as a movie，with Michael Caine。It is on youtube。Got to see if it is better than the book。The producer is Harry Saltzman，who co-produced the early Bond films。So，it has something going for it。 。。。more
Ravanagh Allan
，
Where the Bernard Sampson story began！
Jack Bates
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I didn't realise Funeral in Berlin （which I read a couple of years ago） is a sort of sequel to this。 The narrator is Harry Palmer but he's never named。 And I can't remember if I've seen the film - surely I must have done。 Surely。 The plot didn't ring any bells though。Anyway it's a complicated Cold War spy story obviously。 The style is staccato and in places elliptical， so I wasn't always sure what was going on， I assume this is deliberate。 It's good though， tense and page-turning and all that。 M I didn't realise Funeral in Berlin （which I read a couple of years ago） is a sort of sequel to this。 The narrator is Harry Palmer but he's never named。 And I can't remember if I've seen the film - surely I must have done。 Surely。 The plot didn't ring any bells though。Anyway it's a complicated Cold War spy story obviously。 The style is staccato and in places elliptical， so I wasn't always sure what was going on， I assume this is deliberate。 It's good though， tense and page-turning and all that。 My favourite thing about stuff like this is the peripheral detail about fags and clothes and the sort of things one might buy in a Soho deli in 1962。 Also it's interesting to think of the sixties being full of people who fought in the war and then had to find something else to do that wasn't extremely dull in comparison。 （I do see that lots of people would have *wanted* a job that was extremely dull。） 。。。more
Darcee
，
Involved British spy novel from the cold war era。 Spycraft throughout。 The good guys are the bad guys and vice versa， to the end， when we learn the truth。 The nameless protagonist is stuck between the two and has to play both sides to stay alive。
David Charnick
，
This is one of those books you have to keep on the go， and sadly I kept getting interrupted， so I had to make quick catches-up when I came back to it。 But having said that it was a great read。 Of course it was also a reminder of a London that was still going when I was growing up in the Seventies but was I suppose on its way out。The style is vigorous and the pace is kept up so much that occasionally you feel yourself skimming over the logical stages of narrative description。 But nothing wrong wi This is one of those books you have to keep on the go， and sadly I kept getting interrupted， so I had to make quick catches-up when I came back to it。 But having said that it was a great read。 Of course it was also a reminder of a London that was still going when I was growing up in the Seventies but was I suppose on its way out。The style is vigorous and the pace is kept up so much that occasionally you feel yourself skimming over the logical stages of narrative description。 But nothing wrong with that; in a way that's a strength。 It also helps maintain the air of mystery which can get confusing， but then again it's that kind of story。Sometimes the similes go into overload， and you have to admire the gall of someone who comes out with， 'The sun was behind her head like the open door of a Scunthorpe steel furnace'。My first Deighton， and I want to read all the rest now！ 。。。more
Ian Rodwell
，
My review is at my websitehttps://workingwow。net/2020/02/09/boo。。。 My review is at my websitehttps://workingwow。net/2020/02/09/boo。。。 。。。more
David
，
Part of the reason why I enjoy rereading so much is that I don’t remember much of anything that I read。 I read this first Len Deighton novel somewhere in the early 1990s。 I don’t remember a word of it。 I enjoyed it the second time as if it was brand new because， for all intents and purposes， it was。 Deighton is part of the “reaction to Ian Fleming” generation that arose 10 years after the first James Bond。 Espionage here is dirtier， grittier， and somewhat less related to elaborate gadgets， altho Part of the reason why I enjoy rereading so much is that I don’t remember much of anything that I read。 I read this first Len Deighton novel somewhere in the early 1990s。 I don’t remember a word of it。 I enjoyed it the second time as if it was brand new because， for all intents and purposes， it was。 Deighton is part of the “reaction to Ian Fleming” generation that arose 10 years after the first James Bond。 Espionage here is dirtier， grittier， and somewhat less related to elaborate gadgets， although Deighton certainly has more elaborate gadgets than John Le Carre。 I suppose I would place Deighton somewhere between Fleming and Le Carre， with a definite leaning towards Le Carre in style and plot。 。。。more
Andy Onyx
，
‘The books much better’ is an undoubted cliche， so I have to start by mentioning the film， which thanks to the blessed combination of a John Barry soundtrack， great screenplay， cinematography， direction and one Michael Caine， is an undoubted classic but really just a snap-shot compared to what must have been back in 1963， Len Deighton’s stunning break through in print。The horoscope headed short chapters， first person working-class narrative and cold-war concept must have been ground breaking at ‘The books much better’ is an undoubted cliche， so I have to start by mentioning the film， which thanks to the blessed combination of a John Barry soundtrack， great screenplay， cinematography， direction and one Michael Caine， is an undoubted classic but really just a snap-shot compared to what must have been back in 1963， Len Deighton’s stunning break through in print。The horoscope headed short chapters， first person working-class narrative and cold-war concept must have been ground breaking at the time and still fizzes today。No doubt a faithful cinematic reproduction including a Lebanese and Pacific excursions would have given Harry Saltzman’s wallet Bondian contractions。 He knew there was enough good material there do something amazing despite restricting it to London with the ingredients mentioned above。Despite the un-named spy’s quips， asides and observations I couldn’t replace Harry Palmer’s cockney tones with a Lancashire burr in my minds ear。 The novel remains a case study in 60s street-sharp cool， but as Mike Ripley says in his book （Kiss Kiss， Bang Bang the Golden Age of the Thriller） a it’s possibly little too clever sometimes， with its exhaustive indexing screaming for a high authenticity rating。 It took me along time to begin my journey into Deightonism and I’m so glad I did。 The Ipcress File was hell of a debut for Len Deighton and he certainly set a high bench mark for himself never mind us 21st century pretenders for his following work。。。 。。。more
J。P。 Harker
，
Another disappointing read， alas。 The last Len Deighton I read （SS-GB） was really good， and I loved the film of the IPCRESS File， but this just didn't do it for me。 I found it quite a slog and while I'm sure some people found the narrator funny， I just found him irritating。 I'm afraid this is another one that I wouldn't really recommend Another disappointing read， alas。 The last Len Deighton I read （SS-GB） was really good， and I loved the film of the IPCRESS File， but this just didn't do it for me。 I found it quite a slog and while I'm sure some people found the narrator funny， I just found him irritating。 I'm afraid this is another one that I wouldn't really recommend 。。。more
Thomas Land
，
Technically 3。7。 But I don't like partial scores so 4 it is。 It was a historically accurate dive into a great spy book。 The only issue is that it takes a while to figure itself out。 It is only half way through when things start to get on a roll。 But despite that a certain espionage classic that has to be read at some point by espionage fans。 Technically 3。7。 But I don't like partial scores so 4 it is。 It was a historically accurate dive into a great spy book。 The only issue is that it takes a while to figure itself out。 It is only half way through when things start to get on a roll。 But despite that a certain espionage classic that has to be read at some point by espionage fans。 。。。more
em
，
Kind of twisted。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The IPCRESS File
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The IPCRESS File&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The IPCRESS File&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0