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The German Messenger
In The German Messenger, David Malcolm spins a gripping and sombre tale of a daring attempt by British and German spies to stop the gratuitous bloodletting of WWI. British secret agent and cosmopolitan man of violence Harry Draffen journeys from the slums of East London to an Oxford college, from the trenches on the Western Front to an isolated house on the Scottish coast, on to a bloody showdown in the North of England, to chase a phantom and elusive German messenger.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 30, 2023
With it's WW1 setting, its intricate plot involving foreign spies, coded messages and breathless pursuits from the wilds of Scotland to London, Oxford and France, there's more than a touch of the Buchanesque about The German Messenger. Indeed, the author borrows a character - spymaster Sir Walter Bullivant - from John Buchan's most famous novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps. But Harry Draffen is no Richard Hannay. He's utterly ruthless, prepared to lie, cheat and manipulate in order to achieve a mission. He's seen - and done - a lot of bad things in his time and bears the physical and mental scars of these.
Like Hannay, Harry Draffen has his loyal comrades, although being a friend of Harry is a hazardous occupation. As one character remarks, 'Dead bodies rather do seem to pile up in your presence.' However you definitely wouldn't get Hannay involved in steamy sex scenes of the sort in this novel. (One of these I thought rather gratuitous.)
If Harry is a rather tortured figure then he's not alone. At this point in the First World War, the lifespan of a soldier in the trenches on the Western Front can be measured in days or weeks, not months. 'How can you describe Hell? The trenches were beyond words. You can say: the matchstick trees, the mud and the wire, the stench of human ordure and dead bodies, the reek of unwashed men, the constant, never-ending fear, the noise. But they're just words. The reality was beyond any words in any human language.' Along with the dead, there are the wounded and those emotionally scarred as a result of their experiences. And, of course, the bereaved.
As well as being a cracking spy thriller with plenty of twists and turns, The German Messenger actually contains some quite nuanced reflections on the war and its impact. Many of those who signed up out of a feeling of duty have become quickly disillusioned or feel betrayed by the high command. Those deemed unfit to serve on the front line often bear intense feelings of guilt. Others, because of personal loss, or moral or religious beliefs, doubt the rightness of the war. And the war has changed Britain as well. On a trip to Oxford, Harry notes on the streets there are 'too many uniforms, too few men, too many women in black'.
If you're on the search for an espionage thriller that will keep you turning the pages, then The German Messenger will fit the bill.
Like Hannay, Harry Draffen has his loyal comrades, although being a friend of Harry is a hazardous occupation. As one character remarks, 'Dead bodies rather do seem to pile up in your presence.' However you definitely wouldn't get Hannay involved in steamy sex scenes of the sort in this novel. (One of these I thought rather gratuitous.)
If Harry is a rather tortured figure then he's not alone. At this point in the First World War, the lifespan of a soldier in the trenches on the Western Front can be measured in days or weeks, not months. 'How can you describe Hell? The trenches were beyond words. You can say: the matchstick trees, the mud and the wire, the stench of human ordure and dead bodies, the reek of unwashed men, the constant, never-ending fear, the noise. But they're just words. The reality was beyond any words in any human language.' Along with the dead, there are the wounded and those emotionally scarred as a result of their experiences. And, of course, the bereaved.
As well as being a cracking spy thriller with plenty of twists and turns, The German Messenger actually contains some quite nuanced reflections on the war and its impact. Many of those who signed up out of a feeling of duty have become quickly disillusioned or feel betrayed by the high command. Those deemed unfit to serve on the front line often bear intense feelings of guilt. Others, because of personal loss, or moral or religious beliefs, doubt the rightness of the war. And the war has changed Britain as well. On a trip to Oxford, Harry notes on the streets there are 'too many uniforms, too few men, too many women in black'.
If you're on the search for an espionage thriller that will keep you turning the pages, then The German Messenger will fit the bill.
August 2, 2016
Great.
The Messenger hits the sweet spot between fiction that is too literary and fiction that is too commercial. Well written, steeped in good history which is woven in the story in an intelligent and unobtrusive and good suspense, actions , and sex-- this book has it all. The "hero" Harry Draffen, an English spy working during wwi is a fascinating character and I hope this is the beginning of a series about him.
The Messenger hits the sweet spot between fiction that is too literary and fiction that is too commercial. Well written, steeped in good history which is woven in the story in an intelligent and unobtrusive and good suspense, actions , and sex-- this book has it all. The "hero" Harry Draffen, an English spy working during wwi is a fascinating character and I hope this is the beginning of a series about him.
October 24, 2017
Note: This book was sent to me in return for a honest review.
David Malcolm's The German Messenger, a melancholy spy novel set in the UK during the First World War, is as foggy and moody as its cover suggests. Its protagonist, Harry Draffen happens upon an intrigue involving his opposites on the German side, who aim to land on the British coast and deliver a message. What that message is confuses Harry and his associates, unsure whether it will harm Britain or shorten the disastrous war which has embittered him.
This is a beautifully written novel with a mood which pulls you right in and demands you light a fire and pour some spirits down your neck. It's an atmospheric tour of the UK from dowdy East End slums to isolated Scottish villages as Harry and his men, Andresj and McLeish hunt down the German Messenger, spilling blood and escaping dodgy predicaments by the skin of their teeth.
You might need a history refresher on what early twentieth century Europe looked like, and how ethnic tensions fizzed and exploded in the old empires, but it won't distract from the story's main thread.
The book is more in the le Carre mould than crash, bang, wallop, and explores the tensions within Britain as much as those in Europe. Draffen and McLeish are Scotsmen, "bag-carriers for the English," and that bitterness bursts out at times, often on Britain's enemies. It gives the novel an extra level of welcome confused loyalties in a horribly complex Europe.
If you like a moody spy thriller which is more interested in procedural investigation, philosophy, and the complexities of the European and especially inter-British mindset, you can't go wrong here.
David Malcolm's The German Messenger, a melancholy spy novel set in the UK during the First World War, is as foggy and moody as its cover suggests. Its protagonist, Harry Draffen happens upon an intrigue involving his opposites on the German side, who aim to land on the British coast and deliver a message. What that message is confuses Harry and his associates, unsure whether it will harm Britain or shorten the disastrous war which has embittered him.
This is a beautifully written novel with a mood which pulls you right in and demands you light a fire and pour some spirits down your neck. It's an atmospheric tour of the UK from dowdy East End slums to isolated Scottish villages as Harry and his men, Andresj and McLeish hunt down the German Messenger, spilling blood and escaping dodgy predicaments by the skin of their teeth.
You might need a history refresher on what early twentieth century Europe looked like, and how ethnic tensions fizzed and exploded in the old empires, but it won't distract from the story's main thread.
The book is more in the le Carre mould than crash, bang, wallop, and explores the tensions within Britain as much as those in Europe. Draffen and McLeish are Scotsmen, "bag-carriers for the English," and that bitterness bursts out at times, often on Britain's enemies. It gives the novel an extra level of welcome confused loyalties in a horribly complex Europe.
If you like a moody spy thriller which is more interested in procedural investigation, philosophy, and the complexities of the European and especially inter-British mindset, you can't go wrong here.
June 10, 2016
The German Messenger by Malcolm is the tale of Harry Draffen, a spy in the First World War, working for the British. He tells us about his previous endeavours with escape by the skin of his teeth being common. We hear about the mud and rain on all continents as he moves around following up leads. There's a bit of romance with betrayal thrown in but he does look after his underlings. And then there's the deaths, mirroring what is happening in France. A tall tale with a hint of truth.
February 1, 2021
Being a lover of crime and psychological thrillers, I rarely read spy novels. So, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading ‘The German Messenger’.
The story revolves around Major Harry Draffen, a war-weary Military Intelligence officer whose missions behind enemy lines have exposed him to more than his fair share of danger and violence. What is more, he has the scars to prove it. Now, as he reflects on his past experiences after returning home from a mission, it is evident his work has begun to take its toll.
Harry is a good agent, and together with his two comrades, Andrzej Czapski and Corporal Alan McLeish – two men he trusts implicitly – he has managed to survive many a dangerous situation and produce results. Therefore, when his superior at the War Office, Sir Walter Bullivant, receives information concerning secret enemy meetings, pointing to the possibility of infiltration by German spies via the Scottish coast, he immediately sends for Harry to brief him on his next mission. Find out what the Germans are up to and stop them … at all costs.
‘The German Messenger’ is a dark and exciting story, depicting the equally perilous covert side of warfare. Although the plot starts out as a seemingly simple one, as the true meaning of the intelligence is gradually revealed – together with the highly sensitive political implications – the resulting intrigue, betrayal and conflicting loyalties ramp up the tension to another level.
Its protagonist, Harry Draffen – a man who likes to do things his own way – is a complex character whose often reckless actions and misplaced judgement of people eventually prove to be a dangerous flaw. Add to this a cast of unpredictable and intriguing characters and the result is a gripping and often brutal thriller.
Definitely worth the read.
The story revolves around Major Harry Draffen, a war-weary Military Intelligence officer whose missions behind enemy lines have exposed him to more than his fair share of danger and violence. What is more, he has the scars to prove it. Now, as he reflects on his past experiences after returning home from a mission, it is evident his work has begun to take its toll.
Harry is a good agent, and together with his two comrades, Andrzej Czapski and Corporal Alan McLeish – two men he trusts implicitly – he has managed to survive many a dangerous situation and produce results. Therefore, when his superior at the War Office, Sir Walter Bullivant, receives information concerning secret enemy meetings, pointing to the possibility of infiltration by German spies via the Scottish coast, he immediately sends for Harry to brief him on his next mission. Find out what the Germans are up to and stop them … at all costs.
‘The German Messenger’ is a dark and exciting story, depicting the equally perilous covert side of warfare. Although the plot starts out as a seemingly simple one, as the true meaning of the intelligence is gradually revealed – together with the highly sensitive political implications – the resulting intrigue, betrayal and conflicting loyalties ramp up the tension to another level.
Its protagonist, Harry Draffen – a man who likes to do things his own way – is a complex character whose often reckless actions and misplaced judgement of people eventually prove to be a dangerous flaw. Add to this a cast of unpredictable and intriguing characters and the result is a gripping and often brutal thriller.
Definitely worth the read.
January 23, 2021
The German Messenger is a spy novel set during the First World War. Harry Draffen has to chase a German Messenger all over the U.K. but is confused as to what the message contains. Will it draw an end to the war or is it going to cause more problems for Britain?
I found this to be a well written book with great descriptive writing. The characters were interesting and well thought out. The story drew me in and was full of suspense and action.
I found this to be a well written book with great descriptive writing. The characters were interesting and well thought out. The story drew me in and was full of suspense and action.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews