Following Gabriel Dax’s accidental entry into the world of espionage in Gabriel’s Moon, The Predicament starts with him settled into a nice cottage in Sussex with the reader knowing his dreams of a quiet life as a travel writer and journalist are soon to be interrupted. The plot gets going with what seems to be a straight forward assignment to interview a reclusive political figure turning into something much darker and more complex.
Although set in the ‘60s there is something rather timely to it. I don’t think it counts as a spoiler to mention that the action takes place in the run up to Kennedy’s assassination. That background feels eerily, and perhaps worryingly, pertinent. Add on the potential conspiracies, media misinformation, prevalent Russian espionage and long shadow of interventionist American foreign policy, and the setting starts to seem almost indistinguishable from the present day. That is if you ignore Dax’s relentless drinking and the frequent discussions about favoured cigarette brands.
Whilst The Predicament is very much historical fiction (apologies to those who do remember the ‘60s), it still has an immediacy that is a testament to Boyd’s characterisation and descriptions. Part of Boyd’s genius is to inhabit these believable, yet excitingly different, time periods. These days writing the odd travel book, with just a little bit of subsidy from the KGB, would be nowhere near enough to rent a studio in Chelsea just out of convenience. This is the sort of world thrillers excel in. Dax might be worrying about who wants him dead, or one of his multiple lovers, but never has to seriously worry about paying the rent.
There is, however, a suggestion of a more prosaic worry in a plot thread around the perils of publishing, with just a hint of authorial self-insertion. Boyd draws on his own knowledge to create a side plot in which Dax has some control, although some elements feel a bit too much like an idealised recollection of how publishing used to work. Luckily for Boyd’s career in espionage, the parallels between him and Dax do not go much further than surface level. That plot stand also provides an opportunity to explore other characters and inject a bit of humour.
Discussion of plot strands is unavoidable when reviewing a thriller, even if it does require dancing close to the line of giving away too much and ruining the ending. It can be especially hard when reviewing part of a series, as you have to consider the implications of what has happened previously and how well tension is maintained or built from there. But also, because there is no way to tell what is a clever plot thread waiting to be woven into the text of the next plot, and so either serves to foreshadow or neatly misdirect, and what are just threads left to dangle loose. The odd loose thread can work well, teasing and adding to the complexity inherent to the genre. Yet the number of loose threads, especially as the novel climaxes, makes me almost certain there will be a sequel, and, I hope, multiple after that.
Boyd is often remembered for his longer biographic novels, such as Any Human Heart or The Romantic. Less often do people remember his prior form writing about spies, such as Restless or Solo. The Predicament is a continuation of both: a neatly plot driven spy novel, with the depth of characterisation and very readable prose that Boyd is so well practiced in. If you want a novel to enjoyably lose a day to, The Predicament does not disappoint.
Words by Ed Bedford
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