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Mexico Set

Penguin Modern Classics

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Mexico Set

By: Len Deighton
Narrated by: James Lailey
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

World-weary agent Bernard Samson is losing control of his personal and professional life. Sent to Mexico to aid the defection of a KGB agent to the West, he has a chance to prove his worth. Instead, he is torn between conflicting loyalties and lost in a maze of double-dealing and duplicity. The second novel in the Game, Set and Match trilogy is a gripping portrayal of a man who can trust no one, not even those closest to him.

A Bernard Samson novel.

©1984 Len Deighton (P)2021 Penguin Audio Espionage Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Latin American Mexico

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Critic reviews

"Deighton is a marvel [...] a tale told by an author at the height of his power." (Chicago Tribune)
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Very well delivered, great story, poor Bernd working in a lame and treacherous department, he gets there but what a shambles in the background devised by desk-men.

The pace quickens and tensions rise

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The follow-up to ‘Berlin Game,’ this second instalment recounts the events around Bernard Samson and the other London protagonists in the aftermath of Fiona’s defection in that novel. As the department tries to recover something useful out of the wreckage of ‘Berlin Game,’ its office politics and its interference threaten to undo all its best endeavours.

As with its predecessor, the story here is intriguing and engaging. I greatly enjoyed the heady combination of espionage machinations, bluff and double bluff, the office politics, Samson’s own tortuous self-examinations, and the romance. The sum total is a very satisfying novel.

The best-drawn characters in this book are the women. Bernard Samson’s sister-in-law Tessa Kosinski, and the office femme fatale Gloria Kent, are both deliciously portrayed, as is Werner Volkmann’s young and manipulative wife Zena.

Narration

James Lailey’s narration is excellent. He has good voices for the characters, and a very natural and enjoyable flow and rhythm. He handles the German in the book excellently, as well as (at least to my layman’s ear) the Spanish. I enjoyed his narration of this novel more than that of the previous one, ‘Berlin Game.’

The narration is marred, however, by the fact that the post-production editing just hasn’t been careful enough.

For instance, in Chapter 2, at 12°46’ from the end of the audiobook, Lailey reads: “‘Who are the Biederman girls?’ asked Dicky — said Dicky.” He clearly misread ‘said Dicky,’ and corrected himself, intending that ‘asked Dicky’ should be edited out, but it never was edited out.

Another instance of this occurs in Chapter 16, at 5°18’ from the end. During a dialogue between Bernard Samson and a boy in an inn named the Golden Bear just on the western side of the intra-German border, he reads the boy as saying, “People come from Lüneberg, even from Hamburg, to buy them in this village… to buy them in the village.”

A third one occurs not long afterwards, in Chapter 17, at 4°16’ from the end of the audiobook. Here he reads: “But such Russian security documents [very slightly mispronounced]… But such Russian security documents were predictable enough for me to guess at the parts I could not read or couldn’t understand.”

Aside from these aberrations, however, this is really well narrated and a joy to listen to.

Three murders

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Just another excellent spy story! Mexico as backdrop or perhaps the star? BS had his work cut out this time.

Double Dealings!

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Brilliant plot and characterisation by Deighton, and a superlative reading performance by Lailey. Fantastic all round

The Master!

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The story goes beyond the story and into the characters and locations. But there is a skill in the writing where they are not overplayed to too distracting. We learn more about who the characters are, and the settings but without hardly noticing this is happening. Much is gently brought in and out of the background and, with the help of the excellent narrator we become part of the scene ourselves.

Yes, it can be said to be ‘of its time’ but that is the nature of our modern quickly changing world and virtuous expectations.

Some of the attitudes portrayed, along with the terms and language used may irk those with passion for being offended. The omission of swearing or foul language, and gently nuanced scenes of a sexual nature are refreshing in contrast to the modern trends for inescapable multi-sensual and highly immersive cringeworthy descriptions and incessant obscene utterances.

The book and audio would be a comfortable blush-free experience to enjoy among children and grandparents alike. Indeed, there are some deeply adult themes addressed very honestly but the presentation is sensitively delivered and suitable for all the family :-)

Can’t wait for the next one … I’m in, Hook, Line and Sinker though that’s not supposed to happen until the next trilogy in the series, I have the Match to enjoy before that.

My eager anticipation was well rewarded

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Phenomenal thriller; a masterclass in which pace, plot, character and the interplay of concealment and revelation are the combined and relentless engines of both plot and story.
This is how you do it

Just do it

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Twists and turns like nothing I’ve read before.
Love the narrator.
Hoping the third will be even better.

The first was good but this was better

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What a masterful piece of writing and story telling. James Lailey does Len Deighton proud.

Fabulous

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The audio editing could be better, there are a few repeats. Apart from that it jogs along pleasantly enough. Deighton & le Carré books are still the best cold war spy novels

Good except for the editing

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Another great book from Len Deighton. The twists and turns in the story are superb. I am now looking forward to London Match

A clever and enjoyable story

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