The Quiller Memorandum

great book cold war novel.

A spy working for a shadow government agency, Quiller is about to depart for London from Berlin. However, a fellow undercover agent has been killed, and Quiller is asked to take his place. Twenty years after World War II, a group of unrepentant Nazis lie beneath the shadows in the form of a group known as Phonix, as if it is rising from the ashes. Free to accept or decline the assignment, Quiller takes on the responsibility. Chief among the goals is finding a General Zossen, the former Commandant of a concentration camp, known to Quiller from twenty years before due to his undercover work in attempting to aid Jewish prisoners.Quiller, after insisting that he work alone, meets and beds a somewhat unattractive, sharply angular woman, Inga, who as a child spent time in Hitler's bunker, and may be a defector from the organization, or alternatively, a double agent. His longtime friend, Rothstein, working on a secret project, is killed after contact with him, leaving Quiller with a sense of guilt. Exposed for what he is, Quiller is captured, drugged and interrogated by Oktober, but purposely kept alive and released.Adam Hall is quite deft at explaining Quiller's thought processes, as well as some of the inner workings of intelligence. There is also a noirish quality to the book, a continuous, strange foreboding, made more prominent because the intentions of Phonix are not understood or revealed until near the end of the book. Otto Penzler, in his Introduction, writes that of 18 Quiller novels, only one other is in print. That is too bad, for this working spy, a loner by necessity and inclination, should be known the way George Smiley and James Bond are known.

There is much about Adam Hall's classic espionage thrillers that may appear dated to a modern reader. The Cold War settings for one and the total absence of any smart technology. Thirty years later it is quaint to read about spies who have to rely on public telephones, doctored stock market reports on the radio and the post to communicate with their superiors. However, there is nothing stilted about the pace and drama of Hall's writing and his ability to keep his readers on the edge of their chairs. Quiller, the hero of this book and the many more that followed it, works alone. He is highly trained and as "The Quiller Memorandum" reveals developed his skills serving undercover in Germany in WWII, witness to brutal Nazi atrocities. 20 years after the end of the war, he is back in Berlin still seeking vengeance. His survival depends on his mental abilities and it is a wonder to watch Quiller's mind at work. This cleverly crafted book is a must for old and new fans alike. The introduction in which Otto Penzler gives a potted biography of this literary master spy is an added bonus.

I've been a big Quiller fan since the mid-60s. I first bought this book after seeing the film and I've read every subsequent book more than once. I've decided to go through the entire series in chronological order as a retirement project and I'll post reviews. Many of the good elements of Quiller are there, but, perhaps because of it being the first, there are some prominent flaws. Excessive post-hoc justification, rationalisation and explanation and too many reverses with Inga. The film dodged these. Also, it was an Armageddon-type plot that Quiller was fighting alone. The later plots were rather more appropriate to a lone agent. However, the good elements, which grew roots in the later novels, are thoroughly admirable. The whole business of him finding himself alive after being dropped at the bridge is masterly. He drinks and smokes in this novel. In the later ones, he (very sensibly and credibly) eschews these drugs.,

I came to "The Quiller Memorandum" straight from John Le Carre's "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," and that is more or less my only reference point since I'm generally new to the genre. "The Quiller Memorandum," set in 1960's Berlin, puts the reader on a chase for ex- and neo-Nazis who have evaded justice and remained hidden in everyday German life. Hall lets Quiller take over most of the storytelling, and he frequently goes into detail when explaining to the reader how the tricks of the trade are implemented. This makes the reader feel like they're sitting at the dinner table with Quiller over after-dinner drinks while the former spy recounts tales of his time in the field, and the effect is satisfying.If Le Carre excels at setting a scene and drawing the reader right into the setting, Hall responds by creating colorful characters that you can imagine sitting right next to you as you read. More importantly, he allows the reader to "feel" the characters, allowing the reader to feel the same emotions and suspicions as Quiller when interacting with the novel's cast.A quick, entertaining read that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

If you are looking for a good spy series that isn't the camp of Bond, then the Quiller series is for you. I am not hesitating myself to gather the digital versions of this series, even as I have the hard copies, because it is that good of a collection. The best bit of this book: When you realize he was being deceptive in why he fainted and again when he has to seriously consider that he might not have set the bomb properly and would actually have to check on its progress. Get the whole series. Amazon: Insure that ALL the Quiller novels are in Kindle.

I bought this book based on positive reviews , IHave to say I'm disappointed ! Very slow , very dated . Maybe was better when first published .Won't be reading any others

I have read every one of the Quiller spy series. They are all believable, action-packed and thrilling to the end. I highly recommend this series to the serious spy novel devotee.

This, the first of Adam Hall's "Quiller" novels, introduces our eponymous hero as a shadow executive given a specific assignment from the Secret Intelligence Service's "Bureau". In this, as in all his adventures in the Other "Quiller" novels, one meets a character adept in carrying out his mission with the support of his director in place, armed with only his intellect, experience and his expertise in the art of shotokan karate. In truth, he makes Bond and his gimmicks look like a well fed fairy.

I give the novel 4+. Being the first Quiller novel, Adam Hall hadn't developed his thriller style and "the Quiller psychology" fully yet. Already in his next novel, the Ninth Directive, this is almost fully completed, making the whole Quiller series, in general, a masterpiece. Far better than Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, in my view. It's a string of intense thrillers.I read several of the books in the late 1970th and 1980th, and knew then that I someday would read them again. As I expected, and hoped, the books (the early ones I have reread to date) have easily survived the decades since they were written. They aren't dated at all.This first book is far better than the quite well known 1966 movie, starring George Segal and Alec Guinness. Not surprising, since a main quality of the Quiller novels is the inner mental state of the super-agent. You can't make good movies out of the "Quiller concept".Super-agent aficionados: Enjoy!

Haven't read this in yonks, not quite as good as I remembered but a good read, 'tho very intense

An extraordinary sense of danger lurks throughout the reading of this book. Thetiming together with the author's knowledge of the city of Berlin makes this novel atonce unputdownable while also offering a brief respite from an even colder realitiy.

First in a series of 19 books. Well written with a good story line