[In Traitor's Purse (1941), Campion] wakes in a hospital bed, having forgotten not only what he is doing, but even who he is. Thus, he has literally to find himself, as well as the true nature of the threat to the nation's stability. His amnesia shapes the action, giving it an odd, unnerving, even at times a painful extra dimension. The mystery of Bridge interlocks with the mystery of his own life and personality, and as he pieces together both the plan to destroy Britain and an image of his habitual self, he is continually aware of 'his conscious needy present' and 'the secret forgotten part of himself.'

We are reminded constantly of Campion's double burden—the enormous weight of responsibility on him and the fog of numbing ignorance that shrouds his brain. The imagery of Campion's amnesia is threaded through the narrative, forcing us to experience continually...