Roger Croft starts his espionage novel in 1992 England. The main character, Michael Vaux, is attempting to buy a bungalow on the same suburban street on which he grew up, hoping to retire peacefully, spending the autumn of his life looking out at the back garden, with a pleasant view of an English meadow beyond. Croft writes at a refreshingly methodical pace, which seems to have fallen out of vogue in spy novels. He is certainly closer to John le Carré in style than Elmore Leonard. But it is difficult to see Richard Burton or Alec Guinness portraying the main character here, as in the movie adaptations of le Carré's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Our protagonist, Michael Vaux, is not a career intelligence officer. Rather, he's a retired journalist. Vaux, divorced, independently minded and seemingly never without the cup that cheers in his hand, has done fairly well for himself. And, though he may have moments of melancholy, he's essentially stable, and bent on buying this elusive bungalow, which seems to inch away from him every time he gets closer. Vaux's domestic desires are used against him. Britain's spy service, MI6, takes an interest in Vaux and leads him into an assignment for Queen and country, which assures he re-establishes contact with a school friend who is an arms purchaser for Syria. The book's plot is elaborate and takes the reader down countless blind alleys. But Croft has put a lot of purposeful thought into his and the reader is hard-pressed to predict the outcome. Author Roger Croft, like protagonist Michael Vaux, is himself a retired journalist, having written for The Economist, The Toronto Star, and with a background in financial matters. He also wrote for The Egyptian Gazette, way back in the 1960s. Willows is a contributing writer to The Egyptian Gazette and its weekly edition, the Egyptian Mail. He studied at the American University in Cairo and is currently living and working in Egypt. He can be reached at [email protected]
The Wayward Spy Roger Croft, 2010 Cassio Books International ISBN-10: 1450590209, 394pp $14.95
