Book Review: A Line in the Sand

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Line in the Sand     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Gerald Seymour
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Government Agency   Espionage   Thriller
Simon & Schuster, Aug 2000, $25.00, 400 pp.

A decade ago, under a different name, Frank Perry spied for his government against his customer, Iran when he fingered the locations of several of the country’s biochemical warfare plants. Frank was feeling safe in England for himself and his family until M15 informs him that Iran has fingered him for assassination. To the shock of the espionage community, Frank refuses to run.

The Anvil is coming to destroy the enemy to his state. The English counterintelligence crowd feel obligated to protect Frank. This turns his peaceful village into a mini army post that divides Frank’s neighbors. Most of them want their neighbor gone before the Anvil arrives. High Noon is coming to Suffolk.

A LINE IN THE SAND is an exciting espionage tale because the prime players seem genuine in their multidimensional behavior. Frank is a bit crooked, making him a not so perfect hero. The Anvil has many redeeming qualities and is not just a religious killing machine. Even the M15 crowd seems less like super 007s and more like real people as they wonder if they should be proud of Franks’ heroism or loathe him for placing them in danger. Even the townsfolk mob mentality of abject fear feels real. The characters destroy stereotypes that normally exist in this genre, which turns Gerald Seymour’s novel into a triumph of the spirit.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner