Traitor's Kiss

My first contact with the work of Gerald Seymour was many years ago when I saw a television drama called Harry's Game. I probably didn't take in that it was an adaptation of a book of the same name written by Seymour, but when I saw the book on a library shelf , years later, I recalled having watched the programme and having enjoyed it. I borrowed the book and was hooked.

I have just finished Traitor's Kiss, having only just found a copy in the library although it was published several years ago. This is one of those books that I find difficult to put down, although with 500+ pages it is not one to be read at a single sitting. "Ferret" is a high-ranking officer in the Russian navy and has been passing information to the British for four years. A simple slip-up puts him under suspicion and he sends a message asking for help. Both the SAS and the SBS having refused assistance, his former handler emerges from retirement to organise the ex-filtration.

Seymour has been described as the finest thriller writer there is, and this is certainly one of his better works. Star rating: a straight five.