Helen MacInnes is a classic example of the old-school spy thriller. She's written some excellent books, and Message from Malaga is another good story from her canon. MacInnes writes with a great deal of authority in terms of culture and society, probably due to the excellent education she had (degrees in French, German, and library science) as well as the fact that her husband, a classics professor, was also an MI6 operative.Message from Malaga is a Cold War story, set in Spain during the 60s, and based around a plot of American and KGB spies maneuvering around each other in the traffic of political refugees. Largely a character study, combined with political and social commentary, the story reads more slowly than the typical modern spy thriller. However, despite that, MacInnes compares much more favorably with today's thriller writers (and I am a fan of writers such as Daniel Silva), in that she actually has the wit and skill to weave fairly profound commentary into her storylines without coming across as a cranky academic. She also builds her characters with a careful eye for dialogue and depth.One rather alarming and fascinating aspect of Message from Malaga is MacInnes' discussion of the social breakdown of the West. Her thoughts on this are depressingly prescient in terms of what is happening today, particularly the willingness to trade away liberty and freedom for comfort which, in turn, ushers in a bigger and more intrusive government.If you like fairly cerebral spy thrillers, you'd do well to investigate MacInnes' books. I've always enjoyed them, other than several of her more straight romances, such as Friends and Lovers.
It's been many years since I've read this author's work and I was very pleased to see her work made available for kindle. Whilst I don't think that this was as strong as some of the other thrillers that this author has delivered in the past, it was still a suspenseful storyline.Ian Ferrier is on holiday in Malaga visiting an old friend Jeff Reid, who is far more than what he appears to be. Unusual circumstances find Ferrier being inadvertently drawn into a high stakes game of espionage for which he is ill equipped to handle.I enjoyed the strong sense of time and place, the Cold War and that air of sinister foreboding. I didn't feel that the ending was a strong or as defined as I would have liked but still an entertaining read with some interesting characters, it kept me guessing.
What do You think about Message From Malaga (1986)?
This book is very well written, but Helen MacInnis always seems to kill off the female lead.
—Rachel Crane
The book was written in 1972. The American fear of communism and the authors general perspective on woman jumps out at me the most.The Americans are wary of the KGB and Cuba and with good reason. The enemy is everywhere and oozes out of every nook and cranny. Even your (spoiled rotten) kid is a dirty red commie! Still, the true American gentleman will sacrifice to maintain freedom for all. That includes visiting the spoiled kid who accidentally aided the commies in killing his dad during one of his rich temper tantrums.Amanda Ames is a spy who describes her "women's work" which includes tasks like refilling the alcohol, emptying ashtrays, and making chitchat with non-political guests. Tavita dances flamenco professionally and is a torrent of hot and cold. Both main female characters are sexy, tantalizing, emotional, and unpredictable.
—Sarah
