The Ipcress File - (Harry Palmer) by Len Deighton (Paperback)

About the Book

"Len Deighton's classic first novel, whose protagonist is a nameless spy - later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine. A high-ranking scientist has been kidnapped, and a secret British intelligence agency must find out why. But as the quarry is pursued from grimy Soho to the other side of the world, what seemed a straightforward mission turns into something far more sinister. With its sardonic, cool, working-class hero, Len Deighton's sensational debut The Ipcress File broke the mold of thriller writing and became the defining novel of 1960's London"--

Book Synopsis

A high-ranking scientist has been kidnapped, and a secret British intelligence agency has just recruited Deighton's iconic unnamed protagonist--later christened Harry Palmer--to find out why. His search begins in a grimy Soho club and brings him to the other side of the world. When he ends up amongst the Soviets in Beirut, what seemed a straightforward mission turns into something far more sinister.

With its sardonic, cool, working-class hero, Len Deighton's sensational debut and first bestseller The IPCRESS File broke the mold of thriller writing and became the defining novel of 1960s London.

Review Quotes

"Deighton, Greene and John le Carré comprise the reigning triumvirate of fictional spymasters beside whom all others pale."--Seattle Times

"A massively different novel... the effect is - quite literally - devastating." --Sunday Times

"Few authors writing in the rigorous and finite genre of spy fiction have mastered the craft as well as Deighton." --Chicago Tribune

"Deighton is so far in the front of other writers in the field that they are not even in sight." --Sunday Times

"Lively, exciting, ingenious." --Observer

"For sheer readability, he has no peer." --Evening Standard

What raises Deighton's genre to art is not only his absorbing characters but his metaphoric grace, droll wit, command of technical detail ... and sure sense of place." --Washington Post

"I love him! The Berlin Game trilogy made lockdown possible." --Olivia Laing

About the Author

LEN DEIGHTON (1929-2026) was one of Britain's preeminent thriller writers, considered a defining voice of the genre alongside John Le Carré and Graham Greene. Known for his wit and his scrupulous research, Deighton wrote more than thirty books ranging from espionage, historical, and dystopian alternative fiction to brilliant nonfiction on the Second World War. Never out of print, with over 30 million copies sold and multiple adaptations for film and TV, his books have left an enduring mark on global culture, influencing everything from Motörhead to Quentin Tarantino.