The English Agent

by Clare Harvey

How far will two women go to survive a war?

Having suffered a traumatic experience in the Blitz, Edie feels utterly disillusioned with life in wartime London. The chance to work with the Secret Operations Executive (SOE) helping the resistance in Paris offers a fresh start. Codenamed ‘Yvette’, she’s parachuted into France and met by the two other members of her SOE cell. Who can she trust?

Back in London, Vera desperately needs to be made a UK citizen to erase the secrets of her past. Working at the foreign office in charge of agents presents an opportunity for blackmail. But when she loses contact with one agent in the field, codenamed Yvette, her loyalties are torn.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, War, Adult Fiction, World War II, 20th Century

388 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2016

About the author

I was born in Devon but grew up in Mauritius and Surrey. As the trailing spouse of a serving soldier I spent a large part of married life shuttling between postings. I've worked variously as a freelance journalist, radio reporter, English teacher and PR consultant in Northern Ireland, Germany, Nepal and England. I'm now settled with my family in Nottingham.
I wrote my debut, The Gunner Girl, whilst my husband was on operations with the British Army in Afghanistan. The Gunner Girl won both the Exeter Novel Prize and the Joan Hessayon Award for new fiction. Since then I've written The English Agent, The Night Raid, and The Escape.
All my books are available in paperback, e-book, large print, and audio.
You can contact me here, but also via my author page on Facebook, on Twitter @ClareHarveyauth or via my website http://clareharvey.net.

Would love to hear from you!

Cx

Reviews

[Joanna Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can also be found on:
https://overtherainbowbookblog.wordpr...

It's 1940 and the war is in full swing. Edie takes a job with the SOE, as an escape from a turbulent past and soon finds herself being dispatched to occupied France to work as a wireless operator. Once there she discovers how dangerous things are in France and has to learn the ropes very quickly. When the unthinkable happens, Edie has to draw on all her strength and training to survive. In London, Vera works hard at her job with the SOE training and dispatching agents to occupied France. But Vera is hiding a secret of her own and when Edie goes missing her loyalty is tested.
Clare Harvey certainly knows how to write gripping and atmospheric historical fiction. I was immediately drawn into the story wanting to read more to discover what was going to happen next. I felt that she perfectly evoked the atmosphere of World War Two London and Paris. There was a constant feeling throughout the book of unease, uncertainty and fear that something was about to happen. The description of war time Paris where Gestapo raids are part of everyday life added tothe already tense atmosphere as no one knew who would be next. The authors use of real places that were used by the Germans as headquarters or offices helped make the story and events more real.
I have long been a fan of strong, confident female characters so I was thrilled that this book contained two of them. I loved reading about their exploits and how they never let being a women get in their way. Both women go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover what they are capable of. This is especially true of Edie who starts the book with people being unsure that she'll make a good agent to her becoming a confident and capable agent towards the end.
The tension in the book is gradually increased as the book goes on. I don't want to say to much about what happens as I don't want to give anything away but towards the end I found myself holding my breath as events unfolded.
I thought the ending was brilliant and very fitting for all the characters involved. I wish it hadn't ended there as I would have loved to have read more about what happened next but maybe, hopefully, there is a sequel planned.
This is Clare Harvey's second book although this is the first one I've read. Her first book, The Gunner Girl, is a prequel to this one and feature Edie again. This book can be read as a stand alone book through, which is what I gave done and it works perfectly well.

Huge thanks to Jess Barrett and Simon & Schuster for giving me a copy of this book.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

In fairness, this would be a good read for many but unfortunately for me, it just didn't draw me in.
Easy to read.

[Bonnie Toews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This WWII novel is one of the best I`ve read about women agents recruited by the British (SOE) to live amongst the local people in Occupied Europe to assist the local resistance to fight the Nazis. In reality, many of these women spies were recruited from England`s upper classes, and of those dropped into France, none survived. A very sad truth. This story is an imaginary account of one of the first women recruited. The research into how the women were trained is meticulous. As a backdrop, one character is a fictional rendition of the actual organizer and recruiter of this group of women agents. More than this I will not disclose other than to say I could not put the story down once I started reading it. Along with the story, THE ENGLISH AGENT boasts of the finest literary writing.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.snazzybooks.com

The English Agent is a well-written, enjoyable novel about a subject that doesn't always get as much coverage as it should: the women's effort during the war, particularly female agents that risked their lives to help the resistance against the Nazis in France.

The story unfolds from two perspectives: agent Edie (codename Yvette) who is fresh out of training on her first mission abroad, in Nazi-occupied France, and Vera, who trains and looks after the agents. This way you see snippets of info about the war from both France and London. You really get a feel for what life must be like for both women, and the danger that Edie in particular faces.

The story is fast paced and kept me enthralled. I love novels set in WW1 or WW2, so hoped I'd really enjoy this - and I definitely did!

The English Agent felt like a well-researched story, and two of the characters were apparently based on real people. There were parts that were probably over-dramatised for the purpose of the story, but none of it felt completely unbelievable, which was good. I liked that the characters weren't completely 'good' or 'bad' depending on whether they were Allies or not (and perhaps this is partly because . Most of the characters had their own faults or errors in judgement, despite being generally good people, whilst people you'd assume would be bad through and through weren't necessarily presented in such an obvious way. There are some really inspirational women in this novel that I loved reading about, and found it fascinating to read about people involved in the war that we don't often hear much about.

There is quite a lot of the story that jumps around, and sometimes I got a little confused as to whether we were in the present day or 'remembering' past events. Bits of the characters' memories are sort of 'teased' out throughout the novel, which I really enjoyed reading and added extra tension to the story!

Clare Harvey's other novel, The Gunner Girl, features Edie in it too, and I'd like to read more about her (though I suppose that would be a sort of prequel to The English Agent) - still, I'll definitely still be adding it to my reading list!

The English Agent is definitely a truly entertaining, well-written and enjoyable read that I'd really recommend!

* Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an unbiased and honest review, and for the spot on the blog tour! *

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very good WWII book. I know I never could do what these people did to sabotage the Germans, the risks they took, the torture if they were ever caught. But they were worth everything to win the war.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel: The English Agent

Fascinating. Clever to use the alternating views of two women in very different war times roles as I was in both Paris and London at the same time seeing events unfold from both sides of the fence so to speak. I do think this might make things a bit tricky for reading on a kindle however as it does flit back and forth quite rapidly but as the story builds you get to really appreciate why it does this.

The story was quite amazing. I’v read war time stories before and particularly those with the SOE’s in Paris but this felt very real and I was close to every event which unfolded. The omnipresent danger and the underlying threats permeated everything that took place where I started to second guess even the most banal of events or utterances. Guess this was really what happened in war time though – for who could you trust? The short sentences and short chapters added to this – feeling of secret covert news.

I really – is enjoy the word? these stories about women doing remarkable things in times of war. Things they were not expected or even thought capable of doing. It gives a better understanding of how complex and chaotic war really was – and that’s an understatement.

I’ve not read Gunner Girl and despite this being the sequel, it’s a standalone as I didn’t feel I’d missed out on anything. I will however go and get Gunner Girl now based on this book!

[Ang Pickering · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant war time story. Edie is disillusioned with wartime London and sets her sights on helping the resistance in Paris, whereas Vera wants to become a UK citizen and works in the foreign office. Reading this book makes you realize how some women got really involved in the war effort, and you feel you are there with them. There are some surprises along the way and I found it hard to put down! Excellently written.

[Paul Kearley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Goodreads giveaway win – the review

The English Agent was a rollicking good read, the perfect example of escapism at its best. Fluffy, light and full of heart, I found the overall book fun to read, a slice of historical drama with a side of adventure.
The overall storyline was good, albeit rather predictable. Edie, the ‘pretty English rose’ is sent to Paris as a secret agent as part of the war effort, (WWII is always guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings), and battles it out amongst café lattes, illegal beauty products and of course a side of dangerous situations involving moves not unlike Lara Croft.
Meanwhile, the handsome, severe and desperately unhappy Vera is back in London experiencing all types of woe while battling it out in a majority ruled male dominated environment while seemingly to think about Edie a lot. (Almost started to think the story might go another way a one point).
Finally, the layout of the book was really confusing to start with as it flips between characters constantly and introduces new characters and their stories along the way. I got a bit over having to chop and change perspective multiple times in one chapter however this is really the only problem I had with it.
I think it was a good book and would recommend people to read it, however don’t go looking for depth, accept it for what it is and enjoy it!

[Kirsteen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second excellent read from new(ish)author Clare Harvey. Characters you really enjoy getting to know, characters you like and want to keep as friends and others you are wary of. But all are consuming and enthralling. The detail of wartime Paris and London place you right there. Very much looking forward to the third novel.

[Anne Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was completely different from what I expected, mainly, I think, because I’ve read quite a few novels recently about the bravery of those involved in the SOE during WWII. Here, although bravery is there, the theme is compromise. The English agent is Edie, a somewhat naïve young woman, who’d just come through a series of losses for which she blames herself, described in Clare Harvey’s first book, The Gunner Girl. She is parachuted into Occupied France where she will work as a wireless operator, surely one of the most dangerous occupations at that time since they were easily tracked down. Edie is no exception, she is quickly captured and, to save her Resistance compatriots, she agrees to co-operate with the SD. Her young German interpreter, Gerhardt, is the illegitimate son of a high-ranking Nazi officer and the two form a reluctant bond. Also featured at length in the novel is Vera Atkins, Edie’s controller in London, who has her own problems, being a foreigner herself. I was fascinated to learn, from the author’s notes at the end, that Vera Atkins was a real person, as was the high-ranking Nazi. Although it took me some time to get into the story, I really enjoyed this thought-provoking follow-up. Interesting to see, too, how Ms Harvey’s writing has developed. Good work.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of three people, The English Agent tells the story of how they all become involved in the WW2 occupation of France and of the work of the Special Operations Executive organisation.

Edie is a young girl who was parachuted into France to be a wireless operator, Vera, her dispatcher who sees off many of the British Agents at the airfield and then there is Gerhardt a young German translator. All from very different backgrounds.

It was fascinating to see how their lives changed during the course of the story, I really enjoyed the story of Edie, and how she was stronger than she appeared, when confronted with the horrors of the war, how she was tested. Vera feels a connection with Edie as they're both running away from something in their past.

Though this is a work of fiction, this is a tribute to the bravery of the women who were plucked from their ordinary lives and put into extraordinary situations.....of how they coped.

Wonderful storytelling with believable characters, I was eagerly turning the pages, anxious to find out what would happen to them all, this is one of those stories that really makes you grateful that you were born after the war and didn't have those choices to make.

It was also interesting to read after the end that some of the characters were based on real people, such as Vera Atkins.

A recommended read if you're looking for an enthralling wartime story, with spies and double crossing agents.

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started this one and realised I had already read it. A good book nevertheless

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book to read and review

It is wartime in London and Edie is feeling that she is missing out on life. She wants adventure and an opportunity to do her bit for the war. She gets a job in S.O.E. a secret Operations unit and is sent to work in Paris. In a very dangerous job she takes the name Yvette as she is parachuted in.
But the story doesn'y just follow Edie - it also leads you through the war effort with Vera who works at the foreign office. But it turns out she is having a bad time - she has lost contact with one of their agents .............Yvette .
The author takes you through a journey of Yvette and the dangers she faces whilst unbeknown at being invisible back home.
You soon discover how dangerous this secret life in a war torn country is and marvel at the bravery of the women who volunteered to do this work

[Lauren Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great and thrilling read!

[Tredaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story about Edie, who is escaping a personal trauma to be part of the Secret Operations Executive in Paris under the code name Yvette. Her handler in London is Vera, Romanian born and desperate to gain UK citizenship. The story combines fictional and real historical characters from the era and there is a real sense of peril as Edie gets caught out by her own naivety and mistakes made back in London. Highly readable.

A Goodreads giveaway.

[Julie Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I would like this. However I was completely hooked. Really enjoyed the narrative and although I did guess some of the outcomes I was pleased with the final conclusion.

Would try more books by this author.

[Nathalie Gotting · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting war time story about women doing what they have to do to survive. It is a story of love not a love story. I enjoyed it enormously.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous page turner. If you like war stories and especially resistance and SOE you will enjoy this
book.

[Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on: http://www.albainbookland.com/2017/04...

What an interesting story The English Agent turned out to be! I have read several historical fiction novels set in WW2 in the last few months so I wasn't expecting a big surprise from this one, but I soon realized that Clare Harvey had chosen a very unusual topic that people (or at least me in particular) don't know much about: the role of women as spies during the war.

The story follows Eddie as she lands in Nazi-occupied Paris to be the link and coder between the French resistance group and London. At the same time, we also learn about Vera, who recruits and trains spies as Eddie. I was fascinated by how brave these women were and how they always had to work extra hard to prove themselves just because they were women.

Both characters though were really cagey. We really didn't know about their pasts but there were clearly dark secrets behind them. So at the beginning I was really not sure what to think about them. Also, they were far from perfect and some of their decisions were questionable. I have to say though that they grew on me and I was hoping for the best for them, even if their futures seemed quite doomed.

Not only I liked the characters but also the pace of the story. The tension built up slowly at the beginning as we got to know everyone and what their role was but as the action started, I couldn't keep myself off the pages of this book. Plus, the story is based in real people, so I after finishing it, it really made me think how they must have felt and lived back then. I always enjoy books that teach me something new I didn't know about and The English Agent is one of those.

All in all, a well researched and entertaining story that with strong and interesting characters. It really gave me an idea of how the occupied Paris must have been and how people lived in fear all the time, especially the brave one fighting from inside. A highly recommended read for historic novels fans.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it tells the story of a female agent, dropped into occupied France in order to aid the war against the Nazis by sending messages from the French resistance back to England. It is written telling the story from both sides of the channel. I thought it is well written and the characters very likeable a good read!

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book, extremely well written.
The two main characters alternate in telling the story with the addition of another one later.
If you like wartime historical fiction, with a dash of romance, you'll probably enjoy this.
The detail is amazing, particularly in the car chase through Paris with bombs falling on it.
The author has chosen to write historical fiction in modern day language which I suppose enables one to identify more with the characters but which I found a trifle annoying and out of character with the time. Despite that, her otherwise brilliant prose and descriptions won me over, particularly her amazing use of similes.
I'm also left with the impression that it rained a lot. For some reason, the rainy weather became almost an extra character in the plot. I'm not sure if it was intended to be this way, but it did add a great deal to the atmosphere of the time.
As I read, the book changed from a three star novel to a four star one that really engaged me.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the reasons I chose this book was that it had recommendations from my two favourite authors on the front cover. (Ellie Dean and Dilly Court) l found that this story wasn't at all simular to the many stories I have enjoyed by these authors. It's about Edie who is the English Agent and Vera who's in charge of the agents sent to France. It's full of secrets and lies, blackmail and double agents, spies and codes. At times I was confused and couldn't be sure who was on which side. Not really by type of story.

[Tina Milledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this a lot!

[Heather Copping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank Clare Harvey and goodreads for letting me read this book as part of goodreads giveaways.
I really enjoyed this book . I thought it was going to be a romantic saga before I started reading it and so was pleasantly surprised to find it was a wartime story about a young girl who was originally in the ATS and was then recruited into the SOE. It has many twists and turns and you are left wondering who is a double agent. I especially liked the ending to the book, I thought it finished off well with plenty of action although would have liked the story to have continued on a bit more to tie up loose ends . I had not read the first book in this series The Gunner Girl but that did not spoil my reading of this book. Would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good wartime story and I think this story would make an excellent television drama.

[Eric Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This proved to be a bit of a mixture . An adventure , with the heroine parachuting into German -occupied Paris as a secret agent ; a drama , with a variety of possible double agents and traitors taking part ; a soap , with characters straight out of Downton Abbey ; and a Mills and Boon , with 2 separate romances as a side issue for the 2 leading women in the story . I didn't know the author previously , but the book was an easy read , although the writer seemed to think that a sprinkling of crudity might help it become a best seller .

[SALLY WHITE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. I really enjoyed this read. Set during the First World War and concentrating on the important role women during the conflict. It is seen through different perspectives ie Edie, who is a wireless operator in France and Vera (known as Yvette), who is working in the foreign office. I found both the women to be believable characters, and as the story progressed, difficult to put the book down.

[Joanna Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a little slow to start if I'm honest and some chapters were excessively long (chapter 2 was a whopping 63 pages!). I wasn't overly taken with the back and forward of the characters, however I did find it a gripping read once it reached the halfway point.
It was refreshing to see a story that centred around strong female characters without being weakened by the end.

[LdnLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think I’d get so into it but I sat up reading this cause I personally couldn’t put it down I needed to know what next! Again you finish the book wondering what happened to the characters even years later what happened! It also kept you guessing and try to figure it out (hence i couldn’t put it down, and my third guess was right!)

[M F · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're so used to brave airman and suave male spies in war stories it's great to read a novel where women - and women who are utterly believable - take centre stage. Romance hovers but is not the crux of their stories. I was absolutely hooked.

[Lysergius · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely unconvincing. Anyone interviewed by the Gestapo after being found in possession of a radio transmitter in occupied Paris who is not a quivering jelly is either very stupid or very brave. I am not going to waste my time on this.