Synopses & Reviews
A couple finds their perfect beach vacation shattered when MI5 use their villa to spy on the crime boss next door in the newest thriller from the “best spy novelist ever” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
MI5 officer Winnie Monks has never forgotten - or forgiven - the brutal murder of a young agent on her team at the hands of a former Russian Army officer turned fixer and criminal known as the Major. Now, ten years later, she learns that the Major is travelling to a villa at the popular Spanish holiday destination Costa del Sol, and she asks permission to send in a surveillance unit.
The spooks locate an empty property near the Major's: the Villa Paraiso. It's perfect to spy from - and as a base for Winnie's darker, less official, plans.
But it turns out the villa isn't deserted. The owners have invited a young British couple to house sit while they are away. Jonno and Posie, a new couple, think they are embarking on a romantic, carefree break in the sun. But when the MI5 team arrives in paradise, everything changes—their holiday is about to become a terrifying journey into the violent global business of organized crime in this sophisticated thriller from a renowned master.
Review
Praise for Gerald Seymour: "The three British masters of suspense, Graham Greene, Eric Ambler, and John le Carre, have been joined by a fourth—Gerald Seymour." -
New York Times"Not since the arrival of John le Carre has the emergence of an international suspense novelist been as stunning as that of Gerald Seymour." -
Los Angeles Times Book Review"[Seymour] isn't just abreast of the headlines, [but] ahead of them." --
The Washington Post"Seymour may be the best spy novelist ever." -
Philadelphia Inquirer"In a class of his own." -
The London Times"One of the modern masters of the craft." --Daily Mail Praise for The Outsiders:“Those [Seymour] sends off into dangerous territory are, in fact, his readers. With each book, we enter a dangerous universe, and are totally involved with utterly plausible characters, faced with moral choices that are rarely straightforward.” - The Independent (UK)“Once again demonstrating his ability to probe the moral murkiness of the spy trade and create an absorbingly diverse ensemble, Seymour crafts a sophisticated, reader-teasing tale.” --The Sunday Times (UK)“Seymour is a master of the thriller set on the murky edges of modern war . . . As ever he juggles action, context and suspense with a special-forces level of expertise.” --i (UK)“A gripping thriller.” -Sun (UK)[Seymour's] books are rich in the drama of people reacting to events and situations they never could have expected. --Weekend Press (New Zealand)
Praise for The Dealer and the Dead:
"Seymour [is] incapable of creating a two-dimensional character . . . The ending is brilliantly orchestrated." -The London Times
"Crisp, taut and contemporary, by a stylish writer." --The Observer (UK)
"Discerning thriller readers can safely say that the best practitioner currently working in the UK is the veteran Seymour. He is, quite simply, the most intelligent and accomplished in the current field . . . Here, we have a typically compromised Seymour anti-hero, a masterfully organised globe-spanning narrative and a mass of highly persuasive detail. The Dealer and the Dead is Seymour firing on all cylinders, and his rivals need, once again, to look to their laurels." --Barry Forshaw, author of The Man Who Left Too Soon
"With Seymour, not only do you get a cracking story deftly told, but you also feel you are learning something." --Birmingham Press
"The final scenes are brilliantly orchestrated by Seymour, the sustained tension becoming almost unbearable . . . Without doubt, The Dealer and the Dead is one of the finest thrillers to be published so far this year." --Yorkshire Evening Post
"[Seymour's] meticulous research shines through in his latest thriller." --Oxford Times
"Riveting." --Manly Daily
"In a day when shop-worn plots in the disguise of well-written books are doing the rounds, The Dealer and the Dead comes as a refreshing, breathtaking story that keeps you gripped right till the very end." --Indian Express
"The Dealer and the Dead displays [Seymours] usual ability to concoct a tightly controlled plot that is cleverly engineered . . . steadily crafted into a compelling tale . . . Another first-class thriller from the always reliable Seymour." --Canberra Times
"A tense thriller." --Choice
Praise for A Deniable Death:"Veteran British spy novelist Gerald Seymour has written an extraordinary work of fiction. This is Seymours 21st novel, and critics on both sides of the Atlantic have for years compared him to John le Carre, Graham Greene, Eric Ambler and other masters of spy fiction, but his reputation has never quite equaled theirs. No matter. Serious readers will find in A Deniable Death not only suspense, strong characters and a realistic look at the world of espionage, but a majesty that is rare in fiction. At a certain point, the novel rises to a mythic level, portraying courage and loyalty and sacrifice almost beyond understanding." -Washington Post"Outstanding… Seymour (Harrys Game) is strong on the details of surveillance and spycraft, but on even surer ground with his characters as he focuses on Gibbonss stoic dedication, Badgers ruthless single-mindedness, and Foxys prideful professionalism. Even the Engineer comes across as a human being, thanks to a complex subplot about getting his wife to the West for cancer treatment. Once the narrative gains momentum, its hard to put this one down." -Publishers Weekly, starred review"A book for those seriously into espionage who want to absorb every detail of how a spy mission is planned and carried out… Seymours painstaking attention to detail is a plus, as it gives the story an authentic ring and lets the reader experience the mission in real time." --Kirkus"A vividly drawn ensemble of spooks, terrorists and civilians." --Sunday Times Books of the Year 2011"Picking up a novel by Gerald Seymour is like taking a deep breath of fresh air . . . When readers get to the nailbiting climax, involving an agonising wait for airborne rescue, they may be wondering why they should bother with any other thriller writer." --Independent (London)"The novel exemplifies Seymour's ability to create and control a large, vividly drawn ensemble who are unwittingly connected (in this case via two fed-up soldiers)… Also characteristic is a Hitchcockian skewing of the reader's sympathies, with the ostensible good guys in Whitehall shown as coldly ready to sacrifice lives, and the bomb-maker seen in the round as both killer and devoted husband." --The Sunday Times (London)"Seymour is a master of the thriller set on the murky edges of modern war . . . As ever he juggles action, context and suspense with a special-forces level of expertise." --i"After 28 novels, Seymour's empathy for those he ensnares in his moral minefields remains movingly even-handed." --Daily Telegraph (London)"A gripping thriller." --Sun
"Mr Seymour is . . . on form . . . The tradecraft of silent watching and the discomfort, thirst and increasing claustrophobia of the hideout are brought very much to life . . . the grim landscape of the border region and the harsh lives of its inhabitants are skilfully evoked." --The Economist (Australia)"Great storytelling . . . You just have to read this novel as it is absolutely gripping." --Eurocrime "Gerald Seymour is the grand-master of the contemporary thriller and Deniable Death is his greatest work yet. Gripping, revealing and meticulously researched, this is a page-turning masterpiece that will literally leave you breathless." --Major Chris Hunter, author of Extreme Risk
Praise for Seymours other work:"Suspense master Seymour dazzles with commanding language and meticulous detail." -Entertainment Weekly on Rat Run
"Seymour is not one to cut corners. He does his research, thinks hard about his story and gives us richly imagined novels that bristle with authenticity." --Washington Post on The Collaborator
"Seymour [is] incapable of creating a two-dimensional character." --The Times
"In a class of his own." --The Times on THE WAITING TIME
'A dense, intensely satisfying thriller from one of the modern masters of the craft, Seymour's latest novel will remind the world just how phenomenally accomplished a thriller writer he is.' (Daily Mail on THE COLLABORATOR 20100824)"Gerald Seymour is considered the dabbest hand in the industry . . . still a master who executes his spy tales of murderous and political intrigue with rigour and flair. Seymour is a master at evoking the seemingly unchartable terrain of foreign landscapes - as a former reporter covering wars in Vietnam, Northern Ireland and Borneo, he brings to bear some every pertinent experience. His research into the espionage world is meticulous. Splendid stuff." --City AM
"A vividly drawn ensemble of spooks, terrorists and civilians." --Sunday Times Books of the Year 2011
"A vividly drawn ensemble of spokes, terrorists and civilians." --John Dugdale
"One of the most venerable names of the thriller genre, Gerald Seymour, showed that age was not withering him." --Independent Books of the Year
Synopsis
MI5 officer Winnie Monks has never forgotten - or forgiven - the death of a young agent on her team at the hands of a former Russian Army Major turned gangster. Now, ten years later, she learns that the Major is travelling to a villa on the popular Spanish holiday destination Costa del Sol, and she asks permission to send in a surveillance unit. They find an empty property near the Major's: the Villa Paraiso. It's perfect to spy from - and as a base for Winnie's darker, less official, plans. But it turns out the villa isn't deserted. The owners have invited a young British couple to house sit while they are away. Jonno and Posie, a new couple, think they are embarking on a romantic, carefree break in the sun. But when the Secret Service team arrives in paradise, everything changes.
Gerald Seymour is a perennial bestseller in the UK. He routinely receives rave reviews for his work, and The Outsiders is no exception—The Sunday Times (UK) called it "a sophisticated, reader-teasing tale,” while The Sun (UK) praised it as "a gripping thriller."
About the Author
GERALD SEYMOUR was a reporter at ITN for fifteen years, where his first assignment was covering the Great Train Robbery in 1963. He later covered events in Vietnam, Borneo, Aden, Israel and Northern Ireland. Seymour was on the streets of Londonderry on the afternoon of Bloody Sunday, and was a witness to the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. Seymour's first novel was the acclaimed thriller Harry's Game, set in Belfast, which became an instant international bestseller and later a television series. Six of Seymour's thrillers have now been filmed for television in the UK and US. The Outsiders is his twenty-ninth novel.