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League of Terror

Page 22

by Bill Granger


  He began his literary career in 1979 with Code Name November (originally published as The November Man), the book that became an international sensation and introduced the cool American spy who later gave rise to a whole series. His second novel, Public Murders, a Chicago police procedural, won the Edgar® Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1981.

  In all, Bill Granger published twenty-two novels, including thirteen in the November Man series, and three nonfiction books. In 1980, he began weekly columns in the Chicago Tribune on everyday life (he was voted best Illinois columnist by UPI), which were collected in the book Chicago Pieces. His books have been translated into ten languages.

  Bill Granger passed away in 2012.

  Also by Bill Granger

  The November Man series

  Code Name November (previously published as The November Man)

  Schism

  The Shattered Eye

  The British Cross

  The Zurich Numbers

  Hemingway’s Notebook

  The November Man (previously published as There Are No Spies)

  The Infant of Prague

  Henry McGee Is Not Dead

  The Man Who Heard Too Much

  League of Terror

  The Last Good German

  Burning the Apostle

  Other Novels

  Drover

  Drover and the Zebras

  Public Murders

  Newspaper Murders

  Priestly Murders

  The El Murders

  Time for Frankie Coolin

  Sweeps

  Queen’s Crossing

  Nonfiction

  Chicago Pieces

  The Magic Feather

  Fighting Jane

  Lords of the Last Machine (with Lori Granger)

  PRAISE FOR BILL GRANGER AND THE NOVEMBER MAN SERIES

  THE NOVEMBER MAN

  “Chilling… seems to move with the speed of light.”

  —Pittsburgh Press

  “Should keep you reading to the end… an engrossing book about the world of computers, treachery, slow or sudden death, and ‘doing things wrong for all the right reasons.’ ”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Crisp style, well-mannered prose, and inexorable tension characterize this worthy addition to the successful November Man series. Granger once again displays his winning talent for manipulating traditional elements of intrigue… highly recommended.”

  —Library Journal

  “Granger’s November Man series has been consistently entertaining and interesting, far surpassing much of the work done in the espionage genre. This addition to the list maintains that consistency… builds almost perfectly to an exciting finish… on the mark.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “First-rate… This gripping novel provides further proof that November Man has grown into one of the most complex fictional spies on the current scene.”

  —Booklist

  CODE NAME NOVEMBER

  “Mr. Granger has combined Ian Fleming, John le Carré, and Trevanian in a heady mix… He handles all the elements with real virtuosity.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  “Granger is one of our premier spy novelists. His Devereaux is the perfect spy for these less than perfect times.”

  —People

  “A novelist of superb talent who has mastered the genre and brought to it a distinctly American viewpoint.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “A serious American writer of the first rank… Like Hemingway, Granger learned the technical aspects of his craft through newspaper work. The result is lean and uniquely American.”

  —National Review

  SCHISM

  “An intelligently crafted thriller… lean prose and intricate plotting.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  “The mysteries and motives here turn out to be suitably momentous… all of the characters are vulnerably likeable… solid entertainment.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “True and dramatic and entertaining… Schism stands on its own.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  THE SHATTERED EYE

  “The Shattered Eye is a page-turner of the first order.”

  —Denver Post

  “It catches you on the first page and propels you through to the end at an accelerating speed.”

  —Chicago Tribune Book World

  THE BRITISH CROSS

  “Sharp and suspenseful… A fine piece of work.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “Never lets readers relax. This one belongs on the top shelf.”

  —New York Daily News

  “Granger handles all the elements of real virtuosity.”

  —New York Times

  THE ZURICH NUMBERS

  “An invigorating thriller. Granger is a fine, serious storyteller… His simple, meaty prose is a perfect complement to the intricacies of the plot.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “An ingenious, imaginative plot… The November Man has a steely, indomitable quality that raises him to Bond’s superstar status.”

  —Kansas City Star

  HEMINGWAY’S NOTEBOOK

  “Granger writes like a shooting star. His plots and characters and dialogue are so good… It’s chilling stuff… a single page will grip the reader with an impact that other writers would use a chapter to pull off.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “Fast-moving, action-packed, violent, and ultimately very satisfying.”

  —Christian Science Monitor

  “This lean, suspenseful tale, peopled with compelling characters, has a drive and signature all its own.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  THE INFANT OF PRAGUE

  “Fascinating… compelling… Devereaux, The November Man, is back, and we’re all a little richer for it.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “The characters are lively; the plot is as rapidly and smoothly paced as it is complex; the humor arrives without warning, and Granger continues to juggle the pieces while producing a unique spy thriller.”

  —Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “Colorful… wonderfully complex… readers will delight in Granger’s deft unraveling of the skeins in this terrific page-turner.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  HENRY McGEE IS NOT DEAD

  “The plot moves smoothly… Granger writes crisply… Devereaux provides a satisfactory ending.”

  —San Antonio Express-News

  THE MAN WHO HEARD TOO MUCH

  “The action is swift and brutal… his sense of characters is powerful. As ever with Granger, the prose is the opposite of the bloodless stuff of techno-thrillers.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Granger’s plots can be as intricate as the best le Carré… Granger is a master of fooling the unwary reader.”

  —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

  “Bill Granger is a rarity among writers of serious novels. Each of his books seems better than before.”

  —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

  LEAGUE OF TERROR

  “Granger writes a very, very good espionage thriller.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  “Granger is a pro, with polished writing skills… [that] spur the reader on.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Snappily paced thriller… Staccato stylist Granger delivers easy-reading entertainment via plot and counterplot.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  THE LAST GOOD GERMAN

  “The Last Good German is the twelfth November Man novel, and may be one of the best… The characters are complex and the plot is an unusual wheels-within-wheels puzzle.”

  —Baltimore Sun

  BURNING THE APOSTLE

  “Granger’s icy Devereaux has entered into the halls of legendary thriller characters… electrifying… the narrative races along, snappily paced with wickedly effective dialogue. Devereaux remains the most believable character in current sp
y fiction.”

  —Tampa Tribune Times

  “With their eerily plausible plots and intriguingly complex protagonist, Granger’s November Man novels rank among the finest examples of espionage fiction.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Don’t miss the other exciting books in the bestselling November Man series

  Code Name November (previously published as The November Man)

  Schism

  The Shattered Eye

  The British Cross

  The Zurich Numbers

  Hemingway’s Notebook

  The November Man (previously published as There Are No Spies)

  The Infant of Prague

  Henry McGee Is Not Dead

  The Man Who Heard Too Much

  League of Terror

  The Last Good German

  Burning the Apostle

  And look for the major motion picture The November Man!

  Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Author’s Note

  Cast of Major Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Note from the Editor

  About the Author

  Also by Bill Granger

  Praise for Bill Granger and the November Man Series

  Don’t Miss the Bestselling November Man Series

  Newsletters

  Copyright

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 1990 by Granger and Granger, Inc.

  Cover design by Elizabeth Connor.

  Cover photo of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin © crazy82/Shutterstock

  Cover photo of woman © Slonov/iStock

  Cover copyright © 2014 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Grand Central Publishing

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  hachettebookgroup.com

  twitter.com/grandcentralpub

  Originally published in hardcover by Warner Books.

  First ebook edition: January 2015

  Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-4555-3025-0

  E3

 

 

 


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