The Private Life of Spies: 'Spy-masterful storytelling' Sunday Post
(Hardback)
Available Formats
Paperback, Large Print Edition
Published: 9th May 2023
Hardback
Published: 23rd May 2023
Paperback
Published: 13th February 2024
Publishing Details
The Private Life of Spies: 'Spy-masterful storytelling' Sunday Post
By (Author) Alexander McCall Smith
Little, Brown Book Group
Abacus
23rd May 2023
9th February 2023
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Fiction
Short stories
Espionage and secret services
327.1209
Physical Properties
Hardback
224
Width 140mm, Height 218mm, Spine 30mm
360g
Description
During WW2 there was a rumour that German spies were landing by parachute in Britain, dressed as nuns...
'Spy-masterful storytelling' Sunday Post'Delightfully old-fashioned and prudent of prose, McCall Smith unspools his tales' Daily Mail'[Adds] another treasure to McCall Smith's already glittering library' New York Journal of BooksConradin Muller was an unusual spy. He was recruited in Hamburg in June 1943, much against his will, and sent on his first, and only, mission in late September that year. He failed to send a single report back to Germany, and when the War came to an end in May 1945, he fell to his knees and wept with relief.From a highly reluctant German spy who is drawn to an East Anglian nunnery as his only means of escape, to the strange tale of one of the Cambridge spy ring's adventures with a Russian dwarf, these are Alexander McCall Smith's intriguing and typically inventive stories from the world of espionage.Reviews
Spy-masterful storytelling * Sunday Post *
Marvellous... shows off Alexander McCall Smith's accomplishment as a storyteller as its very best * Undiscovered Scotland *
There's nothing not to like about Alexander McCall Smith when you read his latest collection of six short stories on the business of spying... These are a half dozen beautifully shaped, delicious morsels, which I devoured even faster than McCall Smith could write them... full of character and detail * Australian *
Massively entertaining and thought-provoking * Booklist (starred review) *
Based on extensive research and with a fine grip on the slippery nature of the world of espionage, these underhand dealings range from Algeria in 1924 to a modern-day clerical cabal in the Vatican... Delightfully old-fashioned and prudent of prose, McCall Smith unspools his tales * Daily Mail *
Taken together, the two parts echo each other. Each story provides a unique cast of characters and distinctly different plots, each offers a gentle portrait of people and society. And each is guided by the mastery of a consummate storyteller, offering another treasure to his already glittering library * New York Journal of Books *
Author Bio
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of over one hundred books on a wide array of subjects, including the award-winning The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. His books have been translated into forty-six languages. Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and holds honorary doctorates from thirteen universities.
