What do you think?
Rate this book
November Man #6
Hemingway's Notebook
Everyone is looking for it on St. Michel in the Caribbean. The president is a lunatic, the "Black Police" have the run of the capital, guerilla forces mass in the hills, an organized crime syndicate plans a coup and U.S. agents battle for a document filled with political secrets, the lost notebook of Ernest Hemingway.Here one of America's toughest spies, the man called November, will need all his courage and cunning if the notebook is to be his.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
7 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Bill Granger
65books40followersaka Joe Gash, Bill Griffith
Bill Granger, was a newspaperman turned novelist whose fiction alternated between international spy thrillers and police procedurals set on the gritty streets of Chicago.
Usually under his own name but sometimes under the pseudonym Joe Gash or Bill Griffiths, Mr. Granger wrote 25 novels, many of which evoked the rougher environs of Chicago and included colorful characters with names like Slim Dingo, Tony Rolls and Jesus X Mohammed.
Mr. Granger’s favorite, and perhaps best-known, book was “Public Murders� (1980), in which the city is in an uproar as a rapist-murderer strikes again and again. Public and political pressure exacts an emotional toll on the tough, foulmouthed detectives investigating the crimes. Public Murders won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1981.
Two years before that, Mr. Granger’s first spy novel, The November Man,caused something of an international stir. It involved a plot to assassinate a relative of Queen Elizabeth by blowing up a boat. Later that year, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the queen’s cousin, was killed on his fishing boat when a bomb set by the Irish Republican Army exploded.
Mr. Granger always thought of himself as more of a reporter than an author. “I can’t think of a day without newspapering in it,� he said in a 2003 interview. In his nearly 40 years in journalism, he had reported for United Press International, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Daily Herald. He covered the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and wrote a series based on interviews with a veteran who had witnessed the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War.
Granger had a stroke in January 2000, and ended his writing career. From 2002 to his death he lived in the Manteno Veterans Home; the immediate cause of death was a heart attack, although he had suffered a series of strokes since the 1990s. He is survived by wife Lori and son Alec.
Read more:
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Bill Granger, was a newspaperman turned novelist whose fiction alternated between international spy thrillers and police procedurals set on the gritty streets of Chicago.
Usually under his own name but sometimes under the pseudonym Joe Gash or Bill Griffiths, Mr. Granger wrote 25 novels, many of which evoked the rougher environs of Chicago and included colorful characters with names like Slim Dingo, Tony Rolls and Jesus X Mohammed.
Mr. Granger’s favorite, and perhaps best-known, book was “Public Murders� (1980), in which the city is in an uproar as a rapist-murderer strikes again and again. Public and political pressure exacts an emotional toll on the tough, foulmouthed detectives investigating the crimes. Public Murders won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1981.
Two years before that, Mr. Granger’s first spy novel, The November Man,caused something of an international stir. It involved a plot to assassinate a relative of Queen Elizabeth by blowing up a boat. Later that year, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the queen’s cousin, was killed on his fishing boat when a bomb set by the Irish Republican Army exploded.
Mr. Granger always thought of himself as more of a reporter than an author. “I can’t think of a day without newspapering in it,� he said in a 2003 interview. In his nearly 40 years in journalism, he had reported for United Press International, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Daily Herald. He covered the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and wrote a series based on interviews with a veteran who had witnessed the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War.
Granger had a stroke in January 2000, and ended his writing career. From 2002 to his death he lived in the Manteno Veterans Home; the immediate cause of death was a heart attack, although he had suffered a series of strokes since the 1990s. He is survived by wife Lori and son Alec.
Read more:
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 27, 2013
Bill Granger wrote thirteen Deveraoux novels between 1979 and 1993. Like many long running serials some installments are better than others. There is no rhyme or reason to which ones will be better than others. Sometimes the first installments are the best and they decline in quality as the novelist begins to churn the books out - his or her's main interest being just the paycheck. In other series the last novels are stronger and sometimes the middle ones.
In the case of the Deveraoux books I personally believe the books started off strong and declined as the years went by.
For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Granger's creation Deveraoux is codenamed the November Man,an agent for the United States government.
Deveraoux whose first name is never revealed, works for R Section of the CIA Under a man named Hanley, referred to as an "asshole" by Deveraoux. Deveraoux is often sent into situations that other agencies are (both foreign and domestic) involved in and are busy screwing up.
Often Deveraoux is on his own with very little support and even less of a budget. He has to rely on his wits, intelligence and a keen grasp of strategy. Though sometimes the villains get the drop on him they don't kill him. Another common thing is that Deveraoux will get the other side weeks even months later. He is a patient and methodical individual who does not try to out gun or out-muscle the other side. Though there are aspects of Ian Fleming and David Morrell there is also a very strong flavor of John le Carré. However this is not a novel of great depth or complexity so the le Carré flavor is very surface. All style and not a lot of substance.
The plot of Hemingway's Notebook is fairly simple. Hemingway kept a notebook detailing the various doings of the CIA during the Cuban revolution. The notebook is believed to be hidden on the (fictional) Caribbean island of St. Michel and is ruled by an old enemy of Deveraoux's. Deveraoux is forced to help his enemy find the notebook. A notebook that many others also want to get hold of.
After that there follows a series of crosses and double-crosses, close calls, tragedies and near tragedies. There is also a nod to Hemingway and the older style of spy novels written in the sixties. Appropriate considering the title.
It's a fast read and I'm not giving anything away when I tell you that Deveraoux emerges victorious (more or less). Since seven more books follow this installment I feel sure that nobody reading this review can feel cheated by my revelation. Serial novels like this are akin to a television series. For the most part you know that most of the main characters will make it. The fun is seeing how they will make it through their latest adventure.
A fast and easy read. Like other novels that I have reviewed here this is a vacation novel. This most recent Thanksgiving we went to the Oregon coast. Even though I was finishing up Tai-Pan at the time I still blasted through this book in about two days. And that was with all the socializing, shopping and eating (as well as finishing up Mr. Clavell's epic). A fast read and ,appropriately, I read it at the beach. Though in late November ,on the Oregon Coast, you're going to want to read inside.
In the case of the Deveraoux books I personally believe the books started off strong and declined as the years went by.
For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Granger's creation Deveraoux is codenamed the November Man,an agent for the United States government.
Deveraoux whose first name is never revealed, works for R Section of the CIA Under a man named Hanley, referred to as an "asshole" by Deveraoux. Deveraoux is often sent into situations that other agencies are (both foreign and domestic) involved in and are busy screwing up.
Often Deveraoux is on his own with very little support and even less of a budget. He has to rely on his wits, intelligence and a keen grasp of strategy. Though sometimes the villains get the drop on him they don't kill him. Another common thing is that Deveraoux will get the other side weeks even months later. He is a patient and methodical individual who does not try to out gun or out-muscle the other side. Though there are aspects of Ian Fleming and David Morrell there is also a very strong flavor of John le Carré. However this is not a novel of great depth or complexity so the le Carré flavor is very surface. All style and not a lot of substance.
The plot of Hemingway's Notebook is fairly simple. Hemingway kept a notebook detailing the various doings of the CIA during the Cuban revolution. The notebook is believed to be hidden on the (fictional) Caribbean island of St. Michel and is ruled by an old enemy of Deveraoux's. Deveraoux is forced to help his enemy find the notebook. A notebook that many others also want to get hold of.
After that there follows a series of crosses and double-crosses, close calls, tragedies and near tragedies. There is also a nod to Hemingway and the older style of spy novels written in the sixties. Appropriate considering the title.
It's a fast read and I'm not giving anything away when I tell you that Deveraoux emerges victorious (more or less). Since seven more books follow this installment I feel sure that nobody reading this review can feel cheated by my revelation. Serial novels like this are akin to a television series. For the most part you know that most of the main characters will make it. The fun is seeing how they will make it through their latest adventure.
A fast and easy read. Like other novels that I have reviewed here this is a vacation novel. This most recent Thanksgiving we went to the Oregon coast. Even though I was finishing up Tai-Pan at the time I still blasted through this book in about two days. And that was with all the socializing, shopping and eating (as well as finishing up Mr. Clavell's epic). A fast read and ,appropriately, I read it at the beach. Though in late November ,on the Oregon Coast, you're going to want to read inside.
June 12, 2015
This story began dark and strange, plus I had no idea where it was going for about the first five chapters. But I toughed it out and was pleasantly rewarded with one of my best reads in ages! It's a blend of historical facts with future fictional events which include Bay of Pigs, Hemingway, an author who writes historical fiction, and, of course, Deveraux with his R Section, the CIA, and a whole slew of characters woven into a very enjoyable tale.
December 9, 2013
Ok, I'm a huge Hemingway fan, so when I saw this at a thrift shop for a quarter, I snagged it. Well, when I got over throwing it across the room because it wasn't remotely about Hemingway, I realized it was actually NOT a bad spy story after all. Rather James Bond-ish in style, except that the hero is definitely NOT a Bond wannabe, he's a tough, not really pretty, badass who's a Vietnam vet. "Hemingway" in this book, was a nom de plume of another agent who wrote a secret CIA manual about terrorists. The November Man is on the hunt to reclaim the stolen book & return it to the CIA or destroy it before those secrets get out. Typical of spy stories, there's a ton of plot twists, blowing shit up, yada yada. If you like spy stories, give it a shot. If you are expecting to be about Papa Hemingway, as I was, you're gonna be disappointed, like I was, & then read it anyway. At least it's entertaining.
December 27, 2021
Hemingway's Notebook 📓, was an interesting read.
It seems that Ernest Hemingway was a busy author.
It appears he wrote a novel about the fiasco surrounding the Bay of Pigs 🐖.
In this novel, he names names, implicates us agencies, and forms friendships with the enemy.
The enemy being Russia 🇷🇺 & China 🇨🇳.
Keep in mind this was written 25 years ago.
Today this novel is in the hands of a man, that spent time with Hemingway; when he was in Havana Cuba 🇨🇺 with Castro.
That man is Harry Francis, who now lives on the island 🏝 of St Michel in the carribean.
Not only does he live there, but he's an retired agent as well.
A retired agent who has a book 📖 that alot of people want. From the CIA to Colonel Ready.
The story takes place on this island 🏝, and all hell breaks out.
Devereux, Rita McMacklin, and a host of other characters is where this party is getting started.
It's every man for himself, because there can be only one.
The one that holds Hemingway's Notebook 📓 will be the ultimate winner.
So let the games begin.
Its all action & chaos, murder & mayhem.
You won't be disappointed. It will definitely keeper one entertained.
Happy Reading 📚!!!!
侱💋
Ps. I can't wait to dive into the next novel. The Shattered Eye 👁
It seems that Ernest Hemingway was a busy author.
It appears he wrote a novel about the fiasco surrounding the Bay of Pigs 🐖.
In this novel, he names names, implicates us agencies, and forms friendships with the enemy.
The enemy being Russia 🇷🇺 & China 🇨🇳.
Keep in mind this was written 25 years ago.
Today this novel is in the hands of a man, that spent time with Hemingway; when he was in Havana Cuba 🇨🇺 with Castro.
That man is Harry Francis, who now lives on the island 🏝 of St Michel in the carribean.
Not only does he live there, but he's an retired agent as well.
A retired agent who has a book 📖 that alot of people want. From the CIA to Colonel Ready.
The story takes place on this island 🏝, and all hell breaks out.
Devereux, Rita McMacklin, and a host of other characters is where this party is getting started.
It's every man for himself, because there can be only one.
The one that holds Hemingway's Notebook 📓 will be the ultimate winner.
So let the games begin.
Its all action & chaos, murder & mayhem.
You won't be disappointed. It will definitely keeper one entertained.
Happy Reading 📚!!!!
侱💋
Ps. I can't wait to dive into the next novel. The Shattered Eye 👁
March 5, 2020
Yet another fantastic entry in the November Man series! If you like Cold War espionage tales, this series is not to be missed. This time Deveraux is minding his own business and loving Rita when a figure from his past catches them in Lausanne. A dirty job awaits November in St Michel. It's an assignment Deveraux cannot turn down lest Rita pay the ultimate price.
The more I read in this series, the more I like it. The only dud to this point is book 3, The Shattered Eye. Books 4, 5, and 6(this one) have been dynamite. Bill Granger at this point in his career was approaching John Le'Carre quality in his writing. It's dirty and gritty and cynicism abounds.
You could jump into the series with this book but I would urge you to start at the beginning. There are details that carry over from one book to the other. I'm going to read something else now but book 7, There Are No Spies, will be next. Really, I can't say enough good things about November Man.
The more I read in this series, the more I like it. The only dud to this point is book 3, The Shattered Eye. Books 4, 5, and 6(this one) have been dynamite. Bill Granger at this point in his career was approaching John Le'Carre quality in his writing. It's dirty and gritty and cynicism abounds.
You could jump into the series with this book but I would urge you to start at the beginning. There are details that carry over from one book to the other. I'm going to read something else now but book 7, There Are No Spies, will be next. Really, I can't say enough good things about November Man.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.