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Title: Firebird by James Carroll ISBN: 0-451-16289-7 Publisher: New Amer Library Pub. Date: 01 February, 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.95

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)

Rating: 5
Summary: A superb and relevant novel of international espionage.
Comment: "Firebird" is an overlooked classic espionage thriller, and ranks as one of my very favorite novels of this genre. In my opinion this novel is incomparably better than anything Le Carre has written, meaning no offense.

Set in 1945 America, and seen from the perspective of a rookie FBI agent, "Firebird" is the code name of the FBI's effort to penetrate the Soviet Embassy in Washington and discover how the USSR has managed to steal America's atomic secrets. Loosely based upon the actual historical events, "Firebird" takes the reader inside the FBI of the 1940s and the problems it faced in learning to deal with an aggressive Soviet espionage effort that targeted the United States.

Author Carroll's prose is outstanding. The novel has a wistful, thoughtful tone that I found to be immediately captivating. "Firebird" is a deeply moving story of a young FBI agent who is recruited for his safecracking talent, and who is tasked with the incredible job of penetrating the Soviet Embassy, opening its code safe, and stealing the "one time cipher" book there. The story is compelling and plausible.

The novel neither glorifies nor vilifies the FBI and/or J. Edgar Hoover, but instead shows us a picture of counter-espionage in all its grimy details, no warts omitted. This is a tale of blackmail, trust, idealism, and betrayal. The portrayal of Hoover seems authentic and insightful. One of the highlights of this book was its analysis of the brutal and relentless internal FBI politics and power struggles and their effects on America's counter-espionage efforts in the late 1940s.

Despite the serious subject matter of this novel, the story never loses sight of its main job--to entertain and interest the reader. This is a novel with a compelling plot and a touching love story to boot. Although the novel does get bogged down a bit in the second third or so of the story, eventually it perks up again, and the reader who sticks it out will be rewarded by having enjoyed a top-notch spy thriller. This is a fine book that most readers will choose to read and enjoy more than once.