Len Deighton: Three Complete Novels- Berlin Game / Mexico Set / London Match

I can't remember how I stumbled across this trilogy but what a treaasure I found! This is an intelligent, wonderful writer who is one of the best! I have read all of Daniel Silva's books and thought he was fabulous but now I will go back and read all of Mr. Deighton's as his works are beyond my expectations and his command of the english language is lovely to savor as I read his tales. You can "see" everything very clearly when you read his written word and his character development is for the movies! Yes, I am now a full fledged fan of all of Len Deighton's works!!! they need to re-print them and produce them for the next generation!! Wonderful!

What garbage. Rambling idiocy with no coherent logic. Same garbage page after weary page. Could have condensed the 3 stories to 100 pages.These stories are like late Stephan King, long, boring and full of irrelevant detail.

When it comes to espionage novels, Len Deighton is as good as it gets. Realistic characters and cold war situations that many of us lived through abound. Ever since "The Ipcress File" introduced readers to the unamed, borderline criminal secret agent (named Harry Palmer in the movies), Deighton's creations have been believeable, realistic, and a fun read. After James Bond and other uber-agents, it was refreshing to see a regular guy that does things that effect the entire world, yet still has to worry about paying the gas bill.Bernard Samson is such a character. Introduced briefly in an earlier novel, these three novels flesh out his story. This compilation is extremely handy. While each novel is a stand-alone great read, it is fantastic having them all together in one volume, and to be able to read them sequentially. Almost a thousand pages of entertainment for a really trivial price.The basis of the stories revolves around Bernard Samson, shortly after his wife Fiona apparently defects to the other side. Both Bernard and Fiona are members of the British secret intelligence community. They have two children. Bernard brings off several major intelligence coups, while being suspected of complicity in his wife's defection (after all...how can you not know the person you share a bed with is a senior communist agent?) The plotting is tight, the characters exceptional.Anyone who remembers civil defense shelters and bomb drills in grade school will love these stories. Read them, and you will want to seek out the other novels printed about these characters, to seee how it all turns out. This book is out-of-print and priced very reasonably. Get it before it goes up, as there is talk of Quentin Tarrantino being very interested in making a film version of these three novels. Read this boook. You won't be sorry.

In the 1980s, I had read some books by Len Deighton ("SS-GB", "Fighter", and "Blood, Tears, and Folly") and enjoyed them, but back then my reading tastes did not run to cold war thrillers, so I didn't read any of his spy books about Harry Palmer or Bernard Samson. Recently, however, I happened to pick up "Berlin Game", and discovered it was a pretty good read, so I bought this omnibus book that also included the next two books in the series, "Mexico Set", and "London Match".These books are about a middle-aged British Intelligence Officer in the 1970's, Bernard Samson, who used to be a field agent in Berlin but is now has a senior level desk job in London. In the first book, an extremely valuable East German spy wants out of East Germany and requests that Bernard, whom he met 20 years earlier and is one of the few people he trusts, be the agent who gets him out. This book, as are the subsequent books, is full of vivid characterizations, suspense, the occasional bit of off-beat humor, intricate plotting, betrayals, and redemptions. The same set of characters, both the good guys and bad guys, basically move from book to book, allowing Mr. Deighton to gradually fill-in their complexities, so that the books are deeper than many spy novels. These are books about people, not super-secret complex technology and gadgets, which I find a welcome change to many popular thrillers written today.My only complaint about the series, and it's more of a nit than a true complaint, is that while the plot moves along quickly and seems plausible when you're reading it, when you step back and think about things, you find holes in the plot (at least I do). However, since I'm reading these books to be entertained, I can overlook the holes provided they don't rear their ugly heads while I'm acutally reading the book. I'd probably give the books 4 ½ stars if that were possible, but since it's not, I'll round up to 5 stars. Give them a look; you can get this omnibus (used) pretty inexpensively. I enjoyed them enough that I've ordered the next three books in the series.

I find Deighton dull and uninteresting. Very little “espionage,” a great deal of talk.Please don’t compare him to LaCarrie. I recommend the work of Charles McCarry.

I won't be able to hold it to read in bed. I am looking forward to getting started on it though my reading time permitting.

How crazy am I for this stuff? I bought this despite having already read it probably five times. We moved and some stuff got lost and I just needed my Samson fix.If you don't like the Bernard Samson stuff, then you and I could not possibly carry on a conversation. About anything.If you like to read, like to get lost in a book and like great writing, pick up on Deighton.

Great read! "Winter" was excellent. A great explanation of everything that happened before these books. Thanks.

I read these books when they were first published and was interested to see how they had worn during the past thirty years. The answer is- very well; the fact that I too am thirty years' older gives me a more mature view; and it is interesting to compare and contrast Deighton with le Carre

I had forgotten how terrific Decighton's cast of characters and plot twists were. Great Buy!

I read this trilogy 30 years ago and new I would come back to it. 5/5. I cannot put it down and will be looking forward to the next 6 books.

Book is used as advertised but the condition is very good.

A wonderful trilogy