The Blue Noon

Morning, Noon And Night Trilogy #2

by Robert Ryan

Paris, 1945. A manhunt is raging across the liberated city. Airey Neave, head of Room 900, the ultra-secret M19 department, is desperate to track down Harry Cole. Harry is a rogue. He's an East End charmer and as sharp as a switchblade. But traitor? He did break a few rules and hearts along the way...but that was before he met French nurse Odile. Together they are the best clandestine operatives in northern France, heroes of the Resistance, rounding up downed pilots and ferrying them to safety. The beautiful Odile nurtures Harry's talents for the greater good. His mistake is to try and make a little money on the side. And when he gets in the way of M19, Airey Neave has a very good reason to want him silenced...

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Wwii Fiction, War

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2003

About the author

aka Tom Neale

Robert Ryan was born in Liverpool but moved to London when he was eighteen to attend university. He lectured in natural sciences for several years before moving into journalism in the mid-1980s, first with The Face and then the Dylan Jones-edited Arena. During this time, he also wrote for The Daily Telegraph, US GQ, US Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire and The Sunday Times.

Robert Ryan lives in North London with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my challenge group, I needed to know if Harry Cole was a real person. Indeed he was! At the very least he was a small time con man, always on the lookout for a way to make a quick buck. But he is also described by some as "the worst traitor of the war." This novel exposes both and the reader is left to decide.

This reader fell somewhere between the two chracterizations. Harry Cole was a very good liar, so perhaps his side of things shouldn't be believed. Did he also have to deal with a man who lied to him and let his con-man reputation color history? Or did he do some of those things on his own account?

In any case, I was involved with the story and am very glad to have stumbled onto this series. I think the next one, Night Crossing does not involve real people as this and the first in the series did. I hope to get to it soon anyway. For me, this is a strong 4-stars

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third Ryan book I've read and in many respects it is the most complex and that is purely down to the main character Harry Cole,a London chancer,whom at one time ran one of the most successful lines of escape for shot down Allied airmen out of occupied France during WWII. The main character is based on a real person but many of his files are still sealed with secrecy by the British Government which allows a certain leeway with the facts.Therein lies some of the problems with this book for me because despite on one hand wanting to like him and wanting to care what happened to him and those around him I never really could. If only half of what is written is true he seems such an extraordinary character who evades several attempts to kill him and in truth sounds like an imaginary character rather than a real one.

The book is well written,runs at a good pace whilst giving a decent impression to life within occupied France (although I recently finished The Forger by Paul Watkins and felt that he did a better job there)and the ending was ambiguous enough to make your own conclusion but on the downside I did find the novel overly long.

Whatever the truth of the Harry Cole story this book did give me cause for thought.At one point two of the more peripheral characters were discussing the merits of helping Allied flyers to escape or more accurately whether their survival and ability to return to fight again were worth more than the lives of the numerous civilians,some totally innocent, who were either killed or interned by the Germans in retribution for these very escapes? Not something that I'd given much thought to before.

[John Nicholl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous mix of fact and fiction that I found very entertaining.

[Ted Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in a trilogy (actually a 4-part trilogy, with the addition of midnight) of WWII stories, this tale of a British con artist freelancing as a spy in occupied Europe (reminiscent of Ben MacIntyre's "Agent Zigzag") is good to the last word - or sentence, at least. Steven Pacey ably narrates the BBC Audiobooks production.

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction with a stronger masculine bent than I normally read. Stories of duplicity, spying and betrayal during WWII in France. While many parts are fictionalized, the characters and much of the storyline is based on fact.

[Julian Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well with a jaunty style but got a bit clunky. I have set it aside for now.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the Lilliput Library box near my house. I read a chapter or two and found it boring. However, when tidying up this morning, I flipped over to half-way through the book and was intrigued. I went back to where I had previously stopped and re-started reading - and I could not put this book down.

Reading like a novel from Clive Cussler or Alistair McLean, this book is incredible, but for all that - a lot of the action in the book is real.

Love him or hate him in the end - Harry Cole is/was lucky and unlucky at the same time.

Great for a rainy, or lazy, day read.

[Louise Brazenor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a true story follows the exploit of a charismatic con man. Fascinating insight into the loyalties and disloyalty of war and survival. But found abbreviations and names of various outfits frustrating never knew if they were German or British and with spies constantly being double agents in both sides it confused and distracted me. Maybe if there had been an index of what abbreviations meant it would have been more smooth.

[Sue Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second reading. I think I probably enjoyed it more last time because this time I knew what to expect. It's pretty bloody in some places but of course it would and should be. I would be interested to learn more about Harry Cole and must investigate some of the books Mr Ryan used in his research. Interesting stuff here too about Neave, Muggeridge and Philby!

[Timothy Outerbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very complicated story of the very complicated life of a British soldier, conman, traitor, lover, who served in four different armies and was a spy for at least two WWIi ombatants. In his mind he was misunderstood, strayed several times, including by his French wife, and sold out by jealous coconspiators
Base on the lives of several real life well known individuals involved in the war effort

[Joe Potocki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done!!

Very well crafted story. A exciting tale with unique characters that are very believable.
I am anxious to read the third book in this series.

[Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book it is an amazing novel and true story writen by Robert Ryan. I highly recommend this book if you like war, love , betrayal and sad endings.

[Tim Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable quick read however, even though it is apparently based on an actual person and mostly true events, it does come off as a little Clive Cussler-esque. The hero is just such in the mold of the loveable rogue lady killer mode, narrowly escaping death on one hand whilst bedding some countess or robbing the Germans (or the Brits!) blind on the other. If every word of this novel? is true, then I guess my hat is off to the man, but I'm tending to believe that much of this is stretching the historical record at least to some degree and possibly to a large degree.

[Karen Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best told account of the genre. Recognise the work put in by the author in researching the basis of this book's true story, but for me there were too many ancilliary characters beyond the four main ones which were as well defined. I realise this might have been to allow the denouement to be more impactful, but it just lead to confusion for me (a reader not specifically knowledgeable about the French resistance to start with). For me the book was insular and lacked context, making it challenging to feel empathetic to a situation that must have been truly horrendous.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second reading. I think I probably enjoyed it more last time because this time I knew what to expect. It's pretty bloody in some places but of course it would and should be. I would be interested to learn more about Harry Cole and must investigate some of the books Mr Ryan used in his research. Interesting stuff here too about Neave, Muggeridge and Philby!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Harry Cole remind me very much of "Agent Zig Zag" and until I finished it, I didn't realise that it was baed on a true story. I quite enjoyed the mix of fiction and non-fiction. It was not quite a page turner but it was very easy to pick up and read it. I'm now reading the third book in the trilogy.

[Mills]

DNFing because I've tried several times to get into this without much success. It's International Book Crossing Day on Tuesday and I'm going to release it into the world so hopefully someone will pick it up that will love it!

http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshe...

[Angie Swain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very intriguing considering the story is based on a real character - as are several other characters. The story takes place during the second World War and Harry is Britain's answer to King Rat - a charmer and the ultimate wheeler dealer. I enjoyed it

[Rocky Gurung सुशील · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book. I was intrigued by the personality of the protagonist and his secret war. The book paints a vivid picture of the dreadful times of WWII. It is a good source of historical knowledge. Would not recommend to young readers due to the kind of language.

[James Marinero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A skilful mix of fact and fiction. Not quite a page turner for me, but still a very good read. Characters are well developed and plausible (well, some are based on real people with published biographies). Nevertheless a well painted picture of bravery, duplicity and chicanery.

[Steve Markham · Rating 3 out of 5]

arry is well written and so is the rest of the book but I think the end let it down slightly. Complete cop out.

[Stan Stillladdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

[Dilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good page-turner, plenty of pace. Interesting to read about other agencies than SOE.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book, set during the Second World War.. The plot centres on a roguish character, Harry Cole. Lots of plot twists and turns with an ending leaving readers wondering...

[Muneeb Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap
Anti-Dope !
Sheer waste of energy..
A must-never-read.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

[JoAnna (Louise) Lamb (Charles)]

Took a while to get into it but once I did enjoyed it...