City of Gold

June 29, 1992
If the author of The Ipcress File is not at the very top of his form here, he nevertheless produces an absorbing and well-crafted WW II thriller. In January 1942, infamous Gen. Erwin Rommel is making a seemingly unstoppable march on Cairo, the ``city of gold.'' Former Glasgow police detective Bert Cutler, now an Army captain, has been charged to uncover the spy who is feeding the Desert Fox information enabling him to thwart all British strategies. En route to his new post, Cutler escorts fellow Scotsman Jimmy Ross, accused of murder, to the military prison in Cairo. When Cutler dies of a heart attack in their private train compartment, Ross assumes his identity. Readers might expect that Ross's efforts to carry off the impersonation and capture Rommel's agent will be the focus of this 24th offering from an acknowledged master of espionage fiction, yet Ross is only one member of an intriguing ensemble cast, which includes a society girl turned undercover agent, a British deserter heading up a band of renegades, an exiled Russian prince and King Farouk himself. Story lines concern not just the war but also black-market activities and the efforts of Jewish operatives to arm themselves for the anticipated battle for a homeland. Directing his varied characters and juggling his many subplots, Deighton demonstrates enviable legerdemain. Literary Guild main selection.

May 15, 1992
Bert Cutler, Glasgow police inspector turned military police major, suffers a fatal heart attack while escorting corporal Jimmy Ross to Cairo to stand trial for killing an officer. Ross assumes Cutler's identity and finds himself responsible for catching the spy who is helping Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps carve up the British in the Libyan desert. As Rommel drives toward Cairo, Ross must sift through platoons of suspects--army bureaucrats, deserters, war profiteers, diplomats, provocateurs, thugs, dissident Egyptians, Jewish operatives arming Israel, war correspondents, and emigres. "City of Gold" showcases the strengths Deighton has demonstrated as a writer of espionage and war fiction and historical nonfiction: solid plotting, a masterful sense of place, and exhaustive research that creates fascinating historical detail. Deighton's Cairo lives, steams, and schemes, and his descriptions of desert war are understatedly powerful. Character development, however, isn't one of his gifts. Ross' lack of interest in fleeing almost-certain execution strains credulity, and none of the other characters are fully fleshed. Even so, "City of Gold" gleams as a compelling read sure to attract armies of readers. ((Reviewed May 15, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)