Only When I Larf - by Len Deighton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Three con artists are on the make, and making millions. There's Silas, the leader, slick and self-assured; Liz, his glamorous lover; and Bob, the young cockney upstart (who's also falling for Liz). As this uneasy trio's swindles take them from New York high-rises to sixties London, corrupt governments to, finally, the ultimate con in the Middle East, will their luck start to run out?

Review Quotes

"Tremendous... a must read." - Daily Mirror

"The poet of the spy story."--Sunday Times

"Len Deighton's spy novels are so good they make me sad the Cold War is over."--Malcolm Gladwell

"Few authors writing in the rigorous and finite genre of spy fiction have mastered the craft as well as Deighton."--Chicago Tribune

"Deighton is so far in the front of other writers in the field that they are not even in sight."--Sunday Times

"What raises Deighton's genre to art is not only his absorbing characters but his metaphoric grace, droll wit, command of technical detail ... and sure sense of place."--Washington Post

"A master of fictional espionage."--Daily Mail

"Mr. Deighton is really something special."--Sunday Times

"For sheer readability, he has no peer."--Evening Standard

"I love him! So underrated now. The Berlin Game trilogy made lockdown possible."--Olivia Laing

"The authority of these books seems absolute." --The Observer on SS-GB

"Changed the shape of the espionage thriller ... there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read."--Daily Telegraph on The IPCRESS File

"Mr. Deighton's touch is unfailing... Never a false note."--The New York Times Book Review on Spy Hook

"Deighton is a master." --Los Angeles Times Book Review on Spy Line

"Cool, intricate plotting ... excitement and applied violence ... exactly how entertainment should be written." --Daily Mirror on Spy Story

About the Author

LEN DEIGHTON was born in London in 1929 and is considered one of the most important British espionage writers. He has written more than thirty books that range from historical fiction, dystopian alternative fiction, and brilliant nonfiction on the Second World War.