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A review by mburnamfink
City of Gold by Len Deighton
3.0
City of Gold is an atmospheric but dissipated espionage novel, following a trio of more-or-less unlikable characters around, but failing to make much of them. Cairo in 1942 is trembling before Rommel's next strike, but a city about to fall is an opportunity to make a big score. The Western Desert is littered with abandoned weapons, Jews and Arabs and buying up guns, and somewhere is Rommel's spy; a man with perfect access to British orders and intelligence. The Nazi general knows what the British are going to do before they know it, and as long as he has his source, he'll take Cairo.
Ross is a murderer and deserter, yet a decent man who is avoiding the firing squad by assuming the identity of a dead officer. Ordered to find Rommel's spy, Ross's needs to fake being a detective and figure out his next move. Ross's story was the one I thought most interesting, but it doesn't really go anywhere.
Peggy West is a British Jew, a nurse, and a longtime resident of Cairo caught up in the treacherous world of espionage, and trying to figure out where her loyalties really lie.
Wallingford is a deserter and black marketeer, creating a fictional commando unit to disguise his actions. Unfortunately, he lacks any sort of dash and charm. He's just an overgrown schoolboy, using his bully habits to get enough money, because getting money is what you do.
Along with some minor characters, they wander around Cairo drinking, lying, and otherwise deceiving themselves and each other. But in the end, all their effort is fruitless (you can google up the historical source of Rommel's information), and they are released to their just ends.
Ross is a murderer and deserter, yet a decent man who is avoiding the firing squad by assuming the identity of a dead officer. Ordered to find Rommel's spy, Ross's needs to fake being a detective and figure out his next move. Ross's story was the one I thought most interesting, but it doesn't really go anywhere.
Peggy West is a British Jew, a nurse, and a longtime resident of Cairo caught up in the treacherous world of espionage, and trying to figure out where her loyalties really lie.
Wallingford is a deserter and black marketeer, creating a fictional commando unit to disguise his actions. Unfortunately, he lacks any sort of dash and charm. He's just an overgrown schoolboy, using his bully habits to get enough money, because getting money is what you do.
Along with some minor characters, they wander around Cairo drinking, lying, and otherwise deceiving themselves and each other. But in the end, all their effort is fruitless (you can google up the historical source of Rommel's information), and they are released to their just ends.