This particular story of MacInnes' has a depth and plausibility that doesn't bog down compared to some of her other novels (that I've read). Set in post-WW II Greece, and after the civil war, it is full of suspense with several possible traitors to confuse the main protagonists encountering the remnants of various factions still in hiding or trying to influence the new government. Much historical fact is brought forward without derailing the adventure. The characters are largely very well developed and the mild romance doesn't dominate the action.

Helen MacInnes is a Queen in the pantheon of espionage adventure novels with the likes of Desmond Bagley, Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, Nevil Shute. Her writing predates the other classical spy stories by Ian Fleming, John Le Carré and Len Deighton, so may strike some readers as very dated. ( )

Gorgeous but old-fashioned. Lovely 50s values; reminiscent of Eric Ambler (plus frocks ...) ( )

Although Decision At Delphi by Helen MacInnes was a reread for me, it was like a brand new story as I really hadn’t retained any memory of it. Helen MacInnes wrote wonderful “spy” novels that I discovered at an early age and immediately read through them all. I love the espionage novels set in the 1950s and 60s with their searching of each others rooms and belongings, passing of secret notes, and clandestine meetings in out-of-the-way places.

In this book we follow an architect, Ken Strang, while is is on assignment to create drawings of ancient ruins for a magazine. His work takes him to both Sicily and Greece. But the actual mystery starts by involving his photographer, a Greek-American who fought in the Resistance during World War II and was a both a witness and has evidence about certain atrocities that were committed. Before very long Strang, the innocent bystander, is drawn into the battle against a grim conspiracy and dealing with some very shady adversaries.

The book is quite long as the author gives very detailed descriptions of scenery, politics, characters etc. But at the same time, this was a page turner. The adventure wakens a longing for travel to picturesque corners of Europe. One thing to remember is that this is a book originally published in the early 1960s and the male attitudes reflect that with women being complimented on their decorative appeal and being expected to defer to the male’s judgements. Overall however, Decision At Delphi is a great combination of mystery, intrigue, romance and action as well as featuring plenty of information on culture and architecture which kept me absorbed throughout the read. ( )

Architect Kenneth Strang has made a name for himself with his artistic reconstructions of ancient ruins. As he sails to his current assignment in Greece, he remembers his last visit 15 years earlier during his naval service in World War II. Strang's photographer, Greek-American Steve Kladas, has traveled separately to take photographs ahead of Ken's arrival, leaving an extra suitcase of film for Ken to bring to their rendezvous. When Steve disappears after their meeting in Sicily, Ken suspects that the disappearance may be related to something in the suitcase. Ken won't be able to focus on his assignment until he solves the mystery of Steve's disappearance and figures out what to do with the suitcase and its contents.

Much of the suspense in the thriller/espionage genre comes from the protagonist's uncertainty about which of the other characters can be trusted. Who is a friend and who is a foe? The tension in this novel peaks too early, as the true identity of the “bad guy” is revealed near the middle of the book. MacInnes's plots and characters are very similar to Mary Stewart's writing. This book reminded me a lot of Stewart's My Brother Michael.The main difference is that Stewart's protagonist is a woman and MacInnes's protagonist is a man. ( )

Gorgeous but old-fashioned. Lovely 50s values; reminiscent of Eric Ambler (plus frocks ...) ( )