William Boyd understands one of the great paradoxes of the spy novel: that it can be morally serious and lightly entertaining at the same time. Cold Sunset, the third novel in his Gabriel Dax trilogy, finds him somewhere between Eric Ambler and Ian Fleming – Ambler in his fascination with betrayal, compromised loyalties and the corrosive absence of trust; Fleming in his relish for sex, drink, danger and the seductive suspension of ordinary moral rules.
Gabriel Dax is an unlikely hero, which is precisely why he is so engaging. He is a travel writer by profession, and travel writing is also the perfect cover for his occasional work for MI6. He is a crumpled, slightly bewildered figure who seems almost to have wandered into espionage by mistake. Yet his curiosity, powers of observation and ability to move inconspicuously through foreign places make him an unexpectedly effective spy.
