DEVEREAUX

Full Name:	Devereaux
Codename:	The November Man
Nationality:	American
Organization:	CIA
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Bill Granger
Time Span:	1979 - 2014

ABOUT THE SERIES

Deveraux, codename the November Man, is an agent for the CIA.

This highly experience agent whose first name is never revealed, works for R Section of the CIA Under a man named Hanley, referred to as an "asshole" by Deveraux in the second page of the first book and expanded upon throughout the series.

He is extremely good at his job, which makes him valuable, but he doesn't suffer well the fools and incompetents above him, which makes him undesirable. It makes the series delicious. Also making the series something to read are two recurring characters.

The first is Rita, the reporter that Deveraux meets, fights with, falls in love with, leaves, reunites, and everything in between. She is beautiful, gutsy, individualistic, and worth Deveraux coming home to, even if some times he doesn't know it.

The other is Henry McGee, one of the greatest villians ever created for a spy series. First off, that may or may not be who he is. Did he kill the real McGee or just make it look like he did. Secondly, just as Bond had his Blofeld, a criminal mastermind with a large organization behind him, Deveraux has McGee. No organization and no criminal mastermind, he is nevertheless a genius when it comes to causing trouble and when you know he's looking to hurt someone you love, you start sweating. Like all good archnemesies, he is not in all the books or even in most of them but when he is around, he is scary.

Which makes the character of Deveraux so much the better. He has a hard time stopping McGee but that just shows he is human (and written that way, too) but he stays the course and has the decency to want revenge on the man.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	13
First Appearance:	1979
Last Appearance:	1993


1			The November Man Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1979 Deveraux is sent to Scotland to see if the "devastating" news a second-string operative has uncovered is legit. Boy, is it!

2			Schism Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1981 Missing for 20 years in the jungles of Cambodia, Father Leo Tunney returns barely alive with a tale that could change the world, if anyone believed him.

3			The Shattered Eye Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1982 Now an ex-CIA agent, Deveraux is forced back into service when 3 agents in Europe turn up dead and all indications are they are but the first of many.

4			The British Cross Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1983 When a man thought dead for 3 decades appears to be alive and held in a Soviet gulag, intelligence agencies around the world fight to see who can get him first.

5			The Zurich Numbers Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1984 A large number of immigrants are really moles under the control of a mad intent on starting the next world war and killing Deveraux and his lady is his first step.

6			Hemingway's Notebook Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1986 The Caribbean island of St. Michel is ruled by a madmad who holds the secret to a notebook well worth killing for. Deveraux must retrieve it at any cost.

7			There Are No Spies Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1986 With his boss, Hanley, in an asylum and a beautiful KGB agent out to kill him, Deveraux must battle an imposter to save himself and the agency he truly despises.

8			The Infant Of Prague Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1987 The secret to helping a Czech official defect lies in a religious artifact in a church in Chicago that seems to be crying real tears.

9			Henry McGee Is Not Dead Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1988 Everyone, it seems, wants Henry McGee dead and Deveraux will soon join the group. McGee, however, is a bit too mean to stay dead.

10			The Man Who Heard Too Much Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1989 A defection by a Russian sailor takes place at the same time vital tapes go missing from a Swedish conference, putting Deveraux once again against Henry McGee.

11			League Of Terror Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1990 The end to the Cold War should have brought contentment to Deveraux but the menace of terrorism is rising and McGee is behind the plot to kill Deveraux and his lady.

12			The Last Good German Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1991 An old enemy from East Germany returns to game and Deveraux must determine whether he is a good guy or the one behind the plot to ruin Deveraux's lady's reputation.

13			Burning The Apostle Written by Bill Granger Copyright: 1993 Replacing the Soviet Union's desire for world dominance is a cartel of energy providers who are just as determined to become all-powerful.

MOVIES

Number of Movies:	1
First Appearance:	2014
Last Appearance:	2014

The movie about Devereaux is named The November Man as is the first book in the series but the book on which the plot is based is There Are No Spies.


1			The November Man Director: Roger Donaldson Writers: Michael Finch, Karl Gajdusek, Bill Granger Actors: Pierce Brosnan as Devereaux, Luke Bracey as Mason, Olga Kurylenko as Alice, Bill Smitrovich as Hanley Released: 2014 One of the best CIA operatives of the past is brought out of retirement to take on one of the best of the present, a man he taught, as a plot to kill the president-elect of Russia is revealed.

MY COMMENTS

Perserverance pays off.

When I first tried to read this series, I made it about 8 pages before I put it down, telling myself I'd try later. I can't say why but it must have been important. Months later, I picked it up again to "force" myself to read it. I was lucky I did.

This is a truly terrific series, incredibly well written with very believable characters and plots that are page-turners. How in the world did I miss it the first time?

Be smarter than I was and push to page 9. You'll keep going and be glad you did.

GRADE

My Grade: A

Your Average Grade: A+

YOUR OPINIONS

A+	4/9/2015 7:36:11 PM	Actually, his first name is revealed in the very first book. Right after Devereaux first tells Hanley about "Operation Mirror," and that there must be a mole, Hanley is looking through the files on all of R Section's agents, and eventually looks at Devereaux's file, and it lists his 1st name as "Peter."

A	2018-08-01	Agree it takes a little while to get caught up in the story., but then I was snared and read all of them, very enjoyable, well written characters.

A++	2020-04-24	This series is the complete package. Granger was an absolute master at stringing together a series that spoke to the realities of the world at the time he was writing. His spy was possibly one of the most realistic portrayals ever done. His background as a journalist shows in the writing, much as Fleming''s does in the Bond series (and while others try to ape that style, few of them succeed because they do not have that background.) These are not over the top exercises in excess. They are thoughtful works of literature, written by a man who was operating at the highest level. Highly recommend.

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