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The Double Agent #2
The Second Traitor: Double Agent Series, Book 2
The countdown to invasion begins....
It's September 1940, and British intelligence is desperately the Nazi invasion of Britain is imminent.
A sinister organisation called The Group, a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators, is at work trying to support Hitler's plans...
But that is not the only concern for the spy the search for double agent 'Archie'–the Soviet spy and British traitor–is proving fruitless, and now they know there’s a second traitor, Bertie, also in play.
Will they be able to foil the invasion plans without their schemes being leaked to the enemy?
Taking the listener from wartime London to the south coast of England, from Berlin to neutral Ireland and from the German intelligence headquarters in Hamburg to the port of Rotterdam, The Second Traitor is the second novel in Alex Gerlis’s highly acclaimed Double Agent series, a follow-up to Every Spy a Traitor.
It's September 1940, and British intelligence is desperately the Nazi invasion of Britain is imminent.
A sinister organisation called The Group, a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators, is at work trying to support Hitler's plans...
But that is not the only concern for the spy the search for double agent 'Archie'–the Soviet spy and British traitor–is proving fruitless, and now they know there’s a second traitor, Bertie, also in play.
Will they be able to foil the invasion plans without their schemes being leaked to the enemy?
Taking the listener from wartime London to the south coast of England, from Berlin to neutral Ireland and from the German intelligence headquarters in Hamburg to the port of Rotterdam, The Second Traitor is the second novel in Alex Gerlis’s highly acclaimed Double Agent series, a follow-up to Every Spy a Traitor.
Audible Audio
Published August 14, 2025
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About the author
Alex Gerlis
37 books328 followersAlex Gerlis was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, in 1955. He graduated with a degree in Law and Politics from Hull University in 1977 and, after working as a political researcher and journalist, joined the BBC in 1983 as a researcher on Panorama.
Over the next twenty years he worked on a number of BBC News and Current Affairs programmes, including making documentaries for The Money Programme and election programmes with David Dimbleby and Jeremy Paxman. He has also edited Breakfast News, the One o'Clock News, the Six o'Clock News and the Weekend News for the BBC. In August 1998 he was the BBC TV News duty editor on the day of the Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the coverage of which later won a Royal Television Society award. In September 2001 he was one of the BBC Newsroom team covering the attack on the Twin Towers. He has also worked for the BBC throughout Europe, the United States, the Middle East and in China, and from 2005 to March 2011 was Head of Training at the BBC College of Journalism – the body in charge of the training of the corporation's 7,500 journalists.
Alex's first novel was inspired by his work covering the 50th anniversary of D-Day from Normandy. He is married with two daughters and lives in west London.
Over the next twenty years he worked on a number of BBC News and Current Affairs programmes, including making documentaries for The Money Programme and election programmes with David Dimbleby and Jeremy Paxman. He has also edited Breakfast News, the One o'Clock News, the Six o'Clock News and the Weekend News for the BBC. In August 1998 he was the BBC TV News duty editor on the day of the Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the coverage of which later won a Royal Television Society award. In September 2001 he was one of the BBC Newsroom team covering the attack on the Twin Towers. He has also worked for the BBC throughout Europe, the United States, the Middle East and in China, and from 2005 to March 2011 was Head of Training at the BBC College of Journalism – the body in charge of the training of the corporation's 7,500 journalists.
Alex's first novel was inspired by his work covering the 50th anniversary of D-Day from Normandy. He is married with two daughters and lives in west London.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 24, 2025
Alex Gerlis' best series yet is hotting up nicely.
"The Second Traitor" opens in September 1940, some twelve months after the events of the first book in Alex Gerlis' Double Agent series. The search for the traitor in MI6, known as Archie, continues. But news of Hitler's planned invasion of Great Britain is now being taken seriously, and the newly-formed Invasion Warning Sub-Committee is working flat out to uncover the exact date it will take place. Furthermore, the organisation known as The Group – a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators – is working to pave the way for the takeover. However, The Annexe has been shut down, and ironically, Charles Cooper has been recruited to help capture the fifth-columnists.
These and several other threads from the first book all combine to make "The Second Traitor" a complex, but fast-moving story. As usual the author cleverly takes real-life events and people and weaves them into the narrative. Characters we met previously are slowly filling out, and new characters are introduced to add further layers of deception and confusion. The backdrop to "Second Traitor" is the real-life Operation Sea Lion which Hitler formulated having decided Britain offered a bigger threat than the Soviet Union. The story nicely questions just how taken with this plan Hitler's commanders were, while other intriguing subplots include the methods employed by the Nazis to embed spies throughout England and the IRA's plans to assist with the invasion in order to hasten the reunification of Ireland.
The story also takes a big leap forward, as MI6 begins to suspect the existence of a second traitor, Bertie. This promises more intrigue and deception in book three.
This four-book series clearly expects the reader to be invested in the long term - you can't read this book without having read the first one. Plots and subplots are still being laid; characters and motives are still being teased (and there's a large cast of characters to keep track of) and flashbacks, while offering insights into how current events came to be, invite further speculation into the identity of Archie. Clearly some characters will come and go quickly across the books, but others will span the series, as their lives as double, even triple, agents become more dangerous and complex.
Fans of Alex Gerlis' books are going to be equally fascinated and frustrated by "The Second Traitor" but either way will be further drawn in to this complex and engaging book. Highly recommended.
"The Second Traitor" opens in September 1940, some twelve months after the events of the first book in Alex Gerlis' Double Agent series. The search for the traitor in MI6, known as Archie, continues. But news of Hitler's planned invasion of Great Britain is now being taken seriously, and the newly-formed Invasion Warning Sub-Committee is working flat out to uncover the exact date it will take place. Furthermore, the organisation known as The Group – a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators – is working to pave the way for the takeover. However, The Annexe has been shut down, and ironically, Charles Cooper has been recruited to help capture the fifth-columnists.
These and several other threads from the first book all combine to make "The Second Traitor" a complex, but fast-moving story. As usual the author cleverly takes real-life events and people and weaves them into the narrative. Characters we met previously are slowly filling out, and new characters are introduced to add further layers of deception and confusion. The backdrop to "Second Traitor" is the real-life Operation Sea Lion which Hitler formulated having decided Britain offered a bigger threat than the Soviet Union. The story nicely questions just how taken with this plan Hitler's commanders were, while other intriguing subplots include the methods employed by the Nazis to embed spies throughout England and the IRA's plans to assist with the invasion in order to hasten the reunification of Ireland.
The story also takes a big leap forward, as MI6 begins to suspect the existence of a second traitor, Bertie. This promises more intrigue and deception in book three.
This four-book series clearly expects the reader to be invested in the long term - you can't read this book without having read the first one. Plots and subplots are still being laid; characters and motives are still being teased (and there's a large cast of characters to keep track of) and flashbacks, while offering insights into how current events came to be, invite further speculation into the identity of Archie. Clearly some characters will come and go quickly across the books, but others will span the series, as their lives as double, even triple, agents become more dangerous and complex.
Fans of Alex Gerlis' books are going to be equally fascinated and frustrated by "The Second Traitor" but either way will be further drawn in to this complex and engaging book. Highly recommended.
August 5, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for this advance copy in return for my honest review.
This book is supposedly the second in the "Double Agent" Series, the first of which I admittedly haven't read. I assume that the reader is introduced to "Archie", the Russian mole in MI6 in this first installment, as there seems to be a mole hunt already underway when we are immediately thrust into an interrogation involving a German spy and The newly formed Invasion Warning Sub-Committee.
Most of this confusing story takes place in the lead up to and the infancy of World War II and involves a multitude of characters including members of the aforementioned sub-committee, MI5, MI6, Russian Spies from the NKVD, the IRA, Nazi sympathizers in an organization known as "The Group," as well as their handlers in the Abwher, and the Nazi Navy known as the Kriegsmarine.
The fact that Gerlis had to include a lengthy list of "Main Characters" totaling well over 65 "characters" should've been my hint that I wouldn't be able to keep up and follow all of these different plot lines.
The main focus of the "plot" is the threat of a Nazi invasion of Great Britain after the fall of France in the summer of 1940. The planning of "Operation Sea Lion" and ultimate foiling of the plot would probably make a very interesting story, but this telling of it is not it. There were just too many characters and too many moving parts without any character development and cohesion to the telling of the story.
Although not a WWII historian by any stretch of the imagination, I am fascinated by Britain's ability to single handedly hold off the Nazis while waiting for the US to enter the War, as well as Russian Moles in MI6 such as Philby and Burgess, but this book did not hold my interest.
After all that was going on, not only do we not know who "Archie" is but a second traitor is introduced and likewise not "found." I will not be reading books 3 and 4 as I doubt Gerlis could tell a coherent enough story to warrant it.
This book is supposedly the second in the "Double Agent" Series, the first of which I admittedly haven't read. I assume that the reader is introduced to "Archie", the Russian mole in MI6 in this first installment, as there seems to be a mole hunt already underway when we are immediately thrust into an interrogation involving a German spy and The newly formed Invasion Warning Sub-Committee.
Most of this confusing story takes place in the lead up to and the infancy of World War II and involves a multitude of characters including members of the aforementioned sub-committee, MI5, MI6, Russian Spies from the NKVD, the IRA, Nazi sympathizers in an organization known as "The Group," as well as their handlers in the Abwher, and the Nazi Navy known as the Kriegsmarine.
The fact that Gerlis had to include a lengthy list of "Main Characters" totaling well over 65 "characters" should've been my hint that I wouldn't be able to keep up and follow all of these different plot lines.
The main focus of the "plot" is the threat of a Nazi invasion of Great Britain after the fall of France in the summer of 1940. The planning of "Operation Sea Lion" and ultimate foiling of the plot would probably make a very interesting story, but this telling of it is not it. There were just too many characters and too many moving parts without any character development and cohesion to the telling of the story.
Although not a WWII historian by any stretch of the imagination, I am fascinated by Britain's ability to single handedly hold off the Nazis while waiting for the US to enter the War, as well as Russian Moles in MI6 such as Philby and Burgess, but this book did not hold my interest.
After all that was going on, not only do we not know who "Archie" is but a second traitor is introduced and likewise not "found." I will not be reading books 3 and 4 as I doubt Gerlis could tell a coherent enough story to warrant it.
October 28, 2025
Gerlis gets fine mileage out of the murky situation in the summer of 1940, as having conquered France, Germany eyes an invasion of Britain.
The RAF struggles with the Luftwaffe for control of England's skies.
It's sensationally murky with all kinds of conflicting loyalties. A Soviet mole in MI-6 can't get out of spying for them and comes across information that can actually help Britain defend against a looming German invasion. Can he figure out how to disguise where he got it?
Another compromised security officer has managed to elude the NKVD's clutches. Can he stay invisible?
A German naval officer charged with key invasion planning is actually an NKVD spy.
An Abwehr officer charged with planting spies in England sabotages his own effort.
An NKVD spy watching those around him disappear in Stalin's purges figures out his own escape plan.
IRA agents train with the Nazis to aid its invasion plans. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The bigger strategic question here is: in this moment, with the Soviet Union allied with Germany through its non-aggression pact, is it for or against a German invasion?
The character I like best is compromised security officer Charles Cooper. He was a young naif back in the 1930s when he foolishly let himself be trapped into spying.
Since then he's lost his naivete, maneuvered to drop off the NKVD's radar, and become a formidable agent fighting numerous enemies—English fascists, German spies, the IRA. Can he avoid his own destruction by keeping his past secret?
.
The RAF struggles with the Luftwaffe for control of England's skies.
It's sensationally murky with all kinds of conflicting loyalties. A Soviet mole in MI-6 can't get out of spying for them and comes across information that can actually help Britain defend against a looming German invasion. Can he figure out how to disguise where he got it?
Another compromised security officer has managed to elude the NKVD's clutches. Can he stay invisible?
A German naval officer charged with key invasion planning is actually an NKVD spy.
An Abwehr officer charged with planting spies in England sabotages his own effort.
An NKVD spy watching those around him disappear in Stalin's purges figures out his own escape plan.
IRA agents train with the Nazis to aid its invasion plans. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The bigger strategic question here is: in this moment, with the Soviet Union allied with Germany through its non-aggression pact, is it for or against a German invasion?
The character I like best is compromised security officer Charles Cooper. He was a young naif back in the 1930s when he foolishly let himself be trapped into spying.
Since then he's lost his naivete, maneuvered to drop off the NKVD's radar, and become a formidable agent fighting numerous enemies—English fascists, German spies, the IRA. Can he avoid his own destruction by keeping his past secret?
.
December 13, 2025
As a fan of Alex Gerlis’s work, I was eager to dive into the audiobook of The Second Traitor. While I enjoy his writing, this installment left me with mixed feelings, landing at a 2.5 out of 5 stars for me.
My main challenge was keeping track of the vast array of characters. I understand the physical and ebook editions include a lengthy character list, and I found myself wishing for a similar compendium for the audio version. The plot is intricate, and without a reference, I was often confused about who was who. At one point, I mistakenly thought Timothy Kerr-Walters was the elusive traitor, Archie. This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way; I had a similar experience with the first book in the series, which leads me to believe it’s a combination of the sheer number of characters and the plot’s complexity.
I also found it difficult to jump back into the series. While many series allow you to pick up the next book without an immediate reread of the previous one, this wasn’t the case here. There was significant carryover from the first book, but I felt the key plot points weren’t reintroduced in a way that easily refreshed my memory.
Despite these challenges, I remain a fan of Gerlis’s storytelling and am genuinely looking forward to the next book in the series. Perhaps the best approach will be to re-read the first two books before the next one is released to fully appreciate the complex world he has built.
My main challenge was keeping track of the vast array of characters. I understand the physical and ebook editions include a lengthy character list, and I found myself wishing for a similar compendium for the audio version. The plot is intricate, and without a reference, I was often confused about who was who. At one point, I mistakenly thought Timothy Kerr-Walters was the elusive traitor, Archie. This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way; I had a similar experience with the first book in the series, which leads me to believe it’s a combination of the sheer number of characters and the plot’s complexity.
I also found it difficult to jump back into the series. While many series allow you to pick up the next book without an immediate reread of the previous one, this wasn’t the case here. There was significant carryover from the first book, but I felt the key plot points weren’t reintroduced in a way that easily refreshed my memory.
Despite these challenges, I remain a fan of Gerlis’s storytelling and am genuinely looking forward to the next book in the series. Perhaps the best approach will be to re-read the first two books before the next one is released to fully appreciate the complex world he has built.
July 28, 2025
This is the second of four books in the Double Agents series. I always look forward to reading an Alex Gerlis book and this one was just as riveting as the previous books. Set in 1939 and 1940, the story follows the planned invasion of Great Britain by Hitler's armed forces. As it follows on closely from the first book in the series, I would recommend reading that before embarking on this one. The plot is quite complex with a very large cast of characters, so it's good to have the list of characters at the beginning of the book to help clarify who's who. The book is extremely well written and very easy to read. The pace is good and there is plenty of action with the ending leading on to the books to follow. I'm looking forward to continuing with this excellent series.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
September 7, 2025
Alex Gerlis continues to release books that capture my imagination unlike any others. This is an immediate sequel to book 1 in this series, Every Spy A Traitor, which is required reading before picking up this one.
Once again, Gerlis threads his story through various European cities with a whole host of characters to bring the story to life. This instalment perhaps lacks some of the in depth clandestine operations that I most enjoy about Gerlis’ books but it makes up for it by creating tension around the hunt for Agents Archie and Bertie.
As is always the case with novels by Alex Gerlis, I cannot recommend this enough.
Once again, Gerlis threads his story through various European cities with a whole host of characters to bring the story to life. This instalment perhaps lacks some of the in depth clandestine operations that I most enjoy about Gerlis’ books but it makes up for it by creating tension around the hunt for Agents Archie and Bertie.
As is always the case with novels by Alex Gerlis, I cannot recommend this enough.
October 8, 2025
Long and drawn out, with a lot of characters who all seem to have multiple names. I suppose that does give an impression of the world of espionage, but it didn't make a very coherant plot . About 40% in I had, I thought, finally started to sort out who is who but towards the end as the pace racked up, I started to lose grip on the book again. I had not read the previous book in the series, perhaps that may have helped, though I doubt it. Locations in Germany, the UK and Holland consisted of streetnames . I was interested to see what happened so finished the book, though had to push myself to do so.
Not my thing, though have enjoyed spy novels previously. Thanks to Net Galley fot the ARC
Not my thing, though have enjoyed spy novels previously. Thanks to Net Galley fot the ARC
August 22, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed the first book, this is the second in a 4 part series.Set in the first few months of World War 2 when the phoney war was ongoing , it relates to the 2 Soviet spies embedded in British intelligence , one operational and one who the Russians lost ( who are the main characters of the series)Very much set against historical fact and populated by historical figures from that time, it revolves around Operation Sea Lion the plan to invade Britain.
A engrossing read.
A engrossing read.
August 27, 2025
Clandestine confusion and collaboration
WWII comes alive via spies, traitors, career bureaucrats, and accidental recruits. Following patriots, planners, operatives, and zealots, I had to keep track of name changes and country relocations. In the mean time, Hitler needed to announce a date to invade Great Britain. So real. So sad. So human.
WWII comes alive via spies, traitors, career bureaucrats, and accidental recruits. Following patriots, planners, operatives, and zealots, I had to keep track of name changes and country relocations. In the mean time, Hitler needed to announce a date to invade Great Britain. So real. So sad. So human.
September 21, 2025
Not the best of reads by Alex Gerlis!
The slow predictable narrative was not the best of all the Alex Gerlis books I’ve read. The 2 main spies at the centre of the story did not really develop as expected and was left without any end befitting of previous books I have read by Alex Gerlis.
The slow predictable narrative was not the best of all the Alex Gerlis books I’ve read. The 2 main spies at the centre of the story did not really develop as expected and was left without any end befitting of previous books I have read by Alex Gerlis.
August 28, 2025
Nailed it again.
Alex Gerlis is making a habit of writing wartime espionage yarns that leave the reader wanting the next episode to come as soon as possible.
Excellent characters prop up a completely believable story of three-way espionage in the Second World War.
Alex Gerlis is making a habit of writing wartime espionage yarns that leave the reader wanting the next episode to come as soon as possible.
Excellent characters prop up a completely believable story of three-way espionage in the Second World War.
October 12, 2025
The Second Traitor
Good story but rather convoluted plot. Interesting links with well known war situations. Looking forward to further reading of this series of books.
Good story but rather convoluted plot. Interesting links with well known war situations. Looking forward to further reading of this series of books.
December 15, 2025
Great sequel -can’t wait for the next one.
December 28, 2025
Complicated, not his best by far
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews