Originally published in 1969, ANGELS IN THE SNOW is a novel about life in the Cold War diplomatic world of Moscow. It's a novel that shows readers a little bit of what it might have been like to be a diplomat from the West, working and living in Moscow - the strains, the dangers, the temptations, and more.
As with Lambert's other novels, they are a little bit dated in certain ways, but they are interesting and engaging reads. Worth checking out if you're a fan of Cold War fiction.

A peek into the lives of diplomats in Russia. The insular lives many of them lead and how depressing the Russian winter can be.
Not as exciting as many spy novels.

Angels in the Snow is more of a literary fiction than a mystery or a spy thriller. I have mentioned in my previous posts too that there is something special about Lambert's writing that leaves the reader in awe. The writing is clear and concise.

The story is about the lives of diplomats in the Soviet Union. Harry Waterman, a defector who now lives with his Russian wife Marsha and her parents. Richard Mortimer, a diplomat at the British Embassy who is torn between Diana - his embassy-selected girlfriend and Nina - his Russian teacher. From people wearing the same printed dresses - the nearby factory made a batch of same printed material for all, to buying something simple like Scotch - which the locals could not afford, the book also gives an insight into the general atmosphere that prevailed during the USSR.


The lives of the defectors were not easy either. Harry Waterman defected to Russia because he was about to be convicted for a murder in the UK. But what poor Harry did not know was that he had to spend years at the camp in Siberia before being declared innocent. Spending the rest of his life in Russia was not easy for him - he longed to go to the country he was born in - Britain.


Photographs of diplomats in compromising position - from homosexuals to otherwise, were used to blackmail them. More than blackmail, it was a sense of disgraceful return to their home country for the diplomats. Bugging the homes of diplomats and secretly checking their homes when they were away was also common. The KGB - the secret police were busy keeping their eyes on the foreigners, especially the Twilight Brigade - the name given to those who defected to Russia.


The book also gives a peek into the harsh Russian Winters, the not-so-exciting Christmas air and Russian toys for children. The parties held by diplomats were an only means of socializing, and then there was the trip to a ski resort or the beach - a separate beach just for the diplomats! And the mention of various delicacies is not to be missed - Borscht ( soup made with beetroot as its main ingredient), Nazran water, fruit water, vodka (fire water) and Chicken Kiev.


This book might not be the best when compared to Lambert's Saint Peter's Plot or The Red Dove, but overall, it is a good read.

A wonderful and engaging cold war thriller, classic spy novel. I simply adore books in these genres and so having now found this author and his series I am very pleased at being able to read such riveting and well written books in a style and genre that I like and easily available on my Kindle. A must for people who like this genre.

This series, set against a backdrop of the Soviet Union post Stalin years., shows a good sense of time and context. The well documented Soviet sense of striving to catch up to the decadent West while glorying in the greatness of the past, is overlain by some good spy/thriller text. The author has carved out a good niche for his stories and should do well. What some US readers may miss is that its not and East vs West thing its an ego competition among men with differing backgrounds. By better portraying each characters humanity the author differentiates his style from others in his space.

Not a thriller in the traditional sense, more Literary Fiction, but it is atmospheric and intense. Western diplomats, press corp and the intelligence services in Moscow live a pressurised life. They are insular and cut off from the indigenous population. Living in a bubble, that leads to extreme behaviour often illicit sexual liaison and heavy alcohol consumption. The isolation and loneliness come across in this story.

As in his subsequent novels, this a mix of fact and fiction with dramatic interpretation, giving it an intrinsic authenticity.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse/ Killer Reads - Collins Crime Club via NetGalley in return for an honest review.