There are so many wonderful characters in this book to choose from, but it is the soul of the British Intelligence establishment which stands out as the lead in its own right. In fact, it has a voice and speaks to us throughout “Think of me as a pane of glass, nothing more” it says at one point. It is a clever and engaging device.
MI6 is portrayed here as a religion, a cult led by Sir William who at one point refers to himself as God. Members are so caught up in the mindset (or brainwashed into it after 42 years of service) that they believe that theirs is the one true way. As a group they do not expect to be challenged and, certainly not by an anonymous whistleblower.
One of James Wolff’s strengths lies in his ability to describe the day-to-day life at head office. He packs the book with characters at all levels from Sir William down to Susan who escorts visitors around the building picking up all of the gossip and knowing more than most − like a tea lady of old with her trolley. And who knew there are Ethics counsellors or a Director of Establishment?
In the beautifully drawn Aphra McQueen we have the outsider who can only ruffle feathers as she undertakes her independent external review. It is not betraying any secrets that she is not given the easiest of rides from within the Intelligence community. In order to avoid spoilers, what she is uncovers and what motivates her must remain a secret. You need to read this excellent book to find out.
There is an economy and effortlessness to Wolff’s prose that help the novel speed along to its exciting conclusion. He uses repeated small motifs throughout such as ‘ … or something like that’ to illustrate that something may or may not be true – a common occurrence, I imagine, in the world of spies and gods.
There are some delightful twists, and the plot moves swiftly across Europe. At times it is a little far-fetched, but this does not matter. After all, this is a parable. It is a thought-provoking glimpse of a belief system under threat from outside and how it copes or adapts. There are impacts on everyone from top to bottom within the Secret Intelligence Services.
Organisations and, indeed, countries with a leader suffering from ‘the sudden descent of a brain fog’ appear to be à la mode. This novel is, therefore, all the more relevant.
I thoroughly recommend Spies and Other Gods and look forward to catching up on James Wolff’s previous works.

Spies and Other Gods by James Wolff is published by Baskerville

Reviewer: David Jarvis is author of The Green Feathers