The Defection of A. J. Lewinter: A Novel of Duplicity

Book Description

The legendary spy thriller from bestselling author Robert Littell-whose newest book, The Company, is receiving rave reviews and acclaim-is finally back in print. Fans, reviewers, and booksellers will cheer. This first novel, originally published in 1973, established Littell as a master and immediately elevated him to the ranks of John le Carré, Len Deighton, and Graham Greene.

The Defection of A. J. Lewinter is a masterpiece of irony and intrigue, an unconventional and gripping anatomy of a defection. A. J. Lewinter is an American scientist, for years an insignificant cog in America's complex defense machinery. While at an academic conference in Tokyo, he contacts the KGB station chief and tells him he wants to defect. He tantalizes the Russians with U.S. military secrets he claims to possess, but is his defection genuine? Neither the Russians nor the Americans are sure and Lewinter is swept up in a terrifying political chess match of deceit and treachery. Each side struggles to anticipate its opponent's next move and the superpowers are locked in a deadly contest that exploits friendships, destroys loyalties, and manipulates human beings as expendable pawns. Deft and dazzlingly plotted, this is the book that introduced Robert Littell-the opening shot of a brilliant career.

Customer Reviews:

Very intriguing.......2006-04-13

"The Defection of A. J. Lewinter" is a great book and a page-turner at that. A guy you wouldn't give a second thought to decides to defect while on a trip to Tokyo. As the Americans you have to decide if the defector has anything worth defecting for! At the same time the Russians have to do their best to figure out if he's genuine or a plant!

If you've ever seen a cat chasing its tail then you'll get a kick out of this book. Everyone is chasing shadows and the one caught in the middle is A.J. Lewinter. The ending is a great little plot twist and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Classic defection story.......2003-07-02

Littell's book reads as well today as it did when published. This is an excellent introduction to the cold war science of defector exploitation told from both the US and Soviet view. This short book is a good, fast read from an author who frequently "does" intelligence right. After a career in the business myself, he is one of only a few authors who I can always read.

The Defection of A.J. Lewinter: A Novel of Duplicity (New Millennium Audio)

Average customer rating:

Murky Doings
Entertaining first novel!
Spies Versus Spies
Quick, entertaining tale of espionage, counter-espionage, counter-counter espionage . . .
no spoilers

The Defection of A.J. Lewinter: A Novel of Duplicity (New Millennium Audio)
Robert Littell
Manufacturer: New Millennium Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1590072855

Book Description

A masterpiece of irony and intrigue, deftly and dazzlingly plotted, The Defection of A.J. Lewinter is the novel that established Robert Littell as a master of the Cold War thriller and immediately elevated him to the ranks of John le Carré, Len Deighton, and Graham Greene.

A.J. Lewinter is an American scientist, for years an insignificant cog in America's complex defense machinery. Now he is playing both sides against the middle-telling the Russians he wants to defect and tantalizing them with U.S. military secrets he claims to posses. But is his defection genuine? Neither the Russians nor the Americans are sure, and as each side struggles to anticipate its opponent's next move, Lewinter is swept up in a terrifying chess match of deceit and treachery.

Customer Reviews:

Murky Doings.......2007-07-03

I picked up Littell's first book after enjoying his opus, The Company and another short book, "The Debriefing". "The Defection of A.J. Lewinter" was another enjoyable story in the "who's fooling whom" tradition of defectors. Lewinter is an obscure American scientist who apparently defects with critical knowledge about ICBM's (intercontinental ballistic missiles). There are some excellent passages about how the CIA evaluates the sincerity of defectors, and the ending is in keeping with the theme of the book. My copy suffered from a repeated typographical error with a character name that was ultimately meaningless, but was confusing for awhile given how characters often change names in spy stories. Rather than a perfect distillation of Littell's work, "The Defection of A.J. Lewinter" seemed more like the first novel that it was, to be expanded and improved upon on the way to "The Company". Recommended to fans of Cold War stories, but I'd suggest that those with a wide range of reading interests proceed directly to "The Company", unless 300 pages fits their reading schedule better than 900 pages.

Entertaining first novel!.......2007-01-10

I had read Littell's "The Company" (epic CIA tome) and loved it, and also greatly enjoyed "AJ Lewinter"...different time duration, more intimate look at a few specific characters, but definitely worth the read! If you've enjoyed Littell's other books, this one does not disappoint!

Spies Versus Spies.......2006-12-17

This book shows the depths of paranoia spies can become immersed in. A guy tries to defect to the Russians. Is he for real? The Russians don't know, the Americans don't know. Littell deftly describes how each side tries to nudge the other side into believing that Lewinter is or isn't a plant. It can get quite confusing as they play out their ping pong game of espionage. While the thesis of the book is original and interesting, the book itself is, in my mind, not very compelling. Littell's best work was "The Company". In my estimation, his other efforts fall well short of that masterpiece.

Quick, entertaining tale of espionage, counter-espionage, counter-counter espionage . . ........2005-12-17

It's hard to believe that "The Defection of A.J. Lewinter" is a first novel. Sure, it's brief (barely 300 pages, using a large typeface), but it's so self-assured, so brilliant, so audacious, that it smacks of a later work written by a giant who's merely taking some time off from writing epics.

The title is seemingly dead-on. American scientist A.J. Lewinter defects to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. (While the time period is never specifically stated, it's definitely post-Kennedy and pre-Gorbachev.) The defection is surprisingly easy, and Lewinter has an easier time ditching his American security than he does convincing the Soviets to let him defect.

And that's the crux of Littell's lean novel of espionage and paranoia. The Americans are understandably paranoid -- they've got a defector, which is embarrassing enough, but this guy may know some military secrets of considerable value. But the Soviets are equally paranoid, if not more so. What if this Lewinter is a CIA plant, and this is a phony defection? If the Soviets misread Lewinter, it could mean a disastrous hit to the Soviet system of 5-year plans, not to mention a few bullets put into the backs of a few heads.

Littell keeps the pressure on, as the Americans and the Soviets plot and scheme to figure out just what the heck has happened by this defection as well as how to play it. For the Soviets, will the Americans use reverse-psychology and act like the defection is no big deal (thereby hopefully leading the Soviets to conclude that Lewinter is a fraud)? Or are the Americans playing reverse-reverse psychology, hoping that by doing nothing the Soviets will interpret this as the Americans trying to convince the Soviets that Lewinter is a fraud, when really Lewinter is the real thing? More layers than an onion are involved here, and Littell spices things up with dashes of humor interlaced into the web of deceit and danger.

I'm not sure where Littell gets all the insider information he has for his novels (I have already enjoyed "The Amateur" and adored both "The Sisters" and "The Company"), but he writes as if he knows this world of Cold War espionage like the back of his hand. While the lack of scope of this novel (arguably, a "mere" novella) prevents me from awarding it with a five-star rating like I gave his epic "The Company," that's a statement of the awe in which I hold the larger work. "The Defection of A.J. Lewinter" is a clever bit of work that never strains its convolutions or jumps the tracks.

A quick, thrilling read, "Defection" offers a delightful day-trip into the back rooms of the Cold War, and it's well-worth the trip. This is the perfect appetizer to choose before diving into Littell's longer, darker works.

no spoilers.......2003-12-29

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Company; I decided to give this one a shot. Littell does not disappoint as he weaves layer upon layer of intrigue in this brief tale of espionage. The story involves the defection of a scientist and what we learn about him through the eyes of oppossing agencies. Yet through the deft touch of Littell we are never quite sure what to think of the man. Is he serving the interests of the United States, the Soviet Union, or himself? Are there any hints that let on? That is the charm of this novel. The tone of the novel fits right alongside that of The Company. Especially appreciated is the fact that Littell leaves the road open for the reader to navigate the end course. He doesn't spoon feed conclusions to his readers. You'll see what I mean when you read the fantastic ending.
The only problem? This was the only other book of his that I could find at my local store.
why not five stars? I wished that it was a longer read...

Book Description

An apprentice swordsman, Locke has ridden the narrow trail to the City of the Sorcerers to see with his own eyes the Ward Walls that hold back the realms of Chaos. It is Locke's dream to become a Chaos Rider, and seek his destiny beyond the Wall. It is Locke's hope that somewhere, in the wildness where time and change rage out of control, his lost father still survives.

But more than just survival is at stake. For on the other side of the Wall awaits a Darkness beyond all ken--and evil inchoate that will test the steel of one young hero and, indeed, all of that bold and foolish race called humankind.

"Stackpole spins tales which grab you by the heart, throat, and imagination." -Dennis L. McKiernan, author of The Drogonstone

"Magic, action, adventure, romance...Michael

Stackpole has it all." -Jennifer Roberson

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2003-07-04

First of all, do yourself a favor and don't skip ahead in the book, you'll ruin it. This story is Stackpole at his best. An original setting, convincingly and logically written. The author clearly considered the implications of the environment he created. The foreshadowing was available without being obvious; characters were well described and seemed to stay within prescribed personalities. The only qualm I had with this book was that toward the end it was hard to keep track of who was alive, who might be dead, and who was really dead. Fortunately, that's all explicitly stated close to the end of the novel.

An excellent read, order it and enjoy. If you want further excellence from Stackpole read The Dragoncrown War cycle, starting with Dark Glory War.

Good start...where is the end?.......2002-07-26

This book is pretty good...very readable. Only problem with this book is that it is a start of a Trilogy that does not end. The second book does not have the main character in it but is also a very readable book despite the shift of spotlight.

Truly unique.......2002-07-14

Yeah, I've never come across a book quite like this. Stackpole really managed to create a very unique and fascinating setting. The characters are fleshed-out individuals too. See, a long time ago, some wizards screwed up a massive ritual. Now, except for a nation that the wizards reclaimed from the destruction, most of the world is ruled by a twisting wave of chaos, that inevitably and unpredictably changes everything it touches--including adventurers. Yet, there are those who for one reason or another feel compelled to venture into that chaos. Such a one is the hero, Locke. Locke seems like the flattest of all the characters in the book, but trust me, he's not. Meanwhile, the other 'chaos-riders' are amazing examples of characters. Magicians, mutants, and warriors, one way or another each character gets drafted into Locke's mission. And the best part is, you don't figure out the answers till the very end!

Though it's good, the second book in the series focuses on a different character, which I find unfair. So here's hoping another one turns up soon!

Science-Fiction Fan.......2001-12-21

When I read all the books my 8th grade teacher had available (the books my teacher we like a 6th grade reading level to me), I went in search of a book. Not just any book. I was looking for a challenge and I came upon this book. I picked it up thinking, what a weird cover. I started reading it and immediatly got hooked. I bought it from the store, took it home, went to my room, and never came out for hours. When I finished the book I read it again. I can't wait to read the second book! Michael A. Stackpole is now my favorite author. Keep up the good work!

All Right!.......2001-08-04

I loved this story! Very well written, suspenseful, with some interesting twists and a good healthy dose of versimilitude. The main characters weren't necessarily invulnerable, which I feel is very realistic. EXCELLENT BOOK!!!

Born a Hero (Firstborn Sons) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, 1088) (Intimate Moments, 1088)

Average customer rating:

the time line is very confusing
Two doctors find love among the ruins!
Fabulous, as always!

Born a Hero (Firstborn Sons) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, 1088) (Intimate Moments, 1088)
Paula Detmer Riggs
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Silhouette Intimate Moments | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0373271581

Customer Reviews:

the time line is very confusing.......2005-02-23

The story is very well written, just the time line is a little confusing. Dr. Hunter in the book is supposed to be 31 years old, he's been practicing for quite a number of years. Should he be more like 41 than to be 31. In the story, he was supposed to have been married for 15 years if his wife didn't die 10 years ago. Did his parents really let him marry when he was 16? I'm just very confused about the whole time line. It didn't quite add up. The story is great.

Two doctors find love among the ruins!.......2003-01-05

Dr. Katherine Remson is summoned to Montebello after a terrorist bomb hits the small country. Pediatricians are in high demand as the resuce teams search for survivors. The fact that her best friend's father has requested her services makes the situation even more important to Katherine.

Dr. Elliot Hunter is at the absolute end of his endurance when his father summons him to Montebello. Elliot has been in terrible emotional agony since the loss of his wife and daughter some years ago. In the wake of his grief, he slept with his younger sister's best friend and broke her heart. Elliot is filled with self-loathing and is seriously considering taking his life when he is summoned to the foreign country.

When Kate discovers that Elliot is nearby, she is livid. She feels as if she has been set up by his family. As their attraction growns, Kate is mightily conflicted. Elliot is still in love with his dead wife and has made it very clear that there is no place for another woman in his life.

Ms. Detmer Riggs has a fantastic book here, rife with realistic emotions and healing heartbreak.The payoff was immensely satisfying. The only problem I had with the book was a minor one. The plot background was a little jarring and may have been ebtter served in a prequel of sorts.

Fabulous, as always!.......2001-08-02

Anyone who hasn't read a Paula Detmer Riggs novel is missing out! She is absolutely wonderful. The characters practically leap off the page, straight into your heart, especially her heroes. Where does she come up with all these sexy, absolutely divine men?

Kudos, Paula. I drooled over Taming the Night. You didn't disappoint me with this book. Definitely a must read and a keeper that you'll never forget. This lady is an amazing talent.

Average customer rating:
BORN A HERO : FIRSTBORN SONS
Paula Detmer Riggs
Manufacturer: silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWPW0W

Average customer rating:
Born to burn: The story of a twentieth century hero,
Frederick A Tatford
Manufacturer: (2 Upperton Gardens, Eastbourne, Sussex), Upperton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Missions & Missionary Work | Evangelism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0900725230

Average customer rating:
Captain Marvel #3 (Marvel's Space-Born Super-Hero!)
Roy Thomas
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000J1OL50

Product Description

Comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1968. The adventures of Captain Mar-Vel when he was a secret agent of the Kree empire spying on the earth (before he receieved his Cosmic Awareness and Nega-bands). A rare Silver Age title.

Disney's Hercules: A Hero Is Born (Golden Super Shape Book)

Average customer rating:

Disney's Hercules: A Hero Is Born (Golden Super Shape Book)
Justine Korman
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0307102084

Hero #1 Warrior of the Mystic Realms (Chapter 1: A Hero Born!)

Average customer rating:

Hero #1 Warrior of the Mystic Realms (Chapter 1: A Hero Born!)
David Michelinie
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000WARH8G

Product Description

Comic book

Never born a hero (True-to-life stories for young teens)

Average customer rating:

Never born a hero (True-to-life stories for young teens)
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Manufacturer: Augsburg Pub. House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

David Davies: Missionary Hero (Revised 2nd Edition of Born to Burn)

Average customer rating:

David Davies: Missionary Hero (Revised 2nd Edition of Born to Burn)
Frederick A Tatford
Manufacturer: Wester Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0UNNU

Average customer rating:

Disney's Hercules: A Hero Is Born (Golden Super Shape Book)
Justine; Cardona Studio Korman
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSX4LU

Book Description

In the battle of the Seven Seals and the Seven Harbingers, the casualties begin to pile up. Yuzuriha Nekoi and her dog spirit Inuki face off against expert hacker Satsuki with her supercomputer "The Beast." Included is a special Karen Kasumi story.

Customer Reviews:

Ahhhhh... finally, volume 13........2004-02-09

Now for all those people who go 'blah blah blah, angst, great, blah blah' over the TV series, here's a volume every one of them should read to realize just how crappy the attempts at hurried plot/character development/angst-mania in that anime were.

THIS is Clamp angst. This is what it was meant to be. *and trust me. This is NOTHING compared to volume 16. *kicks Viz some more* Hurry up, dammit!*

Fans of stuff that makes you sniffle will thoroughly enjoy this. From the heartbreaking battle between Satsuki and Yuzuriha with its more than tragic outcome to the Karen side-story that reveals the pains of her childhood with her abusive uber-religious mother, it'll get the tear glands going.

And a special treat for those of you who like more-or-less side characters. Yuuto FINALLY gets the special attention he needs, and breaks out with that bubbly personality that make his most dedicated fans cheer and applaud.

I give it four stars because I'm waiting desperately for volume 16, and am a horridly obsessive Subaru-... He wasn't here, so it don't deserve 5 stars. Nanny nanny boo boo. :P

Other than the fact that, in my personal opinion, it needed my beautiful green-eyed onmyouji, a beautiful novel and one who's translations didn't make me want to flail desperately and beat my head into a wall.

For once, I shall humbly applaud Viz.

I'm not going to be like most reviewers and ruin the entire book for you by summarizing what happens in its pages. Pick it up.

Just let me say this.

If you at all like Yuzuriha, Karen, Aoki, Yuuto, Kusanagi *YAY, KUSA! FINALLY A FEW DECENT PAGES!!!* and teddy bears, and have been wanting to see more Kamui/Fuuma interaction with the DoH boy actually getting his panties in a twist enough to make stuff go boom, I have two words for you:

Read it!

Average customer rating:

New bread every week

Bread made easy

Terrible book

The Best, Indeed

Betty Crocker Bread Machine Recipes

Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook: The Goodness of Homemade Bread the Easy Way
Betty Crocker Editors
Manufacturer: Betty Crocker
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Bread | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Special Appliances | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Cooking, Food & Wine | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens)

Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker

Progressive International Clearly Fresh Bread Keeper

Bread Machine Magic, Revised Edition: 138 Exciting Recipes Created Especially for Use in All Types of Bread Machines

Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine

ASIN: 0028630238

Amazon.com

Old-fashioned bread the new-fashioned way, Betty calls it. Easy, convenient, modern. There's no knead for loafing. Not with that fabulous combination in the kitchen: Betty Crocker and the bread machine.

The construction of this book, first of all, is wonderful. The cover is hard and the binding is heavy, enameled spiral. Each page lays flat on the counter, or you can hold the book open on one arm while doing something with the other hand. This suggests that Betty Crocker wrote her bread-baking cookbook with serious use in mind. She certainly tested her recipes. A variety of bread machines were used, which means that each recipe was tested a number of different times. Betty tells you exactly what kind of flour she used, as well as salt, size of eggs, kind of yeast, etc. She leaves nothing to chance.

Bread machine baking has its own peculiarities, and Betty addresses all these right up front, the hows and how-tos (as well as the whys and wherefores) of getting the perfect loaf every time. There's a troubleshooting section, as well as a frequently asked question section. Then it's right into the recipes, all 130 of them.

There are Good and Savory Loaves (Cheese Onion Bread) and Wholesome Grain Loaves (Toasted Almond Whole Wheat Bread), Fruit and Vegetable Harvest Loaves (Dried Apricot Bread), Smaller Can Be Just Right Loaves (these are one-and-a-half-pound loaves), and then several chapters on breads you start in the bread machine, but finish in the oven. These include braided sweet breads, pizza dough, rustic-style breads, and coffeecakes.

Any bread machine owner is going to love to loaf with Betty Crocker. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

Everyone loves fresh bread, but not the time it takes to make it. Bread machines are hot items in the kitchen because they take the work out of making homemade bread. Even better, Betty Crocker takes the mystery out of the bread machine and brings you easy-to-use recipes for both 1 1/2-pound and 2-pound loaves that work for all the popular bread machine models. We've packed this book with over 100 recipes to tempt your tastebuds. There are delicious bread recipes for classic favorites, rustic breads, sweet doughs, coffeecakes and buns. Betty Crocker's Bread Machine Cookbook also offers a host of recipes for doughs to mix, then shape and bake in a conventional oven -- such as foccacia, breadsticks and pizza doughs -- with easy-to-follow illustrations on how to shape and trim the loaves. Best of all, you can trust these recipes will work in your bread machine because the Betty Crocker kitchens have tested the recipes in several different machines to ensure success at home. We've also loaded up this book to include information on bread machine ingredients; glossary of bread machine ingredients, techniques, and terms; and a breakdown of the various features found on different models of machines and how to use them. There's nothing better than the taste of homemade bread -- and no one brings it to you better than Betty Crocker.

Customer Reviews:

New bread every week.......2007-10-01

This book has a lot of great recipes; every weekend I make something I haven't made before. They're delicious and fun, and I have yet to make a recipe that didn't work. I just LOVE the strawberry and poppyseed rolls. Every bread recipe has amounts for 2 different sizes of loaves, and there are wonderful illustrations throughout. It's totally worth it.

Bread made easy.......2007-09-20

You can never go wrong with Betty, she knows her baking. Even breadmakers. This cookbook is well laid out and easy to follow. Well worth the $13.

Terrible book .......2007-08-14

This is the worst bread machine book I have ever used. Their measurements are off especially with the yeast. I had to adjust many recipes to get decent result. Don't get this book especially if you just got your first bread machine this book will discourage you for using your machine.

The Best, Indeed.......2007-08-06

This book has been invaluable in helping us to thoroughly enjoy our new bread machine. Everything I've tried thus far has been fabulous; recipes easy to read, with helpful tips on the side. Thanks to Betty's Best Bread Machine Cookbook, we've been able to "loaf around," but with outstanding results.

Betty Crocker Bread Machine Recipes.......2007-07-16

I love this recipe book. I have made a few of the breads in this book and they've come out great! There are helpful tips and advice. Dozens of different types of breads to choose from.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books