Madeleine's War

by Peter Watson

When Colonel Matthew Hammond was posted to the European theater during World War II, he sustained a serious injury on the front lines that cost him a lung. Now he is back in England, unable to fight, but continuing to serve his country by training new resistance fighters in SC2, a specialist sabotage outfit. One of the recruits under his tutelage is the spellbinding Madeleine Dirac, an exotic French-Canadian nurse. Despite protocols discouraging romance, they fall deeply in love.
        Matthew is torn about putting Madeleine’s life in he has mixed duty and pleasure before, with tragic results—his former lover, Celestine, was killed in an attempt to assassinate a Nazi doctor. But the Allies are mustering all their resources for crucial beach landings in Normandy, and Matthew knows his unit will be needed to parachute its agents in behind Nazi lines. Vivid and unforgettable,  Madeleine’s War is a gripping tale of love in wartime—and of men and women caught in the sweep of history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Romance, France, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Peter Watson was educated at the universities of Durham, London and Rome, and was awarded scholarships in Italy and the United States.

After a stint as Deputy Editor of New Society magazine, he was for four years part of the Sunday Times ‘Insight’ team of investigative journalists. He wrote the daily Diary column of the London Times before becoming that paper’s New York correspondent. He returned to London to write a column about the art world for the Observer and then at The Sunday Times.

He has published three exposes in the world of art and antiquities and from 1997 to 2007 was a Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. He has published twelve books of non-fiction and seven novels, some under the pen name of Mackenzie Ford. He lives in London where his interests include theatre, opera and fishing.

Awards, Etc.

Psychology Prize
Durham University, 1961

Italian Government Music Scholarship
Rome University, 1965

United States Government Bursary “for future world leaders”
To study the psychiatric profession and its links to the administration of justice

Books of the Year

Psychology Today Magazine, 1978, for War on the Mind
Daily Mail, 1990, for Wisdom and Strength
Independent on Sunday, for A Terrible Beauty, 2000
Times Literary Supplement, for Ideas, 2005
Time Magazine, for The Medici Conspiracy, 2006
Queen’s Pardon
Copy from Patrick Meehan after I had written a series of articles which brought about his release from prison after he had been wrongly convicted of murder, 1976.

Gold Dagger – Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain
For The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1983

Beacon Award – SAFE Award – Saving Antiquities for Everyone
For The Medici Conspiracy, 2006

US Library Association
The Great Divide.

Emmy Nomination
‘The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1984.

Best sellers

The Caravaggio Conspiracy
Crusade
Landscape of Lies
Sotheby’s: The Inside Story
Nureyev
Lectures

Peter Watson has lectured at the following venues:

Universities

Cambridge
Berkeley
London
UCLA
Birmingham
Georgia
Georgia
Chicago
Birmingham
Santiago de Chile
York
Madrid
Harvard
Tufts
Military Bases

Fort Bragg
Private Institutions in

Cleveland
Berlin
Chicago
Belfast
Los Angeles
New York
Washington
Boston
Palm Beach
Other venues

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum, Copenhagen
Royal Society of Arts
Rugby School
Royal Library, Copenhagen
Festivals

Edinburgh
Oxford
Dartington
York

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book Is a story of World War II we don't see the fighting, the bombardments , the death , the horrors of the holocaust . The focus is on the espionage, the intrigue of the SC2, Special Command Two , "the specialist sabotage outfit created by Churchill " which we find out in the author's notes is based on the real Special Operations Executive , and it's also an engaging love story . The beginning is little slow going but yet it held the promise of what will happen to Madeleine on her first mission and whether she and her training supervisor, Matthew Hammond would have a chance of a life together after the war .

The role of women in espionage during the war is depicted in Madeleine's story. I was as taken with her as I was with the women in Code Name Verity , one of my favorite war novels . Madeleine's story is not told from her perspective, but told in the first person narrative by Matt .

I found this to be an enticing read and it got even more intriguing when Matt is sent to the field in France on a mission, but he has a mission of his own - to find Madeleine. It's war and there is sadness and loss . Aside from the slow beginning, this is a well written novel that I would definitely recommend especially to anyone who has a particular interest in World War II stories .

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy .

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obviously written by a male, in a bad way. I'm so tired of hearing the main character compare everything to whiskey. Drags on forever. Despite being promoted as written by a famed historical researcher, the details are often jarringly untrue, which, upon personal research, creates a lot of doubt about the validity of everything in the story.

[Sheri Melnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

While history has recorded the sacrifice and terrors endured by men in World War II, recent news reports are revealing the terrible dangers faced by female Resistance fighters who were dropped behind enemy lines at the height of World War II. Historian Peter Watson explores the fictional account of one woman's tale as a Resistance fighter.

Madeleine, a French-Canadian woman, is determined to train to be a Resistance fighter, and nothing will stop her from asking to be dropped behind enemy lines in France during 1944. Yet she falls deeply in love with her commander, Matthew Hammond, a British military officer. While he knows that their love affair may be doomed, he can't help but fall in love with Madeleine, not only for her beauty, but for her tenacity and willingness to put her life on the line to stop the Nazis. While Madeleine will be relatively safe pretending to be French, the danger presents itself when she must send radio transmittals to the Allies.

When months go by, and Matt has not heard from Madeleine, he is offered a mission to go to France himself. While he assumes that Madeleine must be dead, his journey to that assumption is fraught with danger and a dangerous mission that he must carry out for the British government. Matt constantly questions his relationship with Madeleine and often wonders how much he actually knew her at all.

This love story, told from Matt's viewpoint, is part history, part romance, proving that despite the inherent danger faced by Resistance fighters, life goes on. Romance is never far from the forefront, even though the players know that the duration of their relationship may face the ultimate test, as life during wartime is a very precious commodity. Beautifully written and incredibly touching, this latest read by Watson is not to be missed by fans of World War II fiction. sherimelnick.wordpress.com

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Madeleine, [...] I can't hide from you that I have no idea what the odds are of your surviving in the field, without the protection of a local circuit who know the ropes in the area where you will be operating. S...if you want to withdraw, you can. [...]"
Again I brushed her arm with my fingers, and held up a cigarette.
"I mean it."
She took the cigarette but hesitated for quite a while before nodding her head. "I know you mean it, Matt. And it's tempting. But we've been here before, we know that that's what wars do, throw up these impossible situations which no one in their right mind could ever contemplate at any other time. They make ordinary people do extraordinary things, in which they either succeed or don't succeed, and in which they either survive or don't survive."
She looked out at the river and bit her lip.
I held out my lighter and lit her cigarette, then my own.
"And if every ordinary person refused to go through with every extraordinary, impossible mission---what then? What would happen to us as a fighting force, as a people, and what would we--we as a generation, I mean--tell our children?"



~~Nancy Wake was a real WW2 British spy, whose bravery saved countless lives. Read about her, and other feminine heroes (who may have served as inspiration for Madeleine's story) under further reading.

The year is 1944, February to be more exact. Allied forces are preparing to invade France in the hopes of freeing Europe from Hitler's grasp. Deception is a large part of this preparation, and the British intelligence agency created Special Command Two (or SC2) as a specialist sabotage outfit to aid in the preparation. Matthew Hammond is put in command of the unit, after a battle injury which took most of one lung left him unable to continue to fight in active combat. He takes his job of preparing his agents seriously.

We meet him as he starts the training for a new group of four recruits--two men and two women. One of the women, Madeleine, worms her way into his heart. Their mutual attraction predictably blossoms into a relationship during the three months that she trains, graduates, and then waits to be parachuted in behind enemy lines. Matthew knows that he is sending his agents into a battlefield that carries an approximately 50% mortality rate for spies. But how will D-day change the French landscape? Will Madeleine and her co-horts be able to navigate the double-agent and French collaborator tinged groups of the French Resistence? Then Matthew gets an assignment that puts him right back into the midst of Paris, France. The European theater in 1944 comes alive in Watson's novel.

My two cents: Watson writes prose with skill and authority. I would easily have given his offering 4+ stars, *except* he chose to write from the first person point of view of Matthew. Madeleine becomes a secondary character, and we miss the chance to see the war from her eyes. Instead, I spent much of the book wondering if she is even still alive. This was a huge disappointment to me, and is reflected in my 3 star rating. I do still recommend it as a library checkout if you like all things World War 2, especially if you are looking for more backstory behind the D-Day invasion. Rated "Good".

Other favorite quotes: "There was a war on, somewhere, but we had that road, and those mountainsides, to ourselves and, for now, it was enough. She was absorbed in what she was doing, absorbed in living. Her ability to do that was a gift, a gift she was sharing with me."

~~"Speed and being in love are alike: the two most invigoration sensations there are."

~~"Grief is an ocean where the waves obey their own rhythm, their own tide, where we are just thrown about to stay afloat as best we can. Where there is in fact no guarantee that we will keep our heads above water."

Further Reading: Vanity Fair wrote a great article describing five of the more famous British female spies, who deserve their own war movie. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...
~~A historical article detailing D-day, and the preparation leading up to it. https://www.history.com/topics/world-...

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set during World War II, this well-written (and surprisingly romantic) thriller nearly convinced me that I worked for British intelligence, interpreting and contextualizing the elaborately coded messages sent by field agents in occupied France.

Here’s the premise: Intelligence officer Matthew Hammond falls in love with Madeleine, a brilliant and unusual young woman whom he’s training for a dangerous covert mission. At the conclusion of training, she parachutes into France, while, back in London, he’s on the receiving end of her communications—communications that abruptly break off amid D-Day chaos. What happened to her? Is there any chance that she might still be alive?

…This is the story of Hammond's post-invasion attempts to trace Madeleine, and it packs in plenty of gutwrenching twists as well as terrific atmosphere. Again, I felt as if I were let in on the secrets and tactics of Allied espionage—which to some extent was true, as author Peter Watson took pains with historical accuracy. This novel is so very entertaining, and I expect that it was also fun to write!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never tire of reading about resistance and espionage set in WWII; I can't imagine the bravery required! And, unfortunately, we don't get much of a first hand account of what exactly a spy does because Madeleine's action is told by her commanding officer who isn't active due to an injury. Matthew, the narrator, is your typical dry, muted Englishman and I'm not quite sure why Madeleine fell for him BUT it gives a good amount of romance to this spy story. Despite wanting to know more about Madeleine's mission I still enjoyed reading about the inner workings of the fictitious British spy unit, SC2, which we learn is modeled after the real Special Operations Executive begun by Churchill which, scandalously, employed women spies.

[Doubleday Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of stories that take place during WWII and Madeleine's War by Peter Watson was the perfect blend of romance and history! It was definitely a unique perspective on a very well know topic. One of the best war novels I have ever read and I couldn't put it down. The book takes you on a ride and gives some insight into the life of a spy during WWII.
-Sara K. marketing intern at Doubleday

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start? On a positive note, this novel did have a few compelling moments, hence three stars rather than two. That being said, I have so many issues with the story. It opens with Madeleine being stripped naked and humiliated in a "test" meant to prepare her potential torture and execution should she be captured by the Nazis in her role as a British agent in occupied France. But, after a bit of pampering, Madeleine is absolutely fine and up to flirting with the man to orchestrated the entire episode: the narrator of this novel, one Matt Hammond. As the novel is narrated from Matt perspective, the book title should really have been Matt's War, not Madeleine's War. In short order, Matt and Madeleine become involved, even as Madeleine leaves for occupied France ahead of the D-Day invasion. Left to his own devices, Matt starts suspect Madeleine could have been a German spy (so much for love, I guess) and then gets himself sent to France to kill a Resistance fighter on Churchill's orders. The last is a bit that could have been left out of the book entirely, and left me with a very negative view of Matt as a person. Overall, I kept wondering what the author wanted the reader to take away from this book: was I supposed to like or have sympathy for the narrator Matt (who I rather despise by the end)? Was there supposed to be some kind of theme about how war compromises everyone's morality? Was I supposed to feel attached to the characters (I didn't mind in the least when several died towards the end)? I'm not sure and I don't know that I could recommend this novel when I've encountered so many WWII-era novels that are just better stories.

[Stephanie Ohsewcrafty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written historical romance and thrills, with many details of espionage during WWII, it reads like a true story. Matt is a British officer who was seriously injured on the front lines, but he continued to serve his county by training recruits to assist the French resistance, including the beautiful and fiery Madeleine. They embark upon a passionate love affair, but they don’t have much time together before she leaves for a highly dangerous mission not long before D Day. At first she does well in the field, but her transmissions cut off abruptly. Matt must discover her fate while discharging his own duties in the war.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and story are decent. I enjoyed it overall. However, I think the reader is meant to feel something more for the characters but it just doesn't work. For it being called Madeleine's War, you would think there would be more about Madeleine. And maybe her experience in the war. But you would be wrong. It is more about Matthew. I think Madeleine is supposed to be endearing so the reader cares about what happens to her and yet it misses the mark. Still an interesting story but could have been a lot better. Mature content.

[Amanda Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matt Hammond is a recruiter for the fictional (but fact-based) "SC2," an espionage organization in World War 2 that parachutes its agents behind enemy lines to aid the French Resistance. The eponymous Madeleine is a recruit with whom he, you guessed it, falls in love. Historical detail about the espionage missions is really interesting, but the characters are too under-developed to care about, and the dialogue reads like a history textbook.

Matt, the first-person narrator, seems to exist only to train, fall for, sleep with, worry about, and all but worship Madeleine (you'll be thinking, if he compares the color of her eyes to burnished whiskey one more time ... and then he will). When one of her messages to SC2 is cut off and followed by complete silence, Matt takes it upon himself to worry some more and at last go into France after her. On the plus side, he does this under orders rather than going rogue to save his girl. On the minus side, his search isn't nearly as interesting as what's been happening to Madeleine while he searches for her--something we don't learn until the final twenty pages of the book, when a secondary character spouts lots of exposition at Matt about where his lost love has been all this time.

It's not just the choice of narrator that damages the book, though. The fiction craft doesn't work on any level. Despite being written in first person, the book lacks any real point of view. "Talking heads" fill these pages, and most of the dialogue is informational. None of the characters have a unique voice (unless we're counting the way Watson hyphenates Madeleine's words whenever she's impressed by something: it's not "amazing," it's "a-maz-ing" ... sigh).

Part of what drew me to choose this book for review was the blurb's description of Matt. Injured in the war, lost a lung, barely escaped with his life, determined to keep fighting for the cause although he can't be in the field anymore. I expected to live this reality with him, to see his struggle and frustration and see him rise above those things as he works with the recruits. There are a few cursory mentions in dialogue that "yes, I lost a lung, yes, it's painful, yes, I'm not supposed to smoke anymore but I still do," but it isn't part of Matt's life because the author never puts his reader into Matt's head. Never lets us experience the world around him through his senses. Matt occasionally tells us "I was beside myself with worry," "I felt pretty glum," etc., but the author never shows us Matt's heart and never lets us feel anything with him at all.

Madeleine is a Mary Sue as well: redhead, best in her class of recruits, lovely sotto voice, sexy accent, and of course, eyes like burnished whiskey. Still, I kept wishing I could see the story through her eyes. Maybe there was more to her if I could get away from Matt's over-idealized view. Most of the plot elements happen to her, and certainly the story of her and Philippe is more compelling than the story of her and Matt (again, something we're finally told in the last twenty pages of the book).

This is one of those novels that makes me wish it had been written by a novelist, not a historian. Fiction requires more than accurate historical details to make it compelling. It requires deep point of view that immerses us in the thoughts and senses and motivations of that character; dialogue that sounds like human speech, not like a textbook; real-time scenes that focus on the emotional high points rather than the historically important ones.

MADELEINE'S WAR falls flat because its characters are not people. They're cardboard props for the history taking place around them.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compulsively readable blend of romance and drama based on actual events in Britain and France leading up to D-Day in 1944

Matthew Hammond is a British military officer posted to the European theater during World War II. He sustained a serious injury on the front lines, so bad, in fact, that it cost him a lung. Now he is back in England, unable to fight, but he continues to serve his country by training new resistance fighters.
One of the recruits under his tutelage is Madeleine, a spellbinding, impassioned French-Canadian with eyes of "burnished whiskey." Despite protocols discouraging romance, they are deeply in love, and Matthew is torn about putting Madeleine's life in danger. He already has one tragic affair with a Resistance fighter under his belt—his former lover, Celestine, was killed because her assassination of a German doctor went awry.
But the Allies are mustering all their resources for crucial beach landings in Normandy, and Matthew knows his unit will need to play a role. It will be a very dangerous mission: parachuting in behind the Nazi line. As Madeleine progresses through the training with her fellow recruits, Matthew can only hope that luck will guide her through when the drop finally arrives.

--My thoughts. A great romance. Told in Matt's point of view, at the beginning they meet, since Matt can no longer fight. The chapters go month to month, and the romance blossoms -- but there is a mystery in this book.. the book goes a bit slower than I would have liked but it was good none the less. For this time period, I thought there would be more WWII in it, but there wasn't.

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read so very many books of this genre, and am always pleased to find a new one: the stories of the women who served as agents during the war absolutely fascinate me with a type of courage I know I would never possess. So while I was pleased to find yet another book written by a well-respected author dealing with this topic, I must say I was somewhat disappointed in this story. One reviewer noted only a man would keep comparing a woman to whisky and I adore a good single malt, but I agree, the descriptive phrase was really overused. My biggest complaint though was that the author's relating "Madeleine's War" from the perspective of her teacher/lover/commanding officer's point of view just fell flat. And I mean seriously emotionally flat. The writing was simply lackluster and I could not bond with the characters. The character, Matt, possessed all the charm and charisma of a garden slug as far as I'm concerned and I could not understand how so many women kept falling into his bed. Obviously they were hard up for choice. So, I did continue reading through the end of the book to see how it all ended up, and although it was somewhat predictable, the author did manage to sneak in a last paragraph or so that wasn't entirely wooden. Or maybe it was just good editing....

[Nancy Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received this novel as a First Reads Goodreads giveaway winner, but that in no way affects this review.

Based on a World War II organization, this story follows Matthew Hammond, the narrator, and his exploits as the commander of SC2, a fictionalized organization for British agents. From the training of a group of agents, including Madeleine, to the drop-lift of these agents into France to help the Resistance and send back information for the Allies war effort to captures by the Gestapo, Matt tells his and Madeleine's tale.

This novel explores another insight into what was going on during the war, making for compelling reading. Intrigue, too, is all there when the circuits are compromised and people are betrayed. Overall, a great read.

A few quibbles with the author's research (which cost this review a star): kilts are extremely warm; ice is generally not used in drink in England; and horse chestnuts only a brown shiny shell after the outer coating is removed.

[Sally Koslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impeccable World War II details. Terrific descriptions of characters and believable dialogue. Wish the first 100 pages had been condensed in order to get the action faster.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! written from the male point of view and it is very engrossing

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction but a bit of a slow start and too long.

[~mad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woke up at 6 ayem this morning to finish this book.
Kept me on pins-and-needles!

I recommend

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well plotted suspenseful WWII story with a romance thrown in.
Matt is a British officer training covert agents to be flown in to France.
Madeleine is one if the recruits in training.
They fall in love.
Matt is apprehensive about putting Madeleine in danger but there is a war on after all and everyone must do their duty.

The first part of the book offers detailed information about how these agents were trained and the rigors they are put through only to be placed in dire danger to do their part for their country.

Shortly after Madeleine is dropped behind enemy lines her transmissions is cut off mid-sentence and she is not heard from again.

D-Day arrives, many of the British agents in France are unaccounted for and presumed in prison, possibly in Germany, tortured or dead.

It is also thought that there is a probable double agent working in their midst. Could it be Madeleine? It’s certainly a possibility.

Matt is sent off to France to locate as many of his agents as he can, including Madeleine, even if it turns out she is the double agent!
“Doubt is an awful snake of an emotion. Once it has you in its grip, it won’t let go. It spoils everything.” (Pg. 212).

The second part of the book is filled with tension as Matt searches for his agents throughout France, parts of which are still not safe, fearing the worst, especially for Madeleine. Their relationship is what adds that extra note of tension to the end of this story where the reader will eventually find quite a twist.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this thriller/ love story. No doubt Watson is an expert on World War 2. It’s incredible that the stories of these women that were trained to be spies during the War is not more well known. I know this work is fiction but it felt so real. Ironically the next book I am going to start is D Day Girls by Sarah Rose. So I will get to read about the actual women who clearly inspired the character of Madeleine.

More thoughts. Not surprised that Justine was a plant. She seemed off putting from the start. Should have realized that Roland was a ruse though. But good storytellers hook you in without giving things away and Watson is a good storyteller.

Great read and I am sad that I am done with this one.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Historical Fiction. It takes place during WWII and it is about a group of spies, some of which were women. I liked this. The set up was little slow, but it set the stage for whole story. The mystery towards the end, was engaging.

The main two female characters were too much of the same. They were more "man-like" than anything else. While there are women out there who are like that, if there are only two main female characters, is that the only kind of character that they can be? They never met. They weren't related, but the were too similar. Overall, I liked this, so 3 stars.

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. 1944 We start out with my favorite Winston Churchill quote!! Matt Hammond is narrating the story. He's in charge of SC2, a special operations unit set up by Churchill. Several folks are trained and will be sent to France to find out what's going on. Madeleine Dirac is a French Canadian and is trained to infiltrate France. Matt trains her and falls for her. She is sent to France is not heard from for weeks. Normandy invasion occurs. Matt is then sent on mission to kill some scientists to prevent them from telling Stalin about the A bomb. Lots going on here and it moves quickly. Twists and turns of course. Well written.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but there were a lot of things that were took too much imagination. The relationship between a trainee and her superior would have been forbidden or at least frowned upon. One would think that contraceptives would most definitely have been used. There is no way a woman in the early months of pregnancy would parachute from an airplane into enemy territory if she cared one bit about her unborn child. I’ve read other fiction about the same training and maneuvers that were so much more believable.

[Justine Buschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book and at times had trouble putting it down. The espionage was interesting -and how the resistance worked to help in the war fascinates me. I found myself eventually not trusting any of the characters in the book, including Matt!! I would analyze and rethink everything he said and how he said it and why he said it. It was fun to listen to and I love the accents- I listened to the book on tape version.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeleine’s War is the perfect combination of romance, intrigue and history for this historical fiction reader! I find myself comparing it to The Nightingale and recommend it to readers who enjoyed that book. I like to come away from a book feeling that I have been both entertained as well as educated and Peter Watson succeeded in both categories.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made it to page 322 before skimming the end. I felt like the book was just dragging on and needed to end.

It also bugged me that a book called madeleine’s war was narrated the entire time by a man.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Well written fiction but with an incredible gasp of what was actually taking place in the European theater of war.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like WW2 novels, historical romance, spy novels...... this is a well spun tale.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF