The Great Impersonation

September 5, 2016
First published in 1920, Oppenheim’s ripping yarn, now available as a British Library Spy Classic, opens in German East Africa in 1913. British aristocrat Everard Dominey, who has been in self-imposed exile for the last 10 years, has reached the nadir of his life: he’s out of condition, drinks too much, has frittered away much of his wealth, and has no real plans for the future. Having been deserted by his native bearers, he wanders into the camp of Baron Leopold von Ragastein, who by chance went to Eton with Dominey and with whom he shares an astonishing likeness. The two men sit late into the night exchanging the stories of their lives. As it happens, the Kaiser has ordered von Ragastein to infiltrate British society and spy for the fatherland. Von Ragastein plans to kill Dominey and assume the Brit’s identity. Espionage, a ghostly presence, an evil crone, a woman scorned, and secret documents on which the future of Europe depend are just a few of the melodramatic elements that enrich this fun, far-fetched tale.

A welcome reprinting of a classic 1920 spy tale, the most celebrated of the 100-plus novels by Oppenheim (1866-1946).Sir Everard Dominey and Maj. Gen. Baron Leopold von Ragastein, his old schoolmate at Eton, have eerily similar reasons for being in German East Africa when they meet by chance. Von Ragastein has killed Prince Conrad Eiderstrom, his lover Stephanie's husband, in a duel and been banished by Kaiser Wilhelm. Dominey has taken himself away from his Norfolk estate to avoid the rumors that he murdered Roger Unthank, the lover Rosamund Felbrigg spurned before marrying Dominey--a man who's been missing ever since the night he emerged from Dominey's wooded grounds to attack him. But the two men have something even more remarkable in common: they're dead ringers for each other. So it's only natural that von Ragastein, ordered to establish himself in England in 1913 so he can worm himself into the confidence of Prince Maurice Terniloff, the peace-minded German Ambassador, and help the Kaiser prepare for war, should think of killing Dominey and taking his place. Once in England, Dominey (as both the hero and his author insist on referring to him throughout) faces daunting new challenges. His estranged wife offers to kill him, then insists that he's not really Dominey. Princess Stephanie, instantly recognizing Dominey as von Ragastein, presses him to resume their affair. The Kaiser orders him to marry the princess. Otto Seaman, the German agent who supplies Dominey's cover, improbably warns him about protecting Lady Dominey's honor. And a visitor from Rhodesia brings news from Africa that Dominey very much doesn't want to hear. Grandly scaled old-school espionage, with the principals dressing for dinner, sipping port as they plot the ruin of each other's nations, and their women importunate but unfailingly discreet. Genre buffs shouldn't miss it; fans who read it years ago will be surprised how well it holds up. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.