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Debts Owed: A World War II Espionage Thriller
"An intelligent and intriguing story about love, loyalty and courage. I can almost see the Netflix movie as it unfolds in eight episodes against an all-too-true World War II historical backdrop."
—Steve Berry, New York Times and Internationally Bestselling Author
Paris belongs to the Gestapo. His find proof the Allies have a double agent in their midst and save his wife from falling into Nazi hands. But the only way in is a shadow mission no one will admit exists.
Spring, 1943. Conor Thorn is sick of losing those he treasured. So after the woman he loves gets sent behind Nazi lines on a secret assignment, the frantic OSS agent is ready to move heaven and earth to get her home safe. And when British Intelligence offers to send him to Paris on an off-the-books hunt for a double agent, Conor jumps in with no backup, no cover, and no idea who he can trust.
Landing in a city where the Gestapo owns the streets and collaborators control everything else, the grief-hardened American moves forward one forged paper and one held breath at a time. But while he helps to smuggle downed airmen past Nazi patrols and tracks down the traitor, the one person he longs to keep alive remains cloaked in danger.
As the Gestapo closes in, can the desperate Conor expose the traitor while keeping his beloved from falling into the vice-like grip of the Nazis?
Debts Owed is the taut fifth book in the Conor Thorn spy series. If you like relentless heroes, wartime treachery, and stories inspired by true events, then you'll love Glenn Dyer's atmospheric World War II thriller.
—Steve Berry, New York Times and Internationally Bestselling Author
Paris belongs to the Gestapo. His find proof the Allies have a double agent in their midst and save his wife from falling into Nazi hands. But the only way in is a shadow mission no one will admit exists.
Spring, 1943. Conor Thorn is sick of losing those he treasured. So after the woman he loves gets sent behind Nazi lines on a secret assignment, the frantic OSS agent is ready to move heaven and earth to get her home safe. And when British Intelligence offers to send him to Paris on an off-the-books hunt for a double agent, Conor jumps in with no backup, no cover, and no idea who he can trust.
Landing in a city where the Gestapo owns the streets and collaborators control everything else, the grief-hardened American moves forward one forged paper and one held breath at a time. But while he helps to smuggle downed airmen past Nazi patrols and tracks down the traitor, the one person he longs to keep alive remains cloaked in danger.
As the Gestapo closes in, can the desperate Conor expose the traitor while keeping his beloved from falling into the vice-like grip of the Nazis?
Debts Owed is the taut fifth book in the Conor Thorn spy series. If you like relentless heroes, wartime treachery, and stories inspired by true events, then you'll love Glenn Dyer's atmospheric World War II thriller.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Glenn Dyer’s Debts Owed is an ambitious, meticulously researched World War II espionage
thriller that plunges readers into the dangerous intelligence war being fought beneath the larger
conflict consuming Europe. Set primarily in London and Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943, the novel
combines clandestine operations, Resistance networks, double agents, political maneuvering,
personal loyalties, and betrayal in a story where determining who can be trusted is every bit as
important as surviving the enemy.
Dyer is particularly skilled at creating a convincing sense of time and place. From MI5 and MI6
offices in London to the Folies Bergère, the American Library in Paris, Gestapo headquarters on
avenue Foch, underground safe houses, literary salons, and even the labyrinth beneath the
streets of Paris, the setting doesn’t feel like a generic wartime backdrop. The details give the
novel texture without romanticizing occupied France. Hunger, suspicion, collaboration, fear,
divided loyalties, and the constant possibility of arrest are woven into everyday life, allowing the
reader to understand just how precarious every decision could become.
At the center of the novel are Conor Thorn and Emily Bright, whose marriage gives the
espionage story a deeply personal foundation. Both are capable operatives, but they approach
danger differently, and that contrast makes them particularly effective together. Conor remains
impulsive, stubborn, and willing to push far beyond sensible limits, while Emily is more
measured and calculating without being portrayed as less courageous. Their relationship adds
warmth to a story filled with suspicion and betrayal, while Conor’s personal connection to events
in Paris gives his increasingly dangerous involvement an emotional urgency beyond simply
completing another mission.
The supporting cast is equally important. Résistance fighters, Allied intelligence officers,
collaborators, German officials, civilians, and people whose loyalties remain uncertain create a
complicated network around the protagonists. Henri Dumas is especially effective because his
role embodies one of the novel’s central questions: in the intelligence world, does working for
the right side necessarily mean someone is doing the right thing? Dyer allows competing
agendas within British intelligence to become nearly as dangerous as the enemy itself, giving
the novel a morally complicated edge that suits the genre extremely well.
The short chapters and frequent changes of location give Debts Owed a cinematic rhythm, and
the tension intensifies considerably as the separate threads begin to intersect. Once Conor
reaches occupied France, the novel becomes particularly difficult to put down. Escapes,
surveillance, compromised networks, covert meetings, betrayals, and increasingly personal
stakes build toward a powerful final act. Importantly, the action never completely eclipses the
human consequences of the war. There are losses here that matter, and the emotional weight
carried into the closing chapters gives the story considerably more impact than a straightforward
espionage adventure.
What ultimately distinguishes Debts Owed is the depth of historical material beneath the thriller.
Dyer blends fictional characters with figures and events drawn from the real intelligence war,
including the SOE, MI5, MI6, the OSS, Résistance networks, the Gestapo, Operation Starkey,
and individuals whose wartime allegiances remain fascinating decades later. Readers who
enjoy historical espionage in which research, intrigue, and character are given equal importance
will find a great deal to appreciate.
A richly researched and impressively layered WWII espionage thriller, Debts Owed
combines the machinery of wartime intelligence with genuinely personal stakes. Glenn
Dyer turns occupied Paris into a world of secrets, shifting loyalties, courage, and
betrayal, delivering a tense and emotionally consequential addition to the Conor Thorn
series.
thriller that plunges readers into the dangerous intelligence war being fought beneath the larger
conflict consuming Europe. Set primarily in London and Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943, the novel
combines clandestine operations, Resistance networks, double agents, political maneuvering,
personal loyalties, and betrayal in a story where determining who can be trusted is every bit as
important as surviving the enemy.
Dyer is particularly skilled at creating a convincing sense of time and place. From MI5 and MI6
offices in London to the Folies Bergère, the American Library in Paris, Gestapo headquarters on
avenue Foch, underground safe houses, literary salons, and even the labyrinth beneath the
streets of Paris, the setting doesn’t feel like a generic wartime backdrop. The details give the
novel texture without romanticizing occupied France. Hunger, suspicion, collaboration, fear,
divided loyalties, and the constant possibility of arrest are woven into everyday life, allowing the
reader to understand just how precarious every decision could become.
At the center of the novel are Conor Thorn and Emily Bright, whose marriage gives the
espionage story a deeply personal foundation. Both are capable operatives, but they approach
danger differently, and that contrast makes them particularly effective together. Conor remains
impulsive, stubborn, and willing to push far beyond sensible limits, while Emily is more
measured and calculating without being portrayed as less courageous. Their relationship adds
warmth to a story filled with suspicion and betrayal, while Conor’s personal connection to events
in Paris gives his increasingly dangerous involvement an emotional urgency beyond simply
completing another mission.
The supporting cast is equally important. Résistance fighters, Allied intelligence officers,
collaborators, German officials, civilians, and people whose loyalties remain uncertain create a
complicated network around the protagonists. Henri Dumas is especially effective because his
role embodies one of the novel’s central questions: in the intelligence world, does working for
the right side necessarily mean someone is doing the right thing? Dyer allows competing
agendas within British intelligence to become nearly as dangerous as the enemy itself, giving
the novel a morally complicated edge that suits the genre extremely well.
The short chapters and frequent changes of location give Debts Owed a cinematic rhythm, and
the tension intensifies considerably as the separate threads begin to intersect. Once Conor
reaches occupied France, the novel becomes particularly difficult to put down. Escapes,
surveillance, compromised networks, covert meetings, betrayals, and increasingly personal
stakes build toward a powerful final act. Importantly, the action never completely eclipses the
human consequences of the war. There are losses here that matter, and the emotional weight
carried into the closing chapters gives the story considerably more impact than a straightforward
espionage adventure.
What ultimately distinguishes Debts Owed is the depth of historical material beneath the thriller.
Dyer blends fictional characters with figures and events drawn from the real intelligence war,
including the SOE, MI5, MI6, the OSS, Résistance networks, the Gestapo, Operation Starkey,
and individuals whose wartime allegiances remain fascinating decades later. Readers who
enjoy historical espionage in which research, intrigue, and character are given equal importance
will find a great deal to appreciate.
A richly researched and impressively layered WWII espionage thriller, Debts Owed
combines the machinery of wartime intelligence with genuinely personal stakes. Glenn
Dyer turns occupied Paris into a world of secrets, shifting loyalties, courage, and
betrayal, delivering a tense and emotionally consequential addition to the Conor Thorn
series.
October 21, 2026
If you are a lover of WWII historical fiction, Debts Owed is perfect for you. The author has done a ton of research and there is a lot of history and information in this book.
I personally love historical fiction relating to WWII so I looked forward to reading this one. I gave it four stars because the formatting was hard for me. The chapters are almost diary like with a chapter for each day so they tend to be short. But having not read any of this author's books before I was a bit lost at first and struggled with all of the different people. That could be my fault for not having read any of the others.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!
I personally love historical fiction relating to WWII so I looked forward to reading this one. I gave it four stars because the formatting was hard for me. The chapters are almost diary like with a chapter for each day so they tend to be short. But having not read any of this author's books before I was a bit lost at first and struggled with all of the different people. That could be my fault for not having read any of the others.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!
Read
October 29, 2026Firstly, thanks to the publisher for this ARC! This book was not my typical genre, however, I very much enjoyed it. You did not know who was good or bad... Based on WWII, this thriller will keep you guessing to the end... and woven in the story is a love story. For me personally, I would change the ending. I do not want to put out any spoilers, but I prefer happy endings!
November 3, 2026
First time reading anything by this author and really enjoyed all the action, suspense and intrigue and more this book had book very well written and very glad I read this book
Author gave me an a paperback ARC in exchange for my review
Author gave me an a paperback ARC in exchange for my review
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews