Book Review of The Man in the Corduroy Suit by James Wolff

 

Name of Book: The Man in the Corduroy Suit 

Author: James Wolff 

ISBN: 978-1-913394-84-4

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press 

Part of a Series: The Discipline Files (Beside the Syrian Sea and How to Betray Your Country are prequels) 

Type of book: England, Norfolk, countryside, spying, secrets, London, hidden motives, 2019, unassuming link, England vs Russia intelligence, hidden lives 

Year it was published: 2023

Summary:

“A wonderful, artful, absorbing espionage novel.” Adam Brookes, author of Night Heron

The story of an internal investigation into the past of a British spy suspected of having been turned by Russian agents.  British intelligence is in a state of panic. Cracks are appearing, or so a run of disciplinary cases would suggest. To cap it all, Willa Karlsson, a retired secret services officer collapses, the victim of what looks like a Russian poisoning.

Leonard Flood is ordered to investigate – and quickly. Notorious for his sharp elbows and blunt manner, Leonard’s only objective is to get the job done, whatever the cost. When Leonard discovers that he is also a suspect in the investigation and that Willa’s story is less a story of betrayal than one of friendship and a deep sense of duty, he must decide whether to hand her to her masters or to help her to escape.

The third in the espionage trilogy The Discipline Files, after the acclaimed debut Beside the Syrian Sea, and its follow-on novel How to Betray Your Country.

Written by an James Wolff is the pseudonym of a young English novelist who worked for the British government for over ten years before leaving to write spy fiction.

Against the backdrop of increasing Russian spying and interference (including assassination) in the UK, this novel explores themes of loyalty and betrayal in modern intelligence work, threatened from the inside by whistle-blowers, serial leakers and Robin Hood hackers. A taut thriller about the thin line between following your conscience and following orders. A fascinating conundrum we have been struggling with for decades. Edward Snowden, hero or traitor?

Characters:

Main character is Leonard Flood, an unassuming and "bookish" appearing man who is anything but. He is extremely resourceful and knows how to use resources well as well as observant and also very loyal, unless one questions his loyalties and methods. He is best described as having knowledge and understanding of how to get information out of anyone. The other characters in the novel tend to play minor but important roles such as the mysterious Willa Karlsson who has a lot of secrets, Charles Remmant who is in charge and tends to be pretty paranoid as well as Leonard's partner Franny. Most of the story focused on Leonard and his discoveries. 

Theme:

Be aware of what is going on

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative mainly from Leonard's point of view, although from time to time the reader is introduced to secret documents about the case. I have to say that the story is very engaging and has gripped me from start to finish. I also enjoyed watching Leonard Flood in action, especially making up or lying about various things. There is also a lot of focus on how the knowledge and training operate in England as well as tensions England has with Russia. Due to the names of previous heroes,  namely August Drummond and Jonas Worth as well as the link the three have, I could argue that its a sequel, but at the same time one can enjoy reading the story without reading the previous two novels. So yes, a unique position. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

James Wolff worked for the British government for over ten years. He lives in London. His first novel, Beside the Syrian Sea, was published in 2018, and his second, How to Betray Your Country, was published in 2021.

Praise for How to Betray Your Country:

-“A clever, grown-up spy novel, full of intrigue and shot through with a mischievous wit” - Charles Cumming

-“Wolff skillfully portrays an espionage agent on the verge of losing himself to his demons. This is spy fiction like no other…Brilliant” - Publishers Weekly

-"A LoveReading Star Book, How to Betray Your Country is ever so smart, provocative, and thought-provoking. It's also thoroughly entertaining. It comes with the hugest of thumbs up from me" - Liz Robinson, LoveReading

Opinion:

I've only read the previous book, HOW TO BETRAY YOUR COUNTRY, but what I can see is that this is a stand-alone novel rather than a continuation.  Yes, previous heroes of the past stories are mentioned and are referred to, but this one focuses a lot on psychology of Leonard Flood, an unassuming man who is charged with finding out the truth about Willa Karlsson (I do have to wonder if the Karlsson is a nod to a popular Russian cartoon where a man with a propeller visits a young boy and causes destruction wherever he flies? Based on Astrid Lindgreen fairytale) While previous novel takes place in Middle East and London, THE MAN IN THE CORDUROY SUIT takes place in England instead. And yes, I definitely need to read the las two books so I can understand this one better.  

This was given for review 

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)