By Merle Nygate https://merlenygate.com/ @MerleNygate
Published by Bedford Square Publishers https://bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/ @bedsqpublishers (an imprint of No Exit Press https://noexit.co.uk/ @noexitpress)
401 pages ISBN 9781915798381
Publication date 11 April 2024
Honour Among Spies is the second book in the Eli Amiran series.
I was sent a paperback copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to than Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.
My review
Eli Amiran is Mossad’s head of station in London, a man under pressure both personally and professionally. Still processing the fallout from a disastrous operation, that cost the life of one of his operatives, he needs to prove he is still up to the job, still able to operate at the top.
An unexpected opportunity arises following a courtesy meeting with Nicolai, his new Russian counterpart in London. The plan is certainly audacious and high stakes, but if successful will produce significant results; a long shot but occasionally they do come off. The Russians are desperate to secure a supply of drones. Eli realises that a long-term embedded Israeli asset might be to introduce special chips provided by Mossad into the drones, effectively a ‘poison pill’ to provide data and controls to them.
A regular meeting with CIA and MI5 colleagues highlights an unwanted distraction. A group of right leaning evangelist Christians are relocating to the UK and should be placed firmly on all watchlists. A bit of a headache but it provides Eli with an opportunity to sideline some office irritants.
There note at the start of the novel stating that it was written prior to the events of October 2023, when there was a significant shift to the geo-political landscape in the Middle East. Certainly, the timing feels almost prescient and as you read along there’s a sense that it could almost be in real time. Very eerie.
This is the real dirty business of espionage on the page, with little of the 60’s glamour. There are high-tech gadgets, but these are for surveillance rather than exploding pens and laser watches of James Bond’s Q division. Many feel we are living in a world where almost our every move is observed and nothing you read here will dispel that idea. Even the more outlandish proposals are so plausible they may well be grounded in reality. Perhaps George Orwell was essentially correct in 1984.
This is a novel about the deceit and betrayal within the ‘spy game’, which are invoked with convincing intensity. It’s a dirty profession, much depending upon the ability to convince others to betray their government, country and people. The reader gets an insight into the recruitment process, summarised by the acronym MICE, money, ideology, coercion and ego. An unpleasant job, but one that must be done, regardless of the human cost. Crime fiction readers are used to their heroes have troubled personal lives, here it is ratcheted up several notches, as they literally must live a lie. Relationships are based upon trust, how far can a partner be trusted when they cannot speak the truth, something Eli comes to discover.
Espionage is frequently likened to a game and reading this story the parallels are easy to spot. If it is a game, then it is one of strategy and subterfuge, like a complex three-dimensional game of chess, albeit one when pieces are lost from the board it may well be fatal. Here the author has done a fabulous job of building a complex plot around two apparently disparate threads which naturally come together. This kind of plotting cannot be rushed, so naturally much of the story is quite steady, which might disappoint the fans of out and out thrillers, but my advice would be to stick with it and you will be rewarded. The first threequarters is like winding up a clockwork toy, building up the anticipation gradually with just one more turn… Then the lever is flipped, it explodes into action and there is the delayed gratification. There is a release of anger, violence, scenes of real jeopardy and even a touch of gratuitous torture but delivered with an emotional intensity. These are heat of the moment actions not those of a cold-blooded psychopath.
It is a story of conflicted characters and how they deal with their issues alongside their work. Eli and Gal’s marriage has become tainted by guilt and lies, with early clues to the angst to come. Asset Petra has her own relationship issues with Matt but it is her recruitment of 22 year old Tom that begins to trouble her. Tom wants to become a famous investigative journalist and is excited at the opportunity presented, on that will put him in grave danger. Petra’s deception begins to bother her, Tom’s enthusiasm and naivety may prevent her from ‘deactivating’ him as he believes he is a journalist and not a spy. Then there is a double agent, or at least one who tries to play more than one side. The motivation here appears to be purely financial, but the repercussions are far reaching.
Honour Among Spies perfectly captures the intensity, danger and deceit within the world of espionage.
Honour Among Spies can be purchased via the publisher’s website here
The author
Merle Nygate is a screenwriter, script editor, screenwriting lecturer and
novelist; she’s worked on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama
and written original sitcoms; previously she worked for BBC Comedy
Commissioning as well as writing and script editing across multiple genres.
Most recently, Merle completed her first espionage novel which won the Little
Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award. It was described by the judge as ‘outstanding’.
Don’t forget to check out all the other reviews on this blog tour:
Peter turns the page 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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