Is it possible to have a cozy spy novel? One wouldn’t think so, considering what usually happens in these stories: sneaking around, duplicitous people on both sides, and shadowy strangers who might be a friend or a killer. Yet William Boyd’s “The Predicament,” the continuing saga of the press-ganged spy for MI6, manages it exceptionally well.
Set in the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, the series follows a successful, likable, and somewhat clueless British travel writer named Gabriel Dax. In the first novel, “Gabriel’s Moon,” his quiet literary life gets upended when he becomes irrevocably entangled in MI6 operations.
He’s not entirely an unwilling asset. The money’s good, and he gets to travel more often to locations he wouldn’t normally access for his writing career. But he worries that he’s merely a “useful idiot” to the powers-in-charge and is frequently perplexed by events.
Leap of Faith
His primary handler, Faith Green, is a composed and enigmatic MI6 officer. They’ve had a sexual relationship, and Dax realizes that he’s probably in love with her or, at the very least, obsessed with her. However, Green keeps him at arm’s length, often blurring the boundaries of their professional and personal lives.
She might be leveraging his obsession to get him to do the assignments, or she might have genuine feelings for Dax. Maybe both?
Because Dax helped facilitate the defection of a British double agent to the Soviet Union, he’s now a trusted asset for both sides of the Iron Curtain. The KGB recently started paying him, thus practically turning him into a double agent as well.
Quite a Predicament
In March 1963, Dax has retreated to his new home, Rose Cottage in East Sussex, where he reconnects with Green. She mentions that a CIA agent, a former colleague of theirs, has washed up dead on the beach. Dax knows exactly what happened here (events in “Moon”) but lies to Faith about knowing anything about it.
No matter, she says, then suggests an assignment to Guatemala under journalistic cover, which would also get him on the good side of the CIA. Dax replies he doesn’t understand why that should be a priority for him, but she replies, “I think you do.” And just like that, he’s back in the game.
His job in Guatemala is to interview a man who may be the next elected president of the country: Santiago Angel Lopez. Santiago is an ex-priest who started a trade union that has now become a political party. The party is “stringently left-wing,” and Dax’s façade as a far-leftist sympathizer means he can meet Santiago and learn what kind of man the United States might have to deal with.
Later, Dax is deployed to Berlin to monitor potential threats to President John F. Kennedy during his historic 1963 visit.
Exemplary Series
It should be evident by this point that reading this series in order is a good idea. While the events of “Gabriel’s Moon” aren’t entirely integral for “The Predicament,” a reader’s understanding of Dax and Green will suffer without a complete background.
Despite a traumatic childhood and its lifelong effects, Dax maintains a relaxed, bon vivant attitude toward life, especially in the first book. The spy work he does is viewed as a bit of sport when things are good and an annoyance when they aren’t.
By the end of “Moon,” some of the scales finally fall from his eyes, a trend that continues in “Predicament.” He’s still somewhat of the same innocent, naive lamb, practically strolling into obviously dangerous situations that are largely oblivious to him. However, things tend to work out for him, both personally and professionally, which just adds to the enjoyment.
Why This Guy?
One problem with the series is that you’re never quite sure why he’s so trusted as an asset by MI6. He’s obviously an amateur at the spy game, and he has made choices that you’d think might disqualify him from being part of the system. Yet Green continues to give him access and make him privy to highly classified secrets.
Author Boyd does hint at an explanation for this trust, but never spells it out. It may also be that Dax’s status as a “useful idiot” goes much deeper than we suspect.
Regardless, the issue in no way detracts from the sheer pleasure of experiencing Dax’s spy adventures. In both books, a definitive mission isn’t the main thread of the story, but (like the best tales of espionage) it’s more about the people than the missions. Ian Fleming’s James Bond series was all about characters, even though most people might fixate on the locations, the gadgets, and the action.
Boyd’s “The Predicament,” like “Moon,” is exceptionally well written and an absolute joy to immerse yourself in. It may not be on the same level as Fleming’s or John le Carré’s work, but it doesn’t try to be, almost creating a new subgenre of cozy spy fiction.
In the end, the Gabriel Dax series turns out to be some of the most enjoyable spy fiction being written today.
‘The Predicament: A Gabriel Dax Novel’
By William Boyd
Atlantic Crime: Nov. 4, 2025
Hardcover, 256 pages
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