With the release of the movie version of John Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the return of Spooks to the BBC (its 10th and final season), there is, for me, a renaissance of the spy thriller. The Bourne trilogy of movies resulted in a more pared-down, gadget-free James Bond, focusing more on the people involved in the business of spying than outrageous plotting.
You see, spying is a sleazy industry: keeping secrets from some, extracting them from others, without letting your emotions get in the way. It can come at a price, though.
You may lose your humanity.
I wonder how we ever decided that secret agent, and spy were the same thing? Typically a “spy” is a person who gets into a position and stays there, reporting through various means, what he or she learns. It’s a long-term commitment.
An agent, or operative, is more likely into attacks upon people or other targets.
Bond, James Bond, would not be a spy. He’d be an agent. And a very destructive one, at that.
Get you some “Charlie Muffin” books by Brian Freemantle. Charlie is a survivor. Also some “Philis” stories by Ritchie Perry. Good, fun reads.
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