Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British author. His publications have included cookery books, history and military history, but he is best known for his spy novels.
Len Deighton is an English author known for his novels, works of military history, screenplays and cookery writing. He had a varied career, including as a pastry cook, waiter, co-editor of a magazine, teacher and air steward before writing his first novel in 1962: The IPCRESS File. He continued to produce what his biographer John Reilly considers "stylish, witty, well-crafted novels" in spy fiction, including three trilogies and a prequel featuring Bernard Samson.
Panther's Moon is a 1948 spy thriller novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It was his second post-war novel, following The Chasm, as he had largely been taken a break from writing during his wartime service.
The Cold Dark Night is a 1957 spy thriller novel by the British writer Sarah Gainham. Her second novel, it is set at the height of the Cold War when the 1954 Berlin Conference saw the Big Four foreign ministers arrive in the divided city. Gainham had worked in Berlin as a journalist at the time of the Conference.
A Place in the Country is a 1969 novel by the British writer Sarah Gainham. It was the second in her Vienna trilogy following on from the popular first novel Night Falls on the City.
The Silent Hostage is a 1960 spy thriller novel by the British writer Sarah Gainham. Before writing her most celebrated work Night Falls on the City, Gainham produced several thrillers set in Continental Europe where she had lived since 1947. The novel takes place on the Adriatic Coast of Yugoslavia not long after the Second World War.
Mr. Finchley Discovers His England is a 1934 comedy novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It was published by Hodder and Stoughton, and a US edition published by Reynal and Hitchcock appeared in 1935 under the title Mr. Finchley's Holiday, and there were post-war editions from Pan Books, Heinemann and, recently (2019), from Farrago Books. It was the first of a trilogy starring the mild-mannered Edgar Finchley. The novel was a bestseller and allowed Canning to leave his job and devote himself full time to writing, later becoming known in particular for his thrillers.
Mr. Finchley Goes to Paris is a comedy novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It was the second of a trilogy featuring the mild-mannered Edgar Finchley. The first publication in 1938 was by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK and Carrick and Evans in the USA. It was included in the Heinemann Uniform Edition of 1974, and a new edition has just appeared (2019) from Farrago Books. In 1990 it was adapted for radio by the BBC starring Richard Griffiths
Mr. Finchley Takes the Road is a 1940 comedy novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It was the final part of a trilogy featuring the mild-mannered Edgar Finchley who had been introduced in the 1934 novel Mr. Finchley Discovers His England. First publication was by Hodder and Stoughton with an American edition by Carrick and Evans. It was included in the 1973 Uniform Edition by Heinemann, and has been reissued by Farrago Books in 2019. In 1990 it was adapted for radio by the BBC starring Richard Griffiths.
Fountain Inn is a 1939 mystery detective novel by the British writer Victor Canning. Canning had made his name with his comedy novels featuring Mr. Finchley. This was his first attempt at a thriller, but after the war he increasingly switched to writing thrillers. It received positive reviews with The Guardian noting "Fountain Inn, which is extremely well written, is the attractive kind of detective story in which the main interest is not “Who?” but “How?”". The first edition was by Hodder and Stoughton, but there was a reissue in 1974 by Heinemann, and it was republished in 2019 by Farrago Books.
A Forest of Eyes is a 1950 spy thriller novel by the British writer Victor Canning. Stylistically it owed a debt to Canning's friend, the writer Eric Ambler.
Green Battlefield is a 1943 war thriller novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It was published by Hodder & Stoughton and was the only novel he wrote during his military service in the Royal Artillery. Although comparatively successful, and reprinted in 1944, Canning himself was later dismissive of the novel saying "It was a topical book. I spun it off to cash in on the war story thing. It was quite a competent story, but nothing I’d want in the canon of works!." Nevertheless, it was translated into Italian and French, the first time his work had appeared in those languages.
Matthew Silverman is a 1937 novel by the British writer Victor Canning, his sixth. Canning had made his name with the comedy novel Mr. Finchley Discovers His England and wrote a number of works focusing on more everyday aspects of British life before later switching to be a well-known author of thrillers. The first publisher was Hodder and Stoughton, but a new edition has recently (2019) appeared from Farrago Books under the title The Uncertain Future of the Silvermans.
Queen's Pawn is a 1969 thriller novel by the British writer Victor Canning. The title is a reference to the chess opening of the same name and the fact that much of the novel's action centres around the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner. It was his first novel after finishing the Rex Carver series of spy adventures.
The Whip Hand is a 1965 spy novel by the British writer Victor Canning. It is the first in a series of four novels about Rex Carver, a private detective drawn back into his old profession of espionage. The novel also features the secret service agent Manston who had previously appeared in The Limbo Line, Canning's previous novel.
Doubled in Diamonds is a 1966 spy thriller novel by the British Victor Canning. It is the second in a series of four novels about Rex Carver, a private detective drawn back into his old profession of espionage.
The Python Project is a 1967 spy thriller novel by the British Victor Canning. It is the third in a series of four novels about Rex Carver, a private detective drawn back into his old profession of espionage. A complex plot which involves a jewel robbery and the exchange of prisoners between the British and Soviet intelligence services takes place in a variety of locations including London, Paris, Libya and the Balearic Islands.
The Melting Man is a 1968 thriller novel by the British Victor Canning. It is the fourth and final entry in a series novels about Rex Carver, a private detective drawn back into his old profession of espionage. It features the French secret agent Aristide de la Dole, who had previously appeared in Doubled in Diamonds.
Firecrest is a 1971 spy thriller novel by the British writer Victor Canning. A stand-alone novel, it introduced a more modern, darker and naturalistic style compared to Canning's previous novels. It marked the first appearance of "The Department", a shadowy dirty tricks agency working for the British government which featured in subsequent novels.
The Viaduct is a 1939 historical novel by the British writer Victor Canning, under the pen name of Alan Gould. The novel revolves around the construction of a railway viaduct across the River Tamar in the Cornish village Caradon in the 1870s overseen by the engineer John Seabright. It faces many obstacles including an outbreak of typhoid and the constant tension between the local inhabitants and the rough navvies brought into build it, ending up in a death and a trial.
