Secret Agent

This is a classic novel based on actual events, the attempt to blow up the Greenwich Observatory in 1894. The story revolves around a beautiful, young wife, her simple-minded brother, and her devoted but tortured husband, and is a mixture of love story, espionage, and mystery that continues to entertain many years after its original publication date. The main character, Mr. Verloc, owns a store that sells pornography... and along with his wife and her brother, they present the reader with what might be described as a dysfunctional family. If you're looking for a happy ending, you won't find it in this book, but suffice it to say that everyone involved winds up getting what they deserved.