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gervase_fen"Here, I reflect, is the paradox of the spy's world. These are significant documents only if one knows where they come from."
If there is a thriller writer who could be described as a safe pair of hands, then surely it is Robert Harris. His account of the Dreyfus Affair from the point of view of Colonel Picquart, newly appointed head of the 'Statistical Section' (intelligence service) is a solid and satisfying read. I found the details of nineteenth century espionage (forgery, document reconstruction, paid informers) completely fascinating, and appreciated Harris' skill in speeding up the tempo of the novel as investigations, tribunals, court inquiries and military exile take over the last third of the narrative. Robert Harris doesn't labour contemporary parallels - letting the reader make them for themselves - but the enormity of the cover up and the intransigence of the establishment is not unique to the French military in the 1890s.
If there is a thriller writer who could be described as a safe pair of hands, then surely it is Robert Harris. His account of the Dreyfus Affair from the point of view of Colonel Picquart, newly appointed head of the 'Statistical Section' (intelligence service) is a solid and satisfying read. I found the details of nineteenth century espionage (forgery, document reconstruction, paid informers) completely fascinating, and appreciated Harris' skill in speeding up the tempo of the novel as investigations, tribunals, court inquiries and military exile take over the last third of the narrative. Robert Harris doesn't labour contemporary parallels - letting the reader make them for themselves - but the enormity of the cover up and the intransigence of the establishment is not unique to the French military in the 1890s.
