The Legend (Evelyn Anthony novel)
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| Author | Evelyn Anthony |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Spy novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson & Co Ltd |
Publication date | 1969 |
| Pages |
The Legend is a spy novel by British writer Evelyn Anthony. The novel is set in England and allied-occupied Germany during the Cold war.
Plot Summary[edit]
Retired British intelligence officer Peter Arundsenn leaves his wife for Mary Wetherby, the divorced niece-by-marriage of his former boss, Philip Wetherby.
Philip Wetherby is a traitor-in-place working for the KGB, and has already engineered the involuntary defection of top Chinese scholar and intelligence officer Jimmy Dunne.
The KGB realises that the complete value of Dunne cannot be extracted by coercive interrogation methods. Their psychologists deduce that Dunne is a closeted homosexual with repressed love for Peter Arundsenn. To secure the complete co-operation of Dunne, they decide to trap Arundsenn and coerce him to fulfill Dunne's psychological needs.
KGB Colonel Ivliev, Philip Wetherby's handler, asks him to devise a way to entice Arundsenn to East Germany, as his superior has ruled out kidnapping in enemy territory.
In the past, Mary Wetherby had been blackmailed into working as low level agent for the Soviets, sought Philip's help, and believes that she has been rescued by him. Philip manipulates her into entering East Germany saying that his help for her the past has compromised him, and that she needs to deliver a message in person to his contact in East Germany so that he will be safe. He plans to use their love affair to get Arundsenn travel to East Germany, into the waiting arms of the Soviets.
Colonel Ivliev takes custody of Mary, and frustrated by her seeming external composure under pressure, reveals that Philip is a traitor. Meanwhile, Philip has informed Arundsenn of Mary's situation. Arundsenn, an uncompromising patriot, has broken up with Mary just before she left for East Germany, after she confesses her past as low level traitor to him. However, he decides to rescue Mary as a favour to Philip, and later he realises that he still loves Mary.
Arundsenn inflitrates East Germany with the help of West German intelligence agents who, unbeknown to him, have received orders from London to terminate Arundsenn and Mary if the rescue attempt fails.
Arundsenn successfully breaks out Mary and exfiltrates, but Mary is shot at the checkpoint and dies in his arms. Before dying, she tells him that Philip is a traitor.
The novel ends with Arundsenn visiting Philip, presumably to confront and kill him.
A sub plot involves The Countess, an alcoholic former top wartime agent, being assigned by Philip in a fit of overconfidence to investigate Dunn's defection. Motivated by her loyalty to Philip, she shrugs off her alcoholism and works with unexpected skill only to discover that Philip is a traitor. However, Philip learns that she is investigating him and successfully arranges for her to be murdered.
References[edit]
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