Last year, shortly after Len Deighton finished the fifth of a six-book saga that hinges on a divided Germany, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.
At the time, I thought: There goes Deighton's climax, not merely overtaken by events but blown out of the water by history.
-Geez, was I wrong. That sixth book, "Spy Sinker," works just fine, thank you. And it proves that Deighton is either a geopolitical prophet or an awfully rapid rewrite man.
Readers of the earlier works will recall that the hero, Bernard Samson, does dirty work for British intelligence - and that his colleague and wife, Fiona, has defected and gone to work for East German intelligence.
But in "Spy Sinker," we learn that it's all part of a plan cooked up by British intelligence. In fact, Fiona Samson was ordered to defect and to feed information to the British that they needed to cause the collapse of East Germany's economy - and with it, the Berlin Wall.
"Spy Sinker" retells this long tale from its beginning, in 1977, and wraps up the loose ends left dangling in the other five books. I don't suppose it will make much sense to anybody who hasn't read the first five. But the millions who did read the first five won't rest until they've read "Spy Sinker," and Deighton has written it with his customary understated skill.
What sets "Spy Sinker" apart from the rest is its treatment of the maverick, sardonic Bernard Samson, as a minor character. Here, the spotlight shifts to Fiona Samson. We learn that she had an affair - and that her careerist boss in British intelligence uses the affair to blackmail her into leaving her husband and children for the socialist joys of East Germany.
Much of the book revolves around the guilt of infidelity, to one's spouse as well as to one's country. It's somber stuff, but fascinating - and surprising in its sensitivity to women, given that Deighton is considered a man's-man type of writer.
A note to the reader: If you want to read this tale, read it from the beginning. Start with Deighton's "Winter," an uninspired story but one that introduces Bernard Samson's father and answers some minor points raised in later books.
Then tackle Deighton's twin trilogies, all telling the same story through the same characters. The first trilogy comprises, in order, "Berlin Game," "Mexico Set" and "London Match." The second trilogy follows with "Spy Hook," "Spy Line" and "Spy Sinker."
See you next fall.