The Spy Who Haunted Me – Simon Green
Hachette Gollancz, 2009
327 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-0-575-07947-2

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

As the title implies, The Spy Who Haunted Me has a definite James Bond flavour, but in a paranormal world. Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, is the hero of Simon Green’s Secret Histories series. The Spy Who Haunted Me is centred around a “Greatest Race” through the world and the otherworlds, where the final spy standing will win the retiring Independent Agent’s cache of secrets.

Eddie Drood, like his film counterpart, seems invulnerable to anything. He has a magical golden torc which transforms into inpenetrable golden armour when needed, and his magical Sight enables him to notice things others don’t. However, in this novel, Eddie is pitted against a dangerous bunch of agents who may or may not be out to kill everyone in the race in order to win the prize: Lethal Harmony, as deadly as her name; The Blue Fairy, a tricky half-elf who has a history with Eddie; Honey Lake, an FBI agent with a twist; the unobtrusive and intimidating Walker from the Nightshade; Peter King, the grandson of the Independent Agent himself.

The group are given a number of mysteries to solve, like the Loch Ness Monster, the Philadelphia Experiment, and the Tunguska Event. One by one, the mysteries are solved using each agent’s special skills, but one by one, the spies are dying. Will Eddie and the others solve the mystery and find out who is behind the killings? The twists and turns in the plot are complex and provide intrigue.

Simon Green has written a fantastic novel in The Spy Who Haunted Me. It’s pacy and exciting, interesting and suspenseful. The characters are engaging, especially the protagonist Eddie, and the slightly skewed world created by Green works perfectly. For those who like their SF with the spice of suspense, or readers of thrillers who are looking for something a bit left of centre, this novel is a very enjoyable read.

This is the third in Simon Green’s Secret Histories series, and based on this one, they are certainly worth looking out for.