An Expensive Place to Die
Encyclopedia
An Expensive Place to Die is a 1967 novel by Len Deighton
. It is set initially in Paris
and takes its title from an Oscar Wilde
quotation about the said city. ("Paris is a very expensive place to die.") The action concerns the shady dealing and possible expensive pimping of one Monsieur Datt against a background of espionage
.
The unnamed narrator, a British agent, is told to leak to the Chinese
information about the effectiveness of nuclear weapon
s, in order to bolster their deterrent effect. M Datt, posing as a psychologist
, believes he is working for the Chinese by accumulating compromising film of the sexual activities of various influential people. However in fact the Chinese have no interest in these films. The narrator does a deal with the French security services to bring together the Chinese agent Kuang with the American nuclear scientist Hudson in a farmhouse in northern France, so that the information can be communicated. He then escorts Kuang to a pirate radio station ship moored in international waters
off Ostend
and returns to the harbour, where Datt is shot while trying to flee by a Belgian paratrooper
. A sub-plot concerns Datt's illegitimate daughter Maria, who had been married to the French policeman Loiseau and had also fallen for the narrator. She protects the narrator when he is given a truth drug
by Datt, and then drives an ambulance
containing the films to Ostend. Despite having caused her father Datt's death, at the narrator's suggestion she is let go.
Len Deighton
Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British military historian, cookery writer, and novelist. He is perhaps most famous for his spy novel The IPCRESS File, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine....
. It is set initially in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and takes its title from an Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
quotation about the said city. ("Paris is a very expensive place to die.") The action concerns the shady dealing and possible expensive pimping of one Monsieur Datt against a background of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
The unnamed narrator, a British agent, is told to leak to the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
information about the effectiveness of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, in order to bolster their deterrent effect. M Datt, posing as a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, believes he is working for the Chinese by accumulating compromising film of the sexual activities of various influential people. However in fact the Chinese have no interest in these films. The narrator does a deal with the French security services to bring together the Chinese agent Kuang with the American nuclear scientist Hudson in a farmhouse in northern France, so that the information can be communicated. He then escorts Kuang to a pirate radio station ship moored in international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
off Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
and returns to the harbour, where Datt is shot while trying to flee by a Belgian paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
. A sub-plot concerns Datt's illegitimate daughter Maria, who had been married to the French policeman Loiseau and had also fallen for the narrator. She protects the narrator when he is given a truth drug
Truth drug
A truth drug or truth serum is a psychoactive medication used to obtain information from subjects who are unable or unwilling to provide it otherwise. The unethical use of truth drugs is classified as a form of torture according to international law. However, they are properly and productively...
by Datt, and then drives an ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
containing the films to Ostend. Despite having caused her father Datt's death, at the narrator's suggestion she is let go.