Robert Littell is often categorized as a writer of “literary spy fiction,” but don’t let that fool you. His latest novel, LEGENDS, which recently has been reprinted in trade paperback form, is another masterpiece, with the detail and realism of John le Carré (without the boredom) and the action and intrigue of Robert Ludlum (without the B-movie dialogue).

LEGENDS is the story of Martin Odum, a former CIA deep-cover operative now living as a private eye in Brooklyn. Martin isn’t quite himself these days, mostly because he doesn’t remember who he really is. Lost in a waterfall of former aliases, each with his own distinct personality, skills and memories, Odum unwittingly gets pulled into a cat’s cradle of lies, secrets and bloody murder.

From there, it’s a global whirlwind tour, and each new locale elicits some awesome flashbacks that are simultaneously chilling and heartbreaking. Much like my favorite recent spy movie, SPY GAME, or le Carré’s THE SECRET PILGRIM (one of the few of his that I cherish, partly for the section on Cambodia), the bits and pieces of each former secret identity split and reform around each other as Odum unravels the plot and tries not to get killed by the CIA or the bad guys.

LEGENDS functions as such a superior thriller that I am somewhat mystified by the “literary” tag, because Littell’s style isn’t pompous or padded – this is an eminently readable book that most readers will cruise through in no time at all and be better for the experience. Maybe that’s the
difference: The Ludlums and Clancys out there are totally empty calories, but LEGENDS imparts a sly kind of wisdom, making it a hard book to be finished with. It’s going to linger on the edge of the bookshelf for awhile, with sections that scream for dog-ears and marginalia. If you dig spies, good writing or both, get on it. –Ryun Patterson

Buy it at Amazon.
Discuss it in our forums.