The Night of Wenceslas
About this book
Young Nicholas Whistler, dissolute and disillusioned, lives a life of dull monotony in London. Caught up in a petty money-lenders dispute, he finds himself sent to Prague to discharge the debt by carrying out a simple assignment. But this business trip will soon drag him deep into the dangerous world of Cold War espionage and the battle for atomic supremacy. Trapped between the secret police and the amorous clutches of the mysterious and statuesque Vlasta, Nicholas must face the fact that now he is a spy, whether he likes it or not. The Night of Wenceslas, Lionel Davidson's debut thriller, was an instant and massive success upon publication in 1960. Its taut prose and masterful plot pushed him to the front ranks of the genre. It was described by the New Yorker as 'so enriched with style, wit, and a sense of serious comedy that it all but transcends its kind' and by Newsweek as 'downright superb.' Awarded the Gold Dagger Award by the Crime Writers' Association, it was subsequently filmed as 'Hot Enough For June' starring Dirk Bogarde.
Reader Profile
3.5/5 · 601 readers · 232 pages · ≈ 4 h 18 m · Moderate
How long does it take to read The Night of Wenceslas?
About ≈ 4 h 18 m — 232 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.
How many pages is The Night of Wenceslas?
232 pages in its most-read edition.
What genre is The Night of Wenceslas?
It sits on the Spy Fiction, Mystery, Fiction shelves.
Has The Night of Wenceslas been made into a movie or TV show?
Yes — screen adaptations include Hot Enough for June (1964).
Is The Night of Wenceslas in the public domain?
No — it is still under copyright.
Who wrote The Night of Wenceslas?
Lionel Davidson (1192–1200).