Just Finished Reading: Defectors by Joseph Kanon (FP: 2017) [290pp] 

Moscow, 1961. For publisher Simon Weeks it was the opportunity of a lifetime – actually two opportunities. First, he would get a book deal – KGB approved no less! - which will put his publishing business into the big leagues and he would hopefully finally learn why his older brother defected to the Soviets almost a decade previously. Simon had every right to be angry with his older sibling. The loss of friends and his job in the State Department was bad enough but the constant suspicion, whispered comments and an unbreakable association with a traitor to America should have been grounds enough for that, but Frank was still his brother despite everything that had happened. Meeting in Russia wasn’t a problem. Everything had been arranged by the Soviets. What Simon didn’t know, what he couldn’t know, was something he had kept from everyone – including his wife who just happened to be Simon’s ex-lover. Frank was dying. It was heart trouble – not exactly unknown in his profession – be inoperable in the USSR. But it was possible, just possible, that doctors in the States could save him. Of course, the KGB would never let him return to the US just like that. The only alternative: Frank would defect again, back to the Land of the Free and Simon, his younger loyal brother, would help him do it – wouldn't he? 

I’ve read several books by this author and I have yet to be disappointed. This was no exception. The whole book, the vast majority of which took place in Moscow, had a wonderful feel of claustrophobia even in open spaces. The pervading tone throughout is of suspicion, hidden meaning, double dealing and things unsaid. The whole main cast – Simon, Frank, Jo (Frank’s wife & Simon’s ‘ex’) and Boris (Frank’s KGB ‘minder’) - were wonderfully drawn and all completely believable. I actually liked Boris a lot despite being a very strait-laced Russian. Despite the fact that this was most certainly not an ‘action’ novel or really much of an espionage one (most of the actual spying took place in the ‘past’ or off-page) this was gripping in other much more subtle ways. Not only did we have the mystery of Frank’s defection to unravel – or to be revealed – we also didn’t always know who was working for who and exactly what people’s true motives were. Everything said, everything talked about and everything seen had to be viewed and reviewed through Cold War politics to figure out exactly what was, and what wasn’t, going on. The say that the book immersed you in the Cold War vibe is really a great understatement and the whole thing was, on many levels as you should expect from the time, very clever indeed. Although I began to suspect how things were going towards the end, how things progressed did come as a rather pleasant surprise all told. Definitely recommended to all lovers of Cold War based fiction. Much more from this author to come.