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Shadow Trade
Guyer, a former intelligence officer dismissed by the Central Intelligence Agency, sets up his own business in clandestine operations and becomes caught up in the intrigue, ruthless politics, duplicity, and power games of private intelligence companies
280 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1984
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About the author
Alan Furst
40 books1,505 followersAlan Furst is widely recognized as the current master of the historical spy novel. Born in New York, he has lived for long periods in France, especially Paris. He now lives on Long Island.
Night Soldiers novels
* Night Soldiers (1988)
* Dark Star (1991)
* The Polish Officer (1995)
* The World at Night (1996)
* Red Gold (1999)
* Kingdom of Shadows (2000)
* Blood of Victory (2003)
* Dark Voyage (2004)
* The Foreign Correspondent (2006)
* The Spies of Warsaw (2008)
* Spies of the Balkans (2010)
* Mission to Paris (2012)
* Midnight in Europe (2013)
* Under Occupation (2019)
Stand-alone novels
* Your day in the barrel (1976)
* The Paris drop (1980)
* The Caribbean Account (1981)
* Shadow Trade (1983)
For more information, see Wikipedia.
Night Soldiers novels
* Night Soldiers (1988)
* Dark Star (1991)
* The Polish Officer (1995)
* The World at Night (1996)
* Red Gold (1999)
* Kingdom of Shadows (2000)
* Blood of Victory (2003)
* Dark Voyage (2004)
* The Foreign Correspondent (2006)
* The Spies of Warsaw (2008)
* Spies of the Balkans (2010)
* Mission to Paris (2012)
* Midnight in Europe (2013)
* Under Occupation (2019)
Stand-alone novels
* Your day in the barrel (1976)
* The Paris drop (1980)
* The Caribbean Account (1981)
* Shadow Trade (1983)
For more information, see Wikipedia.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 9, 2021
Furst's early novel lacks the charm of his most famous books, but it provides an icily elegant look at industrial espionage.
August 13, 2016
This was Furst's 4th book, and one he said was "low list." But you can see the brilliance coming into his writing, particularly his attention to his characters. Gruyer is a precursor of the character of Mathieu in Furst's most recent book, A Hero of France, and the twists of plot will be refined in his book, Night Soldiers, which appeared after Shadow Trade. The story is a good one, and a fan of Furst will enjoy experiencing an early taste of his talent for weaving together complex plots and characters.
January 9, 2021
Industrial espionage can be as dangerous as politically-driven espionage, and this elegantly bleak novel proves it. Furst's early book doesn't have the charm of the ones about the coming of World War II, but it provides a look at a part of espionage that hasn't attracted a lot of writers.
August 12, 2014
Ex-CIA agents, let go by the agency vie with each other to find a new life. Set in NYC in 1977. Furst wrote this before his Night Soldiers series, and those books are better written and the plots more engaging.
September 5, 2008
The book had a good plot but the writing was a little choppy. It was easy to put down and read later.
June 27, 2017
It needed a little bit more attention than my vacation mind was able to give it. Nice ending, though.
December 5, 2017
Three stars is perhaps a bit unfair, although four seemed too generous. This is Furst's fourth novel, first not in the Roger Levin series and last before Night Soldiers. It's set in "present-day" (1983) New York but the twists and turns of espionage are definitely a foreshadowing of his latter work. I would definitely recommend this novel to those who enjoy the Night Series series. The mood is less mysterious here, the luxuriating in various things Furst enjoys is, thankfully, more understated. The plot itself is a bit preposterous, but fun nevertheless.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews