The Spy Paramount (British Library Spy Classics) - Softcover

E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866–1946) was one of the most popular and successful writers of spy fiction in the early twentieth century.

This breathless novel of international intrigue, first published in 1935 and now available as a British Library Spy Classic, follows the adventures of Anglo-American freelance spy Maj. Martin Fawley. A little squabble in a swanky barbershop in Nice leads Fawley to Paris, then to Rome for a meeting in a magnificent apartment in the Plaza Margaretta. That’s just chapter one. By the end of chapter two he has presented himself to General Berati, a sinister spymaster, received a platinum cigarette case with a secret compartment, and wound up in an attractive woman’s bedroom. Fawley subsequently zips along in high-powered automobiles, sips cocktails and chilled champagne, sups on caviar sandwiches, visits heads of state, and plays golf on the Riviera, all while saving the world from another war in Europe. If all of the above sounds vaguely familiar, it comes as no surprise that Oppenheim’s oeuvre was a favorite with the young Ian Fleming. All that’s missing is the racy sex. (Publishers Weekly)

A wonderful old fashioned spy story set in the 1930's.~~~Think Ian Flemming without hi tech and CGI.~~~Very highly recommended. (Eileen Hall NetGalley)

Readers who first came in from the cold with Ian Fleming and John le Carré will find Fawley a fascinating transitional figure between the old order and the contemporary freelance spies who serve no interests but their own. (Kirkus)

Martin Fawley can easily be seen as an early precursor to James Bond - Debonair, quick witted, and unashamedly a spy. He is definitely a professional.~~~While there is no "Bond villain" there is plenty of action and intrigue, as well as a beautiful and compelling love interest who has dangerous connections. The Spy Paramount has the charm of a Sean Connery film without quite so many deaths or explosions. It is lighter fare than the spy novels currently in vogue, but nonetheless remains appealing despite its age. (Stephenie Sasse Goodreads)