Free Agent

by Jeremy Duns

Book Overview

"I was transported back to the heyday of spy fiction and . . . the best of le Carr?, Deighton, and Forsyth." -Christopher Reich, author of Rules of Deception Hailed as "the beginning of a classic... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670021016
• ISBN13: 9780670021017
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Authenticity and a promise of more

I am a longterm fan of espionage novels, and think I know authenticity when I see it. This book was excellent - a very promising beginning for a novelist who clearly understands the contradictions and internal conflicts of an espionage agent .... as well as the politics of international government relationships. Like some who have reviewed this book, at first I did not like Duns' main character. After all, who would respect a double agent? But as the book evolved, Duns has allowed us to see clear glimpses of the humanity of this character, and of the complexity that moves strongly beneath the surface. The issues which brought the British agent Paul Dark into the double agent world are in fact not simple, and don't support a view of him as a villain. I am looking forward to Duns' next book in this series, which I expect will more fully develop his main character. I would not be surprised to see Paul Dark re-evaluating his place in the espionage world, and his governmental loyalties ... or at least how he goes about doing what is in fact right and just in behalf of his fellow humans, if not the governments who pay him.

Tense, intelligent, and well written

Mr. Duns not only manages to cram quite a bit of action into his 352 pages, but he also makes knowing nods to most of the bigger names in the thriller genre from the last fifty years. The writing is clean and descriptive, and the pages turn exceedingly fast. Anyone who enjoys Fleming, Le Carre, Follet, Cussler and the like will eat up this novel in a few sittings. Duns' Nigeria is gritty and hot, and exceedingly real and his protagonist, Dark, is aptly named; a complex anti-hero whom you will find yourself both rooting for and against. A masterful debut for both Mr. Duns and for Paul Dark. Here's to looking for more in the coming years.

Cold War Espionage with More Turns Than a Roller Coaster

Jeremy Duns has set his thriller firmly in the Cold War. It's hard to say where the first chapter is going until the last two paragraphs when this reader sat up and said, "What??!" It's hard to stop turning pages. There's a rush to see what happens next. Scenes are believable and the author's obvious research makes this come vividly to life. It would make a great film. I could visualize it as I read it. Personally, I think Ralph Fiennes would be the perfect Paul Dark, "Free Agent"'s protagonist. This is the first book of a trilogy. I wish book two were available now!

This book will make an excellent motion picture.

This is a fast-paced and exciting thriller filled with twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged. Duns's character Paul Dark leads us into the mysterious and dark underbelly of espionage and intrigue. This book would make an excellent motion picture and if you like any of the Bourne movies, you will love FREE AGENT. I highly recommend it.

Espionage and duplicity

Having been mostly set in 1969, with references back to 1945, this book covers an espionage story from the point of view of a double agent during the Cold War era, which is the most interesting time period, in my opinion, for the setting of a spy novel. While I might agree with some other reviews that the characters could have been fleshed out more, I am appalled that the reviewers have given such a low rating on average to this novel. Perhaps it is that people in general do not appreciate intelligent thrillers anymore, or perhaps it is that I've read some recently that were lackluster, and this one pleased me because there were several unpredictable parts (unless one has taken a lucky guess). Recently, having read a spy novel where the main characters were total idiots, it was nice to read one in which there was some intelligence and proactive planning involved. Paul Dark comes off as a double agent that was fooled into serving more than one master, but also one that does not seem easy to fool. This makes sense when one thinks about it. We all have the capacity to be fooled into thinking or believing something that is not true...and at times are duped by others, no matter how intelligent we are. It was nice to see how this man struggled with the knowledge that he had been tricked about 25 years prior to the current setting, with the knowledge that someone he fell in love with was involved, and with the knowledge that person may still be alive, though they should be dead. Jeremy Duns has done a great job for his debut.