A review by paul_cornelius
Twinkle Twinkle Little Spy by Len Deighton

4.0

The opening and closing of Twinkle Twinkle Little Spy, set in the desert, have "sizzle," as the newspaper reviewers might put it. Fast paced, witty quips, episodes of fear, lust, and surprise fix on virtually every page. You simply don't want to put the book down--until you come to the middle part, which tends to be a repetitive slow-go at times. Nonetheless, it's a first rate spy novel and adventure story. Complete with plenty of cultural markers contemporary to the time it was written, many of which will zoom right past contemporary readers.

One comparison to make. This novel bears some similarity to Hammond Innes' wonderful 1956 spy thriller set in Morocco and the desert among the Berbers, The Strange Land. Innes' story is better. So are the stories of defecting spies and vengeance. I might even go so far to say that Len Deighton's story is a more space age update on Innes' book than anything else.