The Judas Case

David Steward - 22 Aug, 2022

This is such a distinctive book that comparisons can’t do it justice. The descriptions of spycraft are as sharp and convincing as in Adam Hall’s early Quiller books. But what sets it apart is the quality of the writing. Only a writer of Graham’s skill could build a compelling mystery story around familiar biblical events. There’s also a powerful sense of place. Deighton’s Berlin is Graham’s Holy Land, and instead of the Cold War era, we’re in the age of early Christianity. Without slowing the action or distracting from the plot, Graham describes Eliades’ world in vivid and often haunting detail. Julian Symons described Deighton as “a poet of the spy story”. Graham is a poet of the historical thriller.