Random Things Tours: The Protocols of Spying by Merle Nygate

´Why? Why us? Why we can´t ever be safe?´

Two days ago I would have write probably a different review of The Protocols of Spying by writer and script editor Merle Nygate. But after two long years, it is finally the 8th of October and the reading of this book can just change just from a day to another.

I was expecting for a long time to hear about fiction books inspired by the horrific events from the 7th of October in Israel, but 1. there were none so far in English - was expecting Daniel Silva to write something but not this time - and 2. it is an ongoing trauma that needs to be healed before writing about it, no matter the genre. 

I haven´t heard about Eli Amiram series by Merle Nygate, but after this book - the third so far in the series - I would love to go back to read more. It is a book with and about spies, Israeli and some local allies - like Petra, a British Jew helping locally, well dressed - too well dressed if you ask me for the average Israeli standards, but those are living in Europe, particularly London, so maybe they are following the local trends. After the terror shock they are working to make sense and prevent and operate in the new intelligence framework. 

The story is dense, tensed but still allowing operational explanations and character development. The elements of reality - including the famous Mossad pagers plot - frame the fiction within the planned plot denouement. Office politics play an important role in advancing the story, which largely corresponds to the real life of spies, where planning an operation and the personality conflicts may always come as a joint package - with obvious consequences on the failure or success of an operation. The action succeeds in short chapters which increases the sense of alert. The characters are rooted in the realities of the Middle East, voicing and explaining realities rarely heard, based on serious knowledge both in the historical and intelligence fields.

The title, The Protocols of Spying is exceptional because it leave you a wide range of expectations: would it be a very plain technical book about spies - which is not, or rather it may be the keyword to an unknown adventurous spy world (which largerly is).

I am convinced it will not take too long until will return to this author and Eli Amiram series as well.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own