5 Stars

I recommend this book to anyone with either an interest in the genre or the authors.

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Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)

The Greatest Spy Writers of the 20th Century turn out to have had just as exciting lives--well, almost, and sometimes even more so--as the characters they wrote about. This book gave biographies of what the writer considered the three greatest spy writers of the 20th century: Ian Fleming, John Buchan and John Le Carre. He also provided critiques of writing and followed the stories on to the big screen. There was also an interesting introduction that traces the history of spy stories.

So if you love spy stories delve into the lives of some of the greatest writers of the genre and take another look at what makes the stories of these three so much fun to read.

NetGalley, Juliane Silver

Are you a reader of spy fiction? Do you ever wonder how the best authors of this genre got their ideas? Here is a title that brings readers into the world of three of the best authors in the field, Buchan, Fleming and Le Carre.

The author clearly shows his love of spy fiction. He begins his introduction with his own introduction of books like Huntingtower and The 39 Steps by John Buchan. He fell in love with these novels starting at age nine when his grandfather gave him a Buchan book. Carradice returned the favor when, many years later, he gifted his grandfather a Le Carre title.

Spy novels are just a bit over 100 years old. With many authors to think about including Graham Greene and Eric Ambelr, among others, Carradice chose the three noted above. He feels that they are the best of the best.

Start with the excellent introduction and keep going. This book offers a very entertaining read and one that is filled with information. The author is a big fan of his subject.

NetGalley, Joyce Laudon

A really fantastic look at three authors who might not have created spy stories, but left their mark not only in book form but in visual media also. Carradice does a very good job in describing the early life of these men, and what influenced their writing, and their thinking. Oddly all of them liked mountains and sking, which I found fascinating. The influence of intelligence work is looked at Buchan had some, Fleming and le Carré made it their occupations for a time, but changed them in many ways. Carradice looks at the movies, Bond especially and also discusses other writers of the period Greene, Maugham, and Eric Ambler. I very enjoyable look at the grandmasters of the genre.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and knowing that Carradice's grandfather had an hand in getting young Carradice interested in spy stories, is one of the my favorite parts of the book. Recommended for literature students, people new to spies stories, and for fans that want to know more. Very well done, and quite enjoyable.

NetGalley, Dan O'Leary

An ideal study guide for students

There have been numerous volumes about these prolific authors of the spy genre, but most have been lengthy, in-depth profiles which have somewhat proved to be inaccurate. However, Phil Carradice’s short guide into whom undoubtedly must be considered the three 20th century masters of the spy-fiction genre, is a nice compact companion to the their life and works which provides their readers with a further insight to the writers behind their favourite spy books. Sadly, all three authors are no longer with us, but they each leave behind a legacy which we all continue to enjoy in both page and screen (one day, someone will decide to bring Buchan’s Greenmantle to either the large or small screen screen).

The style of presenting these biographical insights alongside a short introduction to the birth of the ‘spy’ novel, is light-hearted and non-biased, as other equally-popular authors, such as Somerset Maugham, Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, Len Deighton and Frederick Forsyth who ran level-pegging with Buchan, Fleming and Le Carre in their heyday respectively, are not just given insightful glances but analysed alongside these three greats so providing the reader with a reference point to seek out their respective works.

In conclusion, the author of this particular work has produced a nice easy-to-read guide on these writers, which as a teacher of English literature, I would highly-recommend to be used as a study guide in schools and universities before delving into study their classic works. In light of this, when the book is published, I will be ordering several copies for my own study groups.

NetGalley, David Holman

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am a big fan of spy thrillers and would like to one day dive into the more classical spy thrillers by authors profiled in this great work. The author has done a great job of providing a “who’s who” of these great authors. This book should serve as a great reference source for espionage aficionados.

NetGalley, Dylan Simon

An excellent starting point for those new to spy novels.

The author notes in his introduction that this slim volume will cause dissent amongst fans of spy novels. The omission of writers such as Eric Ambler, Len Deighton and Robert Harris will no doubt cause diehard fans to whinge and whine. But this is quite a personal take on three authors whose works arguably set the tone for all that came after, and as a fan of all three, I don't disagree.

The first half of the book is essentially three potted biographies of John Buchan, Ian Fleming and John le Carre (The Triumvirate as he calls them). I'm not a great reader of biographies, so I can't say if these add anything to what has gone before, but they certainly do paint a clear and distinct picture of how three men came to sit down and write spy books. There are regular asides and reflections to add context to their contributions to the genre.

The remainder of the book is devoted to a wider look at spy novels, and devotees will be glad to know that Deighton et al get honourable mentions. It's a nice broad commentary of how The Triumvirate influenced those who came after.

I'd thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it old fans and new, of espionage novels.

NetGalley, Martin Paul