Len Deighton's first-ever spy novel, the 1962 book "The IPCRESS File" is a work of pure brilliance - dealing with Cold War brainwashing, atomic-weapon testing, conspiracy, biochemistry and espionage. The protagonist and lead spy in the book is nameless - although in the iconic 1965 film he is called "Harry Palmer" and is portrayed by Michael Caine - but he finds himself in various places, including Lebanon, helping to test a US atomic weapon, as well as trying to find information on the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb "Joe One". A civilian employee for agency WOOC(P), the British protagonist keeps an "escape package" because he is worried about being captured and the working-class narrator heads on a supposedly easy mission to find a missing biochemist - but he ends up discovering a conspiracy that could affect the world. "Brilliant" doesn't even begin to do this novel justice.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.