Synopses & Reviews
Robert Littell is the undisputed master of American spy fiction, hailed for his profound grasp of the world of international espionage. His previous novel, The Company, an international bestseller, was praised as "one of the best spy novels ever written" (
Chicago Tribune). For his new novel,
Legends, Littell focuses on the life of one agent caught in a "wilderness of mirrors" where both remembering and forgetting his past are deadly options.
Martin Odum is a CIA field agent turned private detective, struggling his way through a labyrinth of past identities "legends," in CIA parlance. Is he really Martin Odum? Or is he Dante Pippen, an IRA explosives maven? Or Lincoln Dittmann, Civil War expert? These men like different foods, speak different languages, have different skills. Is he suffering from multiple personality disorder, brainwashing, or simply exhaustion? Can Odum trust the CIA psychiatrist? Or Stella Kastner, a young Russian woman who engages him to find her brother-in-law so he can give her sister a divorce?
As Odum redeploys his dormant tradecraft skills to solve Stella's case, he travels the globe battling mortal danger and psychological disorientation. Part Three Faces of Eve, part The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and always pure Robert Littell, Legends from unforgettable opening to astonishing ending again proves Littell's unparalleled prowess as a seductive storyteller.
Review
"[Littell] has outdone himself with this dizzying, dazzling portrait....[A] rich, funny, perverse, angry, haunting, supremely entertaining look at our world and our government." The Washington Post
Review
"Littell imbues his tale with the same split personality of its protagonist, veering from jocose banter to grim torture, but for readers prepared to follow his lead, he delivers a smart, fun, strange adventure..." Booklist
Review
"Littell's sharp images, breathless chases and nasty double-crossers please as ever, but the splintered narrative suffers from a central identity crisis that blurs the focus and slows the pace." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Touching on the collapse of the Soviet Union, world economy, Chechen rebels, Israel, Lebanon, the state of modern intelligence-gathering, and the perils of beekeeping, Legends provides enough action for the most devoted espionage fan." BookReporter.com
Review
"If Robert Littell didn't invent the spy novel, he should have." Tom Clancy
Synopsis
Martin Odum is a one-time CIA field agent turned private detective in Brooklyn, struggling his way through a labyrinth of memories of past identities "legends" in CIA parlance. Is he suffering from multiple personality disorder, brainwashing, or simply exhaustion? Is he a creation of the Legend Committee at the CIA's Langley headquarters? Can he trust the CIA psychiatrist? Or the Deputy Director of Operations? Or Stella Kastner, a young Russian woman who engages him to find her brother-in-law so he can give her sister, an Orthodox Jew, a divorce, which under religious law requires the husband's presence? As Martin Odum redeploys his dormant tradecraft skills to solve Stella's case, he travels the globe battling mortal danger and psychological disorientation.
Synopsis
Who is Martin Odum? A retired spy, or a "legend, a false identity created by the CIA? The answer is in the gripping new novel by the author of The Company.
Synopsis
Now a TNT series starring Sean Bean
About the Author
Robert Littell has been elevated to the highest ranks by connoisseurs of the literary spy novel. His novels include The Company, The Defection of A.J. Lewinter, The Once and Future Spy, The Amateur, and The Sisters. He is an American who lives in France.