Just Finished Reading: XPD by Len Deighton

In the closing days of WW2 the US forces stumble upon a secret cache of priceless art and other items hidden away by retreating German forces. Tempted by the gold and cash they were carrying a group of American soldiers ‘lose’ 3 of the trucks and disappear into the night. Years later they have each become successful businessmen with links to a Swiss bank holding millions in gold. But one of the treasures held in the bank can not be measured in its dollar valuation. For amongst the currency and bearer bonds is a set of Top Secret minutes of a meeting that might have changed the course of world history. Attended by only four people in England’s darkest hour it revealed a secret so devastating that any knowledge of it could wreck the reputation of whole countries. To stop this happening the British Secret Service have been ordered to treat anyone they even suspect of knowing about the documents as enemies of the State and to implement directive XPD – Expedient Demise.

This is a solid Cold War thriller that pits expendable members of the Secret Intelligence Service against ruthless Soviet agents both in Europe and in the USA. It’s fairly fast paced, rather convoluted to say the least, full of good characters and had a generally believable idea underlying the whole thing (though the details of the meeting minutes were frankly ridiculous). I’ve read a few Deighton novels over the years and have always found them reliable page turners. Whilst not exactly high literature they are guaranteed to entertain in the same way that Ian Fleming entertains. It’s all very believable – with a small pinch of salt – and all very down to Earth. No fancy gadgets, no super villains just fairly ordinary people charged to undertake difficult and dangerous tasks. They are foot soldiers in a war too large for them to comprehend directly especially when their own bosses keep them in the dark as to exactly why they have been tasked to do the things they have been told to do. Gritty, realistic and fun. If you enjoy a classic spy story you’ll certainly enjoy this!