The unintended consequences of acing a test . . . or when all else fails, try blackmail.In July of 1964, after marrying in Paris, Desirée and Scott Stoddard are honeymooning in the South of France when their idyll is interrupted by a notice from Scott’s draft board advising him that his status is being reviewed. Desirée, the former French countess who is already three months pregnant, doesn’t … understand why her new husband, an American, must traipse off to some military base in Germany to be tested. Scott’s remarkable scores on the tests attract the attention of the CIA, and Scott, much to his dismay, becomes part of their world of intrigue and deceit. How can he get back to the life that he and Desirée had envisioned? When all else fails, blackmail is the answer.A Spy with Scruples plunges readers into the complicated political world of Cold War Europe. From neutral Switzerland to the aristocratic salons of Paris to bombed-out Berlin, Scott ingratiates some and offends more. But he has a plan.
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I was given this book to read from the publisher for an honest review.Well, another good Gary Dickson novel.. the story continues from An Improbable Pairing of Scott and Desiree. This is a very well written spy story but I still loved An Improbable Pairing, I guess I am just a pushover for love stories.
First, if you think this is going to be your regular spy novel with twists, you are sadly mistaken. There are no twists or turns. Second, it starts out slow and stays slow for most of the book, though it did pickup about chapter 42, but slowed back down by chapter 44. The chapters aren’t real long, so the speed up was quick.
Also, the whole concept was just off. I mean the guy is married to a rich woman and they flaunt their wealth. How many people can relate to that? Not many. The way he was recruited didn’t seem right to me either. But, then I am not a spy and no nothing about it, except from other books I read. There was no passion in the writing, either. That may be why it was just meh to me.
Overall, if you like spy novels, I would just skip it.
Thanks Netgalley for the Kindle Version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
After reading the previous reviews, I was hesitant about reading this book. I am glad I persevered. I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read. Scott is an interesting character and I thought the writing was superb.
An interesting Cold War spy story involving a newly wed couple with a little one on the way. The husband keeps his spy life from his family and tries to find a way out to return to normalcy. I enjoyed that this was a story without high tech gadgets and relied on brains. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
This is a spy thriller that takes place in Europe during the 1960’s Cold War era. This is the second book with the main characters(Desiree and Scott). I would read the first book, An Improbable Pairing. You don’t have to read the first book but you will understand the characters a little better if you do. You get to see a lot of Europe in this story. I received a copy of this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
As spy novels go, this one seems a bit on the bland side. Perhaps the world of spies is more like that which is described here than it is in the books and stories to which we are accustomed. It is not a fast paced story; it is, in human terms, very easy to accept. It is politically very interesting.
The Vietnam War Era was a fraught period in both American and world history. Keeping this time period in mind, the events leading to Scott Stoddard’s recruitment seem more believable than I would believe could happen today. I found myself looking at the incidents told here from the point of view of a student (in 1964) and a member of the military (1966). By 1969, I found myself in a march against the war.
I believe that for at least the first two thirds of the book, I was leaning toward a 3-star review; however, upon completion and further reflection, and the very good writing, it does indeed deserve a 4-star rating.
Those of us who grew up reading Ian Fleming and Frederick Forsyth will inevitably look for action and nail biting situation in a spy thriller. Gary Dickson gives us a different look by providing a more mundane experience. A spy need not be capable of jumping tall buildings in a single bound, he can be a rather intelligent, albeit normal, guy who can get the job done and walk away unscathed.