The last of the initial Bernard Samson trilogy, London Match continues to follow the professional and personal lives of a small group of spies in London and Berlin in the early 80s as a serious mole hunt develops.
Deighton’s ability to portray the same scenario from different angles, allowing characters to convey their own convincing but opposite position is masterful. This continually keeps the reader on their toes, with the truth always half hidden and unknowable.
The personal life and feelings of Samson feel a little more explored in this book, as he navigates a wife who has defected over to the KGB, the father-in-law who wants to take wars of his now motherless children, a younger girlfriend from his office, and a serially adulterous sister-in-law. It’s a great set of characters that have been deepened throughout the trilogy.
Although set in the 1980s, the feeling is timeless… The story could be set at any point in the Cold War and that lack of specific dating terminology or technology means there are no points at which you are rudely jolted from the narrative.
A great conclusion to the first three books… Four and five have already been purchased!
