Legends is Littell's 14th novel and a follow up to his highly praised The Company. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award for his first novel The Defection of A.J. Lewinter (Houghton Mifflin, 1973)
Every once in a while I go through a thriller / CIA operative phase. I was aware of the TV show (thanks to Netflix) but thought the book might be a little more substantive (one can hope).
So onto the reading pile it goes.
Synopsis: Martin Odum is a one-time CIA field agent turned private detective in Brooklyn, struggling his way through a labyrinth of memories and past identities- “legends” in Agency parlance. But who is Martin Odum? Is he a creation of the Legend Committee at the CIA’s Langley headquarters? Is he suffering from multiple personality disorder, brainwashing, or simply exhaustion?
Legends by Robert Littell (Overlook Press, April 21, 2005)
Orig. price: $25.95
Print run: unknown
Value: $10-$20 unsigned; $35-$50 signed.
Awards / Praise:
- Winner of the 2005 Los Angeles Book Prize (Mystery)
- Publishers Weekly starred review