Phillip Magee, who I think is the central character in this book, is a resigned CIA officer who has decided to publish a book listing the names of all undercover foreign based CIA Officers. However, this is actually a disinformation campaign as these officers are actually traitors, and not knowing this, various terrorist factions take the opportunity to bump them off. The problem of this disinformation campaign is that Magee is discredited, and so when he and his CIA handler report that the first cruise missile, a politically sensitive topic, which has just arrived in the UK is about to be hi-jacked, this is treated with scepticism. The cruise missile, in order for it to remain discreet, is travelling with a small protection force, so when a combination of black ops Czechs and SNLA (Scottish National Liberation Army) footsoldiers attack they manage to acquire it and make their escape. (I’m not giving the ending away as the front of the book states “A U.S. missile is hijacked by Communist agents” and the back cover gives further detail). Like all decent works of fiction, there are other sub-plots running through the book, for instance Magees handler is in love with the Czech controllers daughter, the SNLAs bid for freedom from the English oppression, the KGB and GRU being at loggerheads and penetrating their little brothers, the Czechs, to ensure they know everything that is going on….

Overall:
According to the book, who would win the cold war: Draw. Neither side covered themselves in glory, instead it showed there would be no cold war winner, rather each sides incompetence and disorganisation would nullify any advantages they may have through any other means.
Explosives/fight scenes etc.. : Traitor, mistress and chauffeur go boom, car blows up killing a doctor and his dog, Mafia breaks a finger at the races, scorned lush wife takes out Mafia hoods manhood, husband gets whacked by Mafia in cell, sheep attack furniture van, SNLA fight the Czechs, KGB agent fights Czech and a a final mop up operation.

There were no goodies or baddies in this book, rather they were all shades of grey apart from the stereotypical KGB agent who is a nasty piece of work as all Communist hitmen are. The characters weren’t really developed as really this was pulp fiction where the focus is concerned on things happening, instead of what drives the characters.

Nationalism played a part in this book and this was reflected by:
a) the removal of English colonisation of Scotland by the violent uprising of 10 men, however I always think of the Trainspotting quote whenever there is an argument for Scottish independence

Tommy: Doesn’t it make you proud to be Scottish?
Mark “Rent-boy” Renton: It’s S***E being Scottish! We’re the lowest of the low. The scum of the f*****g Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever s**t into civilisation. Some hate the English. I don’t. They’re just w*****s. We, on the other hand, are COLONISED by w*****s. Can’t even find a decent culture to be colonised BY. We’re ruled by effete a******s. It’s a S***E state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won’t make any f*****g difference!
The thing is, I would support Scotland being independent, even if it’s just to make the Scots stop blaming the English and everyone else for their troubles and instead look at themselves.

b) the removal of some Russian colonisation of Czechoslovakia by the trading of stolen US missile technology. I think sometimes in Western Cold War fiction, we forgot that senior representatives of Eastern European communist countries may have been patriotic and wishing to be independent of control from Moscow. Usually, in fiction,the common man of the street hates the communists and their oppression, and everybody else is an avid communist supporter, where this book showed that patriotism and promotion within the communist system are not mutually exclusive.

In summary, good easy book to read as you simply remove your brain and read about things getting blown up and shot at with the odd divergence into classical music and love stories.