Awful, boring book. Spy thrillers aren't necessarily my thing, but unless you've read the first two books in the series, which I haven't, then you are completely missing a good chunk of the story, as there is much reference to past novels. The idea of a spy is exciting, but there really isn't that much at stake. The story makes little if no references to what will happen if the spy is not found. Will their be another Hiroshima? Will Russia overtake the English monarchy? No. Nothing like this. The worst that will happen is that Russia will have more information about Britain. Oh, the shame. I'm sure at publication time, when the Cold War, etc, were still major issues at the top of everyone's mind, this was an excellent read. However, from a current standpoint, and not having a background involving the Cold War, I found it exceedingly dull. ( )