Lord of the Swallows by Gérard de Villiers

First published in France in 2011; published in translation by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard on February 9, 2016.

If Ian Fleming wrote porn novels, Lord of the Swallows would be the result. The title, in fact, might be taken to have a double meaning.

Lord of the Swallows is one of a series of French spy novels starring Malko Linge. The author, Gérard de Villiers, died in 2013.

When Malko Linge isn’t having his way with women, the Austrian prince works as a CIA agent. While attending a fund-raising gala in Monte Carlo with his lovely fiancé Alexandra, Malko meets the flirtatious but less attractive Zhana Khrenkov, the wife of Alexei Khrenkov, a corrupt Moscow millionaire.

Zhana is jealous because Alexei is having an affair with a beautiful dentist. Malko’s fiancé is jealous (or at least annoyed) because Malko seems to be interested in both the dentist and Zhana. Zhana doesn’t quite meet his standards but Malko is willing to lower his standards for the sake of … national security? Ah, the sacrifices one must make for duty.

International intrigue erupts when Alexei’s wife and mistress are independently observed in the company of Malko, to the dismay of the Russian spymaster who trusts Alexei to run a secret network of agents. Fearing Alexei might be compromised, the spymaster takes drastic steps, forcing Malko to respond. The novel follows Malko's various responses, both in and out of bed (or elevators or other convenient locations to enjoy a sexual encounter).

The plot and characters are shallow but the story moves quickly and has some mild entertainment value, apart from its prurient interest. Readers with an aversion to graphic sexual scenes that might be considered misogynistic should probably avoid this book. If you don’t mind a little rough sex mixed in your spy story, however, Lord of the Swallows has some fun moments, although it doesn't compare to better examples of the spy genre.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS