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The Private Life of Spies and the Exquisite Art of Getting Even
Stories of Espionage and Revenge
1 of 1 copy available
In this dual collection of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith brings his trademark humor and warmth to inventive tales of spying and vengeance. In one story, a spy dropped deep into enemy territory manages to disguise himself—quite convincingly—as a nun. In another, an invitation to join the Vatican Secret Service sends a prospective operative down a rabbit hole of controversy and confusion. A third story finds an author, on the brink of public ruin, seeing the error of his ways after an act of kindness saves the day.
A keen observer of humanity imbued with a sparkling imagination, Alexander McCall Smith illustrates throughout that transparency is paramount and forgiveness is restorative. With surprising insight and a healthy helping of humor, these stories remind us that, in the end, the high road is often the better one for all involved.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 9, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593700709
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593700709
- File size: 1979 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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December 1, 2022
The author of the popular "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series returns with a short story collection that's neatly split between spy stories and tales of revenge, though the tone is lighter and funnier than one might expect. A spy dropped into enemy territory must disguise himself as a nun, for instance, while elsewhere an author facing disgrace redeems himself with an act of kindness. With a 100,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from April 1, 2023
By the time you finish reading this sentence, Alexander McCall Smith has probably finished writing another book. McCall Smith, of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the 44 Scotland Street series fame, averages one addition to each of his four series per year (including the Isabel Dalhousie philosophical novels and the Detective Varg mysteries), along with one or two stand-alones. His latest is a double collection of short stories. The first collection contains five stories and centers, often comically, on dedicated, accidental, conflicted, or remorseful spies. The second collection, with four stories, revolves around how revenge has a way of boomeranging back on the perpetrator. Part of the section called "The Private Life of Spies" owes its inspiration, McCall Smith tells us, to a history title called Myths and Legends of the Second World War, by James Hayward. The first story here riffs on one such legend, that of German spies parachuting into England disguised as nuns. Another story, "Syphax and Omar," set in 1932 Algeria, in which two spies incessantly tail each other, will remind some readers of the Spy vs. Spy strips in Mad Magazine. The "Revenge" section's stories, which include one about an envy-inspiring gangster and another about backbiting actors, have nicely twisty plots and offer wryly wise reasons not to seek revenge. Massively entertaining and thought-provoking.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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