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Simon Schuster Ltd No. 2 Whitehall Court.
No. 2 Whitehall Court ABISBOOK Simon Schuster Ltd.
Hardcover
43 people want to read
About the author
Alan Judd
34 books63 followersAlan Judd is a pseudonym used by Alan Edwin Petty.
Born in 1946, he graduated from Oxford University and served as a British Army officer in Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles', before later joining the Foreign Office; he currently works as a security analyst. He regularly contributes articles to a number of publications, including The Daily Telegraph, and The Spectator as its motoring correspondent. His books include both fiction and non-fiction titles, with his novels often drawing on his military background.
He lives in Sussex with his wife and daughter.
Born in 1946, he graduated from Oxford University and served as a British Army officer in Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles', before later joining the Foreign Office; he currently works as a security analyst. He regularly contributes articles to a number of publications, including The Daily Telegraph, and The Spectator as its motoring correspondent. His books include both fiction and non-fiction titles, with his novels often drawing on his military background.
He lives in Sussex with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 15, 2025
Spy novel set in World War One from the perspective of a young woman who’s just entering the world of intelligence. Pacing was good and the story was interesting, but I didn’t actually feel much of a bond with the narrator. This is really a 3.75/5
February 16, 2026
No. 2 Whitehall Court caught me a little off guard, in the best possible way. Spy thrillers are not usually my favourite, but this one gently won me over with its quieter intelligence, its historical texture, and its unexpectedly compelling central character.
Emily Grey is not your archetypal spy. She is a young woman with language skills, academic leanings, and an inner life that actually matters. I loved that she doesn’t stride into espionage fully formed and fearless. She hesitates. She doubts. She observes. And yet, that very unsuitability for “spycraft” becomes her strength. There is something deeply satisfying about watching competence grow in someone who doesn’t fit the mould. It makes the tension feel earned rather than performative.
The First World War setting is richly done. The bureaucratic murk of early intelligence work, the sense of a state improvising its secret machinery in real time, the atmosphere of suspicion and quiet dread. It all feels grounded in history rather than dressed-up theatrics. Judd is clearly at home in this world, and it shows in the texture of the novel: the corridors of Whitehall, the naval base at Rosyth, the slow, methodical unfurling of a plot that feels plausible rather than bombastic.
Yes, I did work out the identity of the mole earlier than the book perhaps intends. But oddly, that didn’t diminish my enjoyment. This isn’t a twisty, pyrotechnic thriller so much as a study in how people notice, how institutions fail to notice, and how long it takes for private suspicion to harden into action. The tension lies less in the “who” and more in the “will she be believed” and “will she act in time.”
What I appreciated most is the interiority. Emily’s private reflections, her emotional tether to a Germany that has suddenly become enemy territory, her unease at the moral greys of intelligence work. The novel allows her to be thoughtful, conflicted, quietly brave. It is refreshing to read a woman in a historical spy novel who is written as a full human being rather than a novelty.
This is not a breathless, adrenaline-fuelled ride. It is more measured, more atmospheric, more interested in psychology than spectacle. And for me, that was exactly why it worked.
4 out of 5.
A thoughtful, well-written First World War spy novel with a quietly compelling female lead, strong historical grounding, and a plot that rewards attention more than speed.
Emily Grey is not your archetypal spy. She is a young woman with language skills, academic leanings, and an inner life that actually matters. I loved that she doesn’t stride into espionage fully formed and fearless. She hesitates. She doubts. She observes. And yet, that very unsuitability for “spycraft” becomes her strength. There is something deeply satisfying about watching competence grow in someone who doesn’t fit the mould. It makes the tension feel earned rather than performative.
The First World War setting is richly done. The bureaucratic murk of early intelligence work, the sense of a state improvising its secret machinery in real time, the atmosphere of suspicion and quiet dread. It all feels grounded in history rather than dressed-up theatrics. Judd is clearly at home in this world, and it shows in the texture of the novel: the corridors of Whitehall, the naval base at Rosyth, the slow, methodical unfurling of a plot that feels plausible rather than bombastic.
Yes, I did work out the identity of the mole earlier than the book perhaps intends. But oddly, that didn’t diminish my enjoyment. This isn’t a twisty, pyrotechnic thriller so much as a study in how people notice, how institutions fail to notice, and how long it takes for private suspicion to harden into action. The tension lies less in the “who” and more in the “will she be believed” and “will she act in time.”
What I appreciated most is the interiority. Emily’s private reflections, her emotional tether to a Germany that has suddenly become enemy territory, her unease at the moral greys of intelligence work. The novel allows her to be thoughtful, conflicted, quietly brave. It is refreshing to read a woman in a historical spy novel who is written as a full human being rather than a novelty.
This is not a breathless, adrenaline-fuelled ride. It is more measured, more atmospheric, more interested in psychology than spectacle. And for me, that was exactly why it worked.
4 out of 5.
A thoughtful, well-written First World War spy novel with a quietly compelling female lead, strong historical grounding, and a plot that rewards attention more than speed.
March 30, 2026
Nigel Nisbet made me chuckle. He seemed to be so dramatic and very anxious.
I quite enjoyed how clipped the conversations were. I felt like I could hear this busy, straight to the point, yet polite way of speaking in my head.
Sort of reminded me of Transcription by Kate Atkinson.
I enjoyed my time with it, but didn't take a lot to heart. It was one of those stories that was okay whilst you were in the heart of, but not something super impactful that I'll think of time and time again.
The last third was a bit rapid and not super fleshed out on detail. It just felt suddenly over.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy!
I quite enjoyed how clipped the conversations were. I felt like I could hear this busy, straight to the point, yet polite way of speaking in my head.
Sort of reminded me of Transcription by Kate Atkinson.
I enjoyed my time with it, but didn't take a lot to heart. It was one of those stories that was okay whilst you were in the heart of, but not something super impactful that I'll think of time and time again.
The last third was a bit rapid and not super fleshed out on detail. It just felt suddenly over.
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy!
July 7, 2025
It was an enjoyable read. The only part that was a bit frustrating was that it became incredibly obvious who the spy was at one point, and it seemed strange to me that the lead character took so long to notice! There were also more typos than I usually see in professionally published books, an issue I was surprised to see in something published by Simon & Schuster. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book.
November 23, 2025
This book was ok - nice to have a female main character in what felt like a boy's own spy story.
But the typos were dreadful - there were so many of them that it seemed as if nobody had proof read it. How can that happen with a major publisher?
But the typos were dreadful - there were so many of them that it seemed as if nobody had proof read it. How can that happen with a major publisher?
August 13, 2025
A boy's own adventure featuring a female protagonist. Perfectly readable, although you won't have any problem guessing the baddie.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews