The Predicament by William Boyd

William Boyd introduced travel writer and accidental spy Gabriel Dax in his 2023 novel Gabriel’s Moon. That book, set in the early 1960s, told of Gabriel’s involvement in events in the Congo but also of his recruitment into MI6 to help root out double agents by a woman called Faith Green, a woman who he also becomes hopelessly infatuated with.

The Predicament opens not long after the events of Gabriel’s Moon. Dax is living on Russian money as he has been employed by the Russians particularly following a high profile defection (all of which is an MI6 ruse). Despite his better judgement, Dax agrees to do another job for MI6. This involves traveling to Guatemala to interview the head of the opposition party that is set to win an upcoming democratic election but is in hiding until then. This is the Guatemala of the 1960s, which was run by the military at the behest of the American Fruit Company whose power was propped up by the CIA. So suffice to say Gabriel’s visit was not going to end well. It also puts him in the cross hairs of some other dangerous forces.

Gabriel Dax is a fascinating creation and Boyd makes sure that he has a full and complicated life. When the book opens Dax is trying to finish his next travel book called Rivers, he is still obsessed with Faith Green who is keeping him at arms length, but also reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Lorrain, he is being sued for plagiarism by another travel writer and continues to work with his therapist who had helped in his previous book to make a breakthrough in his understanding of his past. But Dax is also keen to become a better spy and in this book receives some self defence training and training on how to lose a tail, both of which come in handy.

Boyd has written for James Bond and he does bring some of that Bondian vibe to Dax’s more amateur efforts. He travels to interesting locations – Guatemala, New York and Berlin in this book – doesn’t mind a drink and seems to do fairly well with women. This story in particular builds to a sequence to allows Dax to put his espionage skills into action in a satisfying (if somewhat predictable given the subject) way. Boyd also gives a great feel not only to the character but to the time and place in which he lives. As with the previous book, Boyd draws on some very real world history and just puts Dax in the middle of it.

The Predicament is the second book of a planned trilogy involving Dax. And Boyd leaves some very obvious and intriguing threads dangling to be picked up in the next book in this series.

The Predicament by William Boyd

8

8.0/10