Five Spy Novels: The Great Impersonation / Greenmantle / Epitaph for a Spy / No Surrender / No Entry

by Howard Haycraft (Editor), E. Phillips Oppenheim, John Buchan

contains novels by

E. Phillips Oppenheim,
John Buchan,
Erich Ambler,
Martha Albrand,
Manning Coles

spanning WW I to post WW II.

758 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

A publisher, editor, critic and anthologist who wrote one of the first serious books of criticism of the mystery/detective genre, Murder for Pleasure: The Life and times of the Detective Story , still in print and considered a classic. He also edited a number of interesting and important anthologies.

Reviews

[Gord Mcnaughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for Albrand's No Surrender set in World War Two Amsterdam and for the opening of Eric Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy describing the Provence Coast pre WWII. After the first four, I did burn out, not finishing Manning Coles No Entry set on both sides of the border between East and West Germany. The first two novels are just before and during World War I. Fascinating for the attitudes they portray as well as seeing masters at work and the diverse approaches to the spy novel.

[David]

April 2019: have read “The Great Impersonation” and Ambler's "Epitaph for a Spy."

June 2019: returning to read “Greenmantle,” by John Buchan.

3/4 of the way through “Greenmantle,” I thought it was quite interesting but had more coincidence and fortuitous accident than I like. When I finished, I decided it had way too much miraculous deliverance and coincidence but nonetheless was interesting.

6/5/25: starting “
NoSurrender”