Great spy story, set in England in the mid-1950's. Plenty of historical detail and interesting characters. It's a long read but worth it. ( )

This is another mystery series. The protagonist is Inspector Troy. What I liked about this one was that political issues are deeply entwined with the mystery. The time in which it is set is important too--the Cold War, but still close enough to WW II that Britain is still suffering food shortages, and burnt out bomb sites are scattered throughout the landscape. The plot turns around a state visit to Great Britain by Khrushchev, who is rumored to have recently denounced Stalin behind closed doors. The Soviet boat on which he is traveling is docked offshore when it becomes apparent that a frogman has been studying the boat. This may create an international incident if a connection is found between the frogman and the British government. When a body washes up on the shore, the government is quick to identify him as a rogue naval officer who had long been dismissed from service. His wife, however, is sure her husband is still alive, and prevails upon Troy to continue the investigation.

In the meantime, Troy had been assigned to the corps of British detectives charged with guarding Khrushchev, (and report on him to the British spy agency). There is a fanciful episode when Troy brings Khrushchev to a "typical" English pub so he can view the working class man up close. Lawton points out that this is a novel that puts invented characters in a historical context. Khrushchev actually visited England at this time and there was a naval frogman incident. However, Lawton replaces the actual shadow Foreign Secretary with Troy's brother, so Troy can get an insider's view of what was going on within the government (some of which is factually documented).

I'm planning to read at least one other of the series which is set around the Profumo/Keeler scandal of the "swinging 60's", since this is a time and an incident with which I am personally familiar. Others in the series are set during WW II, ( )

Many deaths and Frederick Troy does get injured a lot but prevails by the end of this cold war based mystery. Up, the tearaway toffs in their fight against the evil empire after WW2. Historical context flows from loosely linked factual basis. ( )

Troy number two. Getting better. Worth a read just for special duty guarding Khrushchev when he visited London. Of course, MI5 and 6 get pounded by the regular duty Troy, like a dog sniffing out his territory and finding a rat, cannot let go of an old a murder. Or worse, an old flame. Lots of backstory about British politics, phone calls from Eisenhower in his golf club every saturday, Russian emigre life, crazy Poles, and paintings of country life. ( )

I actually contemplated calling in sick to stay home from work and finish this book. That is high praise indeed. Other reviewers have recounted the plot twists and turns. Why did I find this book so compelling? First, Lawton's evocation of place. I now live in a city where it rarely rains, but I remember summer downpours in England, when the rain bounces off the pavement soaking you from below as well as from above. Lawton brought that back to me. He also beautifully conveyed the strangeness and tranquility of "the vast Georgian pile that was Mimram House," Troy's country estate. Second, Frederick Troy is my favorite kind of protagonist: flawed and perfectly believeable. He is cynical, sexy, smart, gullible,and rebellious. He also has a wacky family as a supporting cast, including weird and creepy twin sisters. Lawton does a better job with male characters than with female characters. I actually detested Tosca and couldn't wait for something bad to happen to her (not that I'm saying it does...). Third, I was fascinated by the historical context -- post-War, Cold War Britain, which was so different from the United States. I always wondered how spies like Kim Philby were recruited and what motivated them. Now I know. I cannot wait to read the other books in Lawton's Frederick Troy series. I need to go back to "Black Out" and find out what happened to Diana Brack. ( )