Cut-Out

Sidney Allinson is a Victoria-based communications consultant, Canadian
news correspondent for Britain’s The Army Quarterly and Defence, and
the author of Military Archives: International Directory of Military
Publications and The Bantams: The Untold St

This fast-paced, believable story contains enough sex, double-dealing,
and death to satisfy any espionage buff. Set in France during the 1960s,
it hinges around the intrigue sparked by the civil war in Algeria. Few
English-language books are written about that conflict, but this one
focuses on a Canadian double-agent’s adventures in it. A list of
spycraft reference sources attests to the depth of the author’s
research, while the back-cover blurb reveals the autobiographical basis
to this novel. Perhaps that ring of personal truth is what lets
Riley’s use of the mistaken-identity theme work so well. Her
first-hand knowledge of what it is like to be a Canadian military wife
based in Europe allows her to write movingly of the dreariness of family
dependants’ lives on a NATO base, and the despair of a loveless
marriage. Also, she’s well informed about service activities and their
complex rivalries. It is a trifle disappointing, however, that she
selects a CIA agent as the bad guy, considering the wealth of choices of
actual terrorist organizations in Europe.

Riley’s sinewy prose conveys an unblinking look at the tension that
exists every bit as much in a failed marriage as in an espionage
operation. Her strong voice gives some unique twists to the traditional
spy-book style. One hopes to hear more from Wilma Riley.