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The IPCRESS File

Penguin Modern Classics

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The IPCRESS File

By: Len Deighton
Narrated by: James Lailey
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Now a new six part ITV drama starring Joe Cole, as iconic spy Harry Palmer, Lucy Boynton and Tom Hollander.

A high-ranking scientist has been kidnapped. A secret British intelligence agency must find out why. But as the quarry is pursued from grimy Soho to the other side of the world, what seemed a straightforward mission turns into something far more sinister. With its sardonic, cool, working-class hero, Len Deighton's sensational debut The IPCRESS File rewrote the spy thriller and became the defining novel of 1960's London.

'A stone-cold Cold War classic' Toby Litt, Guardian

'Changed the shape of the espionage thriller ... there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read' Daily Telegraph

© Len Deighton 1962 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Espionage Genre Fiction Historical Military Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense War & Military
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Reviews

They don't, as they say, write them like this anymore. You will be entertained, informed, thrilled and dazzled. Long may he, and his creations, live on. (Jeremy Duns)
Len Deighton's spy novels are so good they make me sad the Cold War is over. (Malcolm Gladwell)
Deighton's fiction has stood the test of time. His habitually acerbic narrative voice still has much to say to contemporary readers ... Now a fresh generation have the chance to sample Deighton's wares as Penguin republishes many of his books. (Vanessa Thorpe)
The Ipcress File helped change the shape of the espionage thriller ... the prose is still as crisp and fresh as ever ... there is an infectious energy about this book which makes it a joy to read, or re-read.
The self-conscious cool of Deighton's writing has dated in the best way possible ... stone-cold Cold War classic. (Toby Litt)
To read it today is like taking a ride in a time machine, so accurate and astute are its evocations of its era ... Deighton knows how to pinch the ephemera that stick in our souls ... Never not a joy to read. It is also a book that changed the way we see the world. (Peter Millar)
The IPCRESS File has lost none of its nerve-tingling fascination ... [and] the pleasure of engaging with a master of his craft. (Barry Turner)
A wonderful mixture of the exciting and the amusingly humdrum ... James Bond may be thinner, but so is his dialogue. (Jake Kerridge)
Deighton is a fearless observer of the deceptive human world. (John Gray)
A dazzling performance. The verve and energy, the rattle of wit in the dialogue, the side-of-the-mouth comments, the evident pleasure taken in cocking a snook at the British spy story's upper-middle-class tradition - all these made it clear that a writer of remarkable talent in this field had appeared. (Julian Symons)
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I saw the film, and just loved it. I wanted more. Thought I'd give the book a go. I didn't know the author at all. The story is very elaborate (definitely more complex than in the film). The main character (one Harry Palmer, though his name is not mentioned) has a very British sense of humour, and his relationship towards hierarchy is most amusing. If you are into cold war stories, you should enjoy this highly entertaining yarn. Never a dull moment. The reader is excellent, and at times, his voice reminded me of Michael Caine's, in the film, which made it easy to connect the two pieces of work. Only beware! Len Deighton, I found out, was a prolific writer... You might well be tempted to listen to his other books (which luckily are available in the audible collection) I am happily diving into a 3rd, equally intricate, brilliant piece of writing... The others are on my wish list...

A must for good cold war espionage story lovers. James Lailey's rendition is a treat

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