A very well written read and it's obvious that a huge amount of research has been done. It's a departure from the spy thrillers I've read from the author and I didn't immediately connect with Harry as I did with Kate in the other books. It's still a good page turner though.

Well written – unfortunately, not a subject I enjoyed.

The story starts in Germany in March 1933. Harry Tower had swapped Cambridge University to study mathematics under two prominent German professors. It’s the first night he sees how those committed to Nazism behave and it changes the course of his life. He joined SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) and worked closely with Winston Churchill during the war. One of the operations he was involved in was the overthrow of the government in Iran to prevent the Communists from taking over the country.

The overthrow of the government in Iran is not straightforward and the battle to get rid the country of communism and install the Shah as head of government carries on for years. In the meantime, Harry’s son had taken up a position as a journalist working in Iran and not very long afterwards, is kidnapped, forcing Harry to go into Iran as an undercover agent to rescue him.

Is it just me? Not appreciating the amount of effort Tom Bradby put into researching and writing this book. However, I found the whole exercise of reading the novel boring.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Having enjoyed earlier offerings from Tom Bradby, and been pleasantly surprised how effectively he had picked up the skills of thriller writing, I approached ‘Yesterdays Spy’ with eager anticipation.

The first thing to say is that this is a work that felt quite different from the previous Kate Henderson thrillers. Bradby has bestowed a personality and behaviours on the lead character that do not make it easy to warm to him. in fairness, there are also some admirable features, chief amongst which is his determination to find his son who has gone missing in in Teheran at the time of the 1953 coup that saw the Shah return to power. And it is Bradby’s ability to capture the feeling of that almost sidelined era, together with necessary flavours via flashbacks of the lead character’s back story, that lifts this novel above the run of the mill spy thriller. Some readers have referred to a lack of pace, and it’s fair to acknowledge that the rhythm of plot development accelerates rather slowly in the first half of the book.

Make no mistake, however, the story is not straightforward and the reader is subjected to the author’s teasing over the loyalties of the lead character and the ambiguities that surround his service career. To readers unfamiliar with this less than glorious aspect of Britain’s interference in the affairs of sovereign nations the novel offers an interesting, if necessarily superficial, background to key historical events.

Readers will have their views over the less than tidy ending, but life - and death - aren’t always tidy.

Recommended.

This was a clever well written drama with excellently described characters and I enjoyed the setting in Iran. Recommended.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Yesterday’s Spy’ by Tom Bradby. This is the tenth novel by Bradby, a British political journalist and correspondent.

I have enjoyed reading Bradby’s contemporary spy
thrillers featuring MI6 operative Kate Henderson. As the title suggests in this standalone thriller he has looked to the past history of the British Intelligence Service.

It is primarily set in the early 1950s and focuses upon Harry Tower, recently retired British Secret Service agent. In this Cold War era he is considered by his former colleagues as ‘yesterday’s spy’. During his years as a spy, neither his wife nor son were aware of what Tom did for a living. His cover was working for the Board of Trade.

His wife has recently died and his relationship with his son, Sean, is strained. In August 1953 Harry receives news that Sean has gone missing in troubled Iran after writing an exposé about government corruption. He travels to Tehran to search of his son and needs to draw on all his skills to survive.

The narrative also contains chapters set during the 1930s-40s that provide more details of Harry’s earlier life and career. Still, he might be considered a has-been by some but in 1953 he is still able to breeze into 10 Downing Street and is on friendly terms with the PM, Sir Winston Churchill.

I certainly felt that Tom Bradby had undertaken considerable research into the politics of the period including the 1953 Iranian coup.

While it didn’t take to Harry Tower as much as I had Kate Henderson, this still proved an engaging spy thriller and page turner.

I’m a fan of Tom Bradby’s writing, but I confess this wasn’t a favourite. It’s a slow- burn, with lots of historical detail, featuring parts of the world with which I am not familiar.
I didn’t really warm to the central character, and the book took me a while to read. In between times I read another two books for lighter relief, as I was on holiday. It’s not really a sunshine holiday read.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Tom Bradby is a favourite author and here is another pretty good offering. It is set in mid 20thC which is how some of the plot works. For example there is no Internet for easy information gathering or phones on hand to make a quick call. There are times during reading that I found that I needed to remind myself of the time frame. With this in mind, I found the novel a tad slow to get going but improved towards the middle.

Easy and gripping read. He is a natural writer who gives us a great story without any airs or graces, I’d read a Tom Brady book anyway and this book is no exception. Ex spy Harry travels to Iran to find is son who has gone missing. Aided by his son’s girlfriend, Harry is back in his old game in a situation with no backup nor information. It’s great.

Harry Tower is a spy, a fact he kept secret from his wife and son, Sean.
Sean is now a journalist in Tehran and when he goes missing Harry needs to find him despite the fact that he is aware of the unrest in the area.
Harry is helped by Sean's girlfriend, a beautiful but astute and intelligent Iranian.
The story is set in the 60's a time long before mobile phones and the ability to track someone or to contact them instantly.
Harry is wise to the workings if the secret service but he is aware that Sean's disappearance and his need to be in Tehran might be part is a set up.
This was a period of time I knew little about so the events surrounding the story were fascinating but what kept it moving was Harry's need to see Sean again and to receive his forgiveness for being absent, physical my and emotionally all of his life.

Harry Tower has never really fitted in to the SIS. he is not from the correct part of society and, whilst generally competent. he has never reached the heights of some. After a disaster in Yugoslavia in which many men were lost, Harry is involved in mundane work. However when he hears that his son has disappeared, his old instincts kick in. Harry flies off to Tehran to try to find his son but life is never so simple for yesterday's spy.
I loved the setting here in 1950s Iran, a time where the Shah was all-powerful and the profits from oil were going into foreign hands. The Cold War is just escalating and tensions are high. Bradby knows how to write a compelling plot, his characterisation is less well-developed and his research is impeccable. What sets this apaert is the ending, there are a couple of twists that the reader definitely does not expect from a book like this where the plot is usually very black and white and good always prevails.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (always plenty of reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for!)

I've read several novels by Tom Bradby, so was delighted to be invited to read this one. I really enjoyed this book, the pace felt a little slow initially, but quickly picked up!

The story is very well researched, and the political background and geographical setting of the book is excellent, setting the scene for Sean's (Harry's son) disappearance. The novel crosses back and forth between the 1930s and 1950s (where the "current" action takes place), and fleshes out the characters of Harry and his allies (and enemies). The emotional aspect of the tension between Sean and Harry is well explored.

There's a great cast of characters - some definite allies, some who we cannot be sure of (eg: Shanaz, Sean's girlfriend), but all very believable.

I can imagine this novel being made into a movie. Already looking forward to reading more from Tom Bradby...

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Tom Bradby’s recently completed trilogy about MI6 operative Kate Henderson was a stand-out series that compared favourably to the latest novels by fellow British spymasters Mick Herron, Henry Porter and Charles Cumming.

Bradby’s new novel, Yesterday’s Spy (Bantam, June 2022), heads back to 1953 and the Allied involvement in Iranian politics. The Allies are unhappy with recent political developments in Iran and are determined to prop up the Shah who is sympathetic to the West, and generous in his handling of Iran’s oil reserves. His presence is also a way of keeping Russian influence out of Iran. By August 1953, tensions were coming to a head in Iran, with protests and talk of a coup, and into this volatile mix comes Harry Tower, a long serving MI5 operative whose estranged reporter son, Sean, has gone missing in Tehran. Harry secretly travels to Iran and becomes caught up in the various plots as he tries to find his son, along with Sean’s girlfriend Shahnaz. Harry discovers, however, that enemies from his past are also willing to use the current developments to settle old scores.

This is a very well crafted spy novel that moves smoothly between flashbacks to Nazi Germany and contemporary events in Iran in 1953. The story unfolds at a brisk pace, and there is plenty of action and credible violence, as Harry and Shahnaz’s search for Sean becomes more desperate. There also the obligatory twists and turns and betrayals, and the book builds to a powerful climax.

The highlights of the book are the evocative descriptions of Tehran in 1953, which ring true to an outsider like me, and Bradby’s well developed characters, especially his moving portrayal of Harry as a man trying to come to terms with his life and failings. The book also interestingly brings to life long forgotten episodes of international political duplicity that still resonate today.

In all, an outstanding spy novel.

This is another masterpiece from Tom Brady. I found it a little slow to begin with but when the action moved to Tehran, the pace really picks up and we are taken on a thrilling and dangerous rollercoaster of espionage and intrigue. Harry's past life and his current relationship with his son adds another interesting dimension to the novel and we are kept guessing who, if anyone, will survive the seemingly insurmountable situation right to the end.

This book is set for the most part in Tehran. A retired SIS agent, Harry Towers, finds out that his son, Sean, is missing in Tehran. Sean had dropped out of university to become a journalist and is sent to Tehran to try his luck at journalism. The book is set predominately in the 1950’s. Sean had written an article involving the government in Tehran proposing that the government was corrupt and this is the reason his dad thinks that he has been seized although this is not obvious in the beginning. He also wonders if he is the target to get him to Tehran having been there some years ago. Harry Towers flies to Tehran without telling anyone but it soon transpires that he has been followed and continues to be so. One of the first things he does is go to Sean’s office. He finds out that Sean was in a relationship with a lady called Shahnaz who is determined to help find him. The story progresses in a quick pace and although it does revert back to the 1930’s it was interesting to read how Harry Towers got through the war era. The book is quick and simple with a love interest, the sadness of Harry losing his wife and his son who blames Harry for the death of his mother which in turn makes for a difficult relationship between the two of them. The story heads in the right direction for a good ending and I really enjoyed the backwards and forwards of the story – I learned a lot about Iran in the process. I would definitely recommend this book

I enjoyed this post war spy thriller set in Iran - an unusual setting and a theatre of spy craft and intrigue as the British, Americans and Russians jostled for influence. Always good to have a good plot and learn some interesting stuff along the way. Nicely written and must have required a lot of research.

Great background, well researched, really sets the scene for the disappearance of Sean, both politically and geographically but also emotionally. the story crosses two timelines- the early 30's and the early 50s with the 50's sections being far more vibrant and real than the earlier years where Harry's background is described.
A great cast of characters (I am still not sure I trust Shanaz!) and plenty of fast paced action in the search for Sean make this a good read.

Another great read from Tom. Drew me in immediately and couldn’t put it down. He’s not just a great news reader!! Highly recommended

Enjoyable but not one of Bradby's best. I didn't particularly like Harry Tower, the spy of the title. Bradby has obviously done a lot of research of the period, but unfortunately, it didn't work for me.

Tom Bradby's cold war thriller features a British spy called Harry Tower, who dashes to Iran in search of his son Sean, a journalist who has gone missing. The tale is set mostly in 1953 at the time of an Iranian coup d'état, in which the British and American governments were attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister, Mohammed Mosaddegh (who was left leaning) in favour of the Shah. [They were of course successful and the Shah ruled as absolute monarch with American support until 1979 when he was deposed in the Islamic revolution].

The background to the coup, the political and social unrest, and the manipulation by the SIS and CIA is historically real and Harry's story incorporates it brilliantly. There is perhaps too much detail though as I found I lost track of who was on which 'side' (but this is a spy novel so maybe that's not surprising!) What struck me most was how badly the UK and US governments behaved. They were concerned about a communist take-over of Iran but mostly it was to do with power and oil, and were ruthless in its acquisition.

The book was slow to start but did build up with some good action in the second half. There is a strong female character - Shahnaz - Sean's well-connected girlfriend. Also lots of parties at Embassies, posh restaurants and fast cars which made a startling contrast with the near-poverty in which much of the population existed. Harry seemed able to infiltrate both worlds with ease. There was another timeline - 1933 - which told of Harry's background, marriage and early life in the secret service. I found the writing a little dry and did not connect well with any of the characters, but they were from a different era with different lifestyles and attitudes. I don't normally read historical books and found myself fact-checking the period and learning quite a bit. So a mean 3 - 3.5 stars from me, but I'm sure others will justifiably go higher.

Harry Tower’s family has never known that he is in the employ of the Secret Service, an organisation where he often feels somewhat like a fish out of water. Having lost his wife, who committed suicide, he son eventually announces that he is going to work for the Manchester Guardian in their Teheran office, and at that point Harry loses contact with Sean who never responds to any of his letters or messages.

One hot August night Harry is woken by the Foreign Editor of the Guardian, advising him that his son seems to have disappeared. Harry decides to go AWOL from work and heads to Teheran on a false passport but on arrival he finds signs of great unrest and probabilities of a coup. He eventually meets Sean’s girlfriend, Shanaz Salemi, and finds out that she is not only a cousins of Ali, Sean’s translator, but is also the daughter of an army general who counts the Shah as a personal friend. It is very apparent that Sean and Shanaz are deeply in love and Shanaz persuades Harry to let her join him in his search, Harry suspects that the SIS may have tracked him down and put a tail on him so is constantly having to take evasive action during their travels around the country. Will they be successful or not in such uncertain times??

Tom Brady has done it again and has produced another page-turner!