And Is There Honey Still for Tea?
Believing that the defections of the Cambridge Spies during the Cold War are over, the British government now faces another possible scandal. This time it is initiated by American academic Francis Hollander, who has published an article accusing Sir James Digby, QC, of being a Soviet spy. In an attempt to salvage his reputation, Digby turns to Bernard Wesley and Ben Schroeder to sue Hollander for libel. But when they learn that MI6 agents and the Secretary of State for Home Department are intervening to prevent the suit from going to trial, then everyone’s suspicions, including that of the defendant and his legal team, are aroused. The search for the truth begins.
And Is There Honey Still for Tea?, the third book in the Ben Schroeder series, places fictitious characters alongside the stories and defections of actual Cambridge spies and historical events of the Cold War. The plot goes back and forth from 1965, when the accusations against Digby are made and the lawsuit is initiated, to a memoir-style first-person narrative, where Digby writes about his life, until both plotlines come together later on in the novel. The present-day plotline focuses on the personal and professional lives of the various law personnel, including the prejudices of the times as well as the detailed account of the investigation from both the prosecuting and defense perspectives. The memoir-style plotline focuses on the social, political, and familial background of Digby and held my interest from the very beginning.
And Is There Honey Still for Tea? provides fascinating insight into the factors contributing to the making of a spy during WWII and the Cold War and the use of chess as the means of relaying and receiving intelligence.
