To say that "Above Suspicion," by Helen MacInnes, is an excellent first novel is not enough. It is a great deal more than that. It tells an exciting story with the technical smoothness of an accomplished writer; it creates a mood of suspense which carries through to the end of the volume, and it possesses what is rare in a book of this sort, a subtle note of humor which contributes to the distinction of the job….

The plot gets increasingly feverish at the end and a little incredible but it makes good reading. But convincing and real as the morning sun is the feeling Miss MacInnes has for the Germany and the Austria of pre-war days. She writes of people and places with a nostalgic knowledge and tenderness. Against the rhythmic tread of boots, of military marchers and salutes, she limns the twisted lives of simple men...