Last week a private eye story, this week spies.
George Philby is a member of Britain's diplomatic core, stationed in Washington. He is a quiet, self-effacing man, and his great burden is his name. Kim Philby was the most famous British traitor in a century, so he is somewhat in the position of a man named Benedict Arnold joining the U.S. Army. "It made them all think too much, a sudden hesitation in the voice."
And in D.C. it leads to an odd friendship with Jack Crane, an American oil man. Crane brings Philby out of his shell a bit and the relationship leads to -- well, that would be telling. But one question this story asks is: Does your name determine your destiny?
I liked this low-key tale better the day after I read it. Then I read it a second time and liked it more.
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