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A review by caitlinxmartin
The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming
2.0
I think my expectations were too high for this book. It sounded great from the blurb and I was excited when I got it via LibraryThing Early Reviewers so I read it right away, finished it, and thought, "meh."
I've never really been into espionage thrillers. When I was growing up it was mostly James Bond and I've always thought he was kind of a wanker. He's a misogynist psychopath paid to kill with a bunch of silly gadgets and fancy cars and the requisite bimbo. Even though Sean Connery is the best Bond ever, I still don't really like the character. Most other espionage thrillers are in a similar vein or they've got heroes like Jason Bourne who isn't really a hero, but rather a superhero. This is also a series where the movies are better than the books (which I can't get through).
So why was I excited about this book?
Well, it was compared to John le Carre's George Smiley books and it's about the possibly sixth member of the Trinity Five - a particularly fascinating group of men. I thought there'd be a bit more history in it since its main character is a professor of Russian history. Not so much.
Don't get me wrong - this book is well-written and probably an entertaining thriller if you like the victim of espionage side of things which I don't really. It's not a bad book - just not the book for me.
I've never really been into espionage thrillers. When I was growing up it was mostly James Bond and I've always thought he was kind of a wanker. He's a misogynist psychopath paid to kill with a bunch of silly gadgets and fancy cars and the requisite bimbo. Even though Sean Connery is the best Bond ever, I still don't really like the character. Most other espionage thrillers are in a similar vein or they've got heroes like Jason Bourne who isn't really a hero, but rather a superhero. This is also a series where the movies are better than the books (which I can't get through).
So why was I excited about this book?
Well, it was compared to John le Carre's George Smiley books and it's about the possibly sixth member of the Trinity Five - a particularly fascinating group of men. I thought there'd be a bit more history in it since its main character is a professor of Russian history. Not so much.
Don't get me wrong - this book is well-written and probably an entertaining thriller if you like the victim of espionage side of things which I don't really. It's not a bad book - just not the book for me.