Spies of the Balkans

SINCE the publication of "Night Soldiers" in 1988, Alan Furst has made a considerable reputation as a writer of historical spy thrillers. These are set in that fraught period of European history starting in 1933, with Hitler's rise to power, and ending in 1945. Though Furst is a native New Yorker, he lives some of the time in Paris and has adopted a European sensibility - perhaps aiming to evoke the atmosphere of his books, which have been compared to the works of John le Carré and Graham Greene. His latest, "Spies of the Balkans," is set in the winter of 1940-41 in Salonika, in northern Greece. Greece is threatened by the Axis powers; the Greeks have driven the none-too-fervent Italians back over the mountains toward Albania but believe Hitler will soon exact retribution. Salonika is a louche and exotic port full of brothels, bars, international trade and Byzantine intrigue. In its sleepy police department is Constantine Zannis, called Costa, whose qualities of tact, bravery, honesty and charm have ensured him a special position as a fixer. He sorts out indiscretions by politicians' children, supplies travel papers and keeps tabs on foreign security services. Lately he has taken to helping Jewish refugees from Berlin complete the increasingly difficult route to safety. Furst's books usually contain some old-world sex scenes, and "Spies of the Balkans" follows suit. A ladies' man, Costa is involved with a British agent who has the improbable name Roxanne. Another British agent describes a "smashing" woman with "big bosoms," then "indicates the magnitude of her bosoms with cupped hands." I don't remember this sort of thing in Graham Greene. Indeed, the Britons in the book are poorly served. Furst appears to have no idea how they talked. In just one of many examples, he has a Briton using "smart" to mean intelligent, when in Britain "smart" means well dressed. I raise this not out of chauvinism but because a casual acquaintance with any British wartime novels or films would have revealed how real Britons generally talked. This sort of thing raises doubts about Furst's understanding of context and the depth of his research. So too do his details: a Gestapo chief smokes expensive cigars and has an expensive overcoat. Refugees from Berlin eat "liverwurst." Costa falls for Demetria, whose face "was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen." The cumulative effect of this banality is dispiriting. Furst's history is thoroughly documented, but his research sometimes pokes too evidently through, as when a character broods about "the lightning attack known as blitzkrieg." And there is a dutiful checking off of historically appropriate props, like Papastratos No. 1 cigarettes ("top of the line in Greece"), ouzo and dolma, "an oily, stuffed grape leaf." The "eggplant spread" is tasty, and octopus hangs in the taverna on display. Costa seems to need at least a helping of octopus every day. In one scene, half a page after eating grilled octopus (again), he travels in a "grilled elevator," and for a moment I thought something Dalf-esque was going on. Thrillers require plot above all else, which makes it all too easy for them to avoid heroes with any depth or believability. The genre makes a point of satisfying readers' expectations. In other words, thrillers are by their nature anti-literary, because literature is about, among other things, ambiguity. And as it happens, Furst is a master of plot; the story moves neatly and inexorably to its climax, as Costa, his family and friends leave Salonika, already under bombardment, for a new life. It is this mastery that explains Furst's success. Justin Cartwright's novels include "The Song Before It Is Sung" and, most recently, "To Heaven by Water."

It is 1940, and Greece is on the brink of Nazi invasion. Constantine "Costa" Zannis finds that his job as a senior police official in the northern port city of Salonika offers unique tools enabling him to assist a grass-roots effort to smuggle Jews out of Germany. As the war moves closer to Greece, the danger of getting discovered by the Gestapo grows exponentially. Author Furst (alanfurst.net)-whose preceding novel, The Spies of Warsaw (2008), is also available from Recorded Books/S. & S. Audio-is masterful here at building characters, crafting dilemmas, creating suspense and excitement, and leaving the exact outcome uncertain. Engagingly read by actor Daniel Gerroll, this audio is an excellent choice for anyone enjoying spy stories. [The New York Times best-selling Random hc also received a starred review, LJ 5/15/10.-Ed.]-Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.