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Captain Harry Tennant #1
The Unquiet Grave
London, 1946.
The war may be over, but the it’s devastating effects are not…
Captain Harry Tennant has returned from serving in Italy and North Africa, expecting to be demobbed, only to find his services are still in demand.
A policeman before the war, he’s made part of the Intelligence Corps, investigating war crimes.
Mostly he looks into smaller cases of army personnel who are the victims, or perpetrators of crimes.
That’s how Rose Kearney’s file ends up on his desk.
Her brother William, a soldier with the Hampshire Regiment, was reported missing in action after D-Day. Having heard nothing else since, she’s travelling from their home in Wicklow to find answers.
As Harry starts to investigate, he learns Kearney was part of a carrier crew fighting near Caen.
The bodies from Kearney’s crew are found near a French chateau, with one appearing to have been executed.
But there’s was no sign of Kearney.
Reports of Nazi atrocities nearby are leaking out and at first, it seems the men were victims of the ruthless Nazi machine.
But things aren’t adding up for Tennant.
Why was Kearney’s body never found, and why was an SS officer discovered with the missing man’s disks?
Although his superior, Jekyll, wants the death blamed on the SS and quickly wrapped up, the more Harry digs, the more curious he becomes.
He sets out to find answers, but only seems to dig up more questions.
And it’s not long before Tennant find himself in grave danger…
The war may be over, but the it’s devastating effects are not…
Captain Harry Tennant has returned from serving in Italy and North Africa, expecting to be demobbed, only to find his services are still in demand.
A policeman before the war, he’s made part of the Intelligence Corps, investigating war crimes.
Mostly he looks into smaller cases of army personnel who are the victims, or perpetrators of crimes.
That’s how Rose Kearney’s file ends up on his desk.
Her brother William, a soldier with the Hampshire Regiment, was reported missing in action after D-Day. Having heard nothing else since, she’s travelling from their home in Wicklow to find answers.
As Harry starts to investigate, he learns Kearney was part of a carrier crew fighting near Caen.
The bodies from Kearney’s crew are found near a French chateau, with one appearing to have been executed.
But there’s was no sign of Kearney.
Reports of Nazi atrocities nearby are leaking out and at first, it seems the men were victims of the ruthless Nazi machine.
But things aren’t adding up for Tennant.
Why was Kearney’s body never found, and why was an SS officer discovered with the missing man’s disks?
Although his superior, Jekyll, wants the death blamed on the SS and quickly wrapped up, the more Harry digs, the more curious he becomes.
He sets out to find answers, but only seems to dig up more questions.
And it’s not long before Tennant find himself in grave danger…
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2016
183 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
David J. Oldman
14 books11 followersBorn into the austerity of post-war Britain, David J Oldman began writing in his early twenties and is now unable to break the habit. Frequently humorous, and often deceptively moving, his books are an examination of ordinary people caught up in life-changing events beyond their control. He presently lives with his wife in the New Forest in the south of England, adjusting to a life just beyond his own control while pursuing his deep interest in history, writers and writing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 14, 2018
Not sure to be honest.
To be really honest, I'm not sure how I felt about this book. I persevered because I wanted to like it. I wanted to get lost in the story, not just lost, but unfortunately I did get lost.....a lot. Maybe it just wasn't for me
To be really honest, I'm not sure how I felt about this book. I persevered because I wanted to like it. I wanted to get lost in the story, not just lost, but unfortunately I did get lost.....a lot. Maybe it just wasn't for me
May 29, 2017
Here's a fine one: written with a heart and a brain. True, it's about a British army war-crimes unit tracking down those responsible for atrocities committed during WW II, but it's as well handled as that might be. There is a great deal of detail of the where, when, how and who of things in this intense era.
There are side stories: messy marriages, the disaster that was London after the bombings and V1 missile strikes, the extreme shortages, the relentless poverty of the poor, and of England itself, once again impoverished by war, as it was during the Napoleonic/Peninsular wars. I found it very readable even though I would normally not read a war story.
There are side stories: messy marriages, the disaster that was London after the bombings and V1 missile strikes, the extreme shortages, the relentless poverty of the poor, and of England itself, once again impoverished by war, as it was during the Napoleonic/Peninsular wars. I found it very readable even though I would normally not read a war story.
June 17, 2017
Really a great story. Very complicated with interesting aspects of personal life added. 1946 and the war crimes investigations have many levels. This group gets odd things that simply need to get checked out. Nothing like the big investigations that led to Nuremberg. Highly recommended if you like WW2 mysteries.
Writing style might be a bit hard to get into at first, but then if flows.
Writing style might be a bit hard to get into at first, but then if flows.
August 13, 2017
1946 and Captain Harry Tennant has returned from service to join the intelligence corp to investigate war crimes - the smaller cases. Which was the exact reason that Rose Kearney's letter seeking to determine the whereabouts of her missing in action brother ended up on his desk.
A very readable story and mystery with descriptions of the time.
A very readable story and mystery with descriptions of the time.
August 16, 2017
I enjoyed this story about British Army investigator Captain Harry Tennant.
An ex-copper, Harry enlisted during the war and rose through the ranks. Just as he thinks he's about to be demobbed, he's put in charge of a small section investigating small scale war crimes from their office in London just after the Second World War.
A file mysteriously appears on Harry's desk one morning, concerning the case of four British soldiers involved in the fighting near Caen in July 1944. Two were burned to death in their vehicle, one was found with a bullet to the back of the head and the fourth is missing presumed dead. But pulled the trigger and where is the missing man?
The story takes Harry from well-to-do Belgravia to rural Ireland as he hunts for the truth like a pig rooting for truffles. The central mystery encompasses SS Panzer groups, Gestapo officers, a French chateau owner, IRA activists and sympathisers and the upper echelons of British society.
Harry is an appealing character, one not overly bothered about following the rule book to the letter. He's aided by his team, each with their own talents. Susie looked like she was going to be an interesting character - the most natural detective of them all - but she faded into the background as the take advanced.
There's a sub-plot about Harry's wife being pursued by his never-seen brother to the approval of their rotten mother, but that seems a bit pointless. It seems like it was thrown in to give Harry more emotional depth, but Harry never seemed all that bothered about his wife, so it doesn't particularly work. I liked war-weary, cynical Harry without the added complication of a lacklustre marriage.
Other than that, the plot is suitably labyrinthine to keep readers interested and the image of London just about holding together in the aftermath of the Blitz comes through strongly. I would definitely read another Harry Tennant story.
An ex-copper, Harry enlisted during the war and rose through the ranks. Just as he thinks he's about to be demobbed, he's put in charge of a small section investigating small scale war crimes from their office in London just after the Second World War.
A file mysteriously appears on Harry's desk one morning, concerning the case of four British soldiers involved in the fighting near Caen in July 1944. Two were burned to death in their vehicle, one was found with a bullet to the back of the head and the fourth is missing presumed dead. But pulled the trigger and where is the missing man?
The story takes Harry from well-to-do Belgravia to rural Ireland as he hunts for the truth like a pig rooting for truffles. The central mystery encompasses SS Panzer groups, Gestapo officers, a French chateau owner, IRA activists and sympathisers and the upper echelons of British society.
Harry is an appealing character, one not overly bothered about following the rule book to the letter. He's aided by his team, each with their own talents. Susie looked like she was going to be an interesting character - the most natural detective of them all - but she faded into the background as the take advanced.
There's a sub-plot about Harry's wife being pursued by his never-seen brother to the approval of their rotten mother, but that seems a bit pointless. It seems like it was thrown in to give Harry more emotional depth, but Harry never seemed all that bothered about his wife, so it doesn't particularly work. I liked war-weary, cynical Harry without the added complication of a lacklustre marriage.
Other than that, the plot is suitably labyrinthine to keep readers interested and the image of London just about holding together in the aftermath of the Blitz comes through strongly. I would definitely read another Harry Tennant story.
January 16, 2018
This what I call a round about novel. It seems the author makes valid points referring to the main dialogue of the story round about every history lecture. I guess that writing alot about the history of these war time novels is a way to fill in the gaps, make the novel lengthier. Because alot of the information was repetitive almost to boredom. I kept wondering what's the real plot, but then there's more war history and the story runs away from the main scene. I truly understood only 40% of the books purpose as to what was and was not suppose to be investigated. Most of the characters were kind of vacant in their place to make the story more fulfilling or ominous. When most of the mystery was put on the table towards the end, I had to go back to the blurb to find out if I started on the right novel. I really don't know what interested me in this novel, but it's not as good as it could be story wise. There's alot of things that I just don't have the energy to mention that would've made the climax alot more indulgent if it had more intensity and allure in the meat of the dialogue. This book is recommended for history buffs of the old war era. The fiction was probably 40% of the novel. I can't say it's a drab because I read it through to the end looking for that spark that'll make me say wow but it never came. But I'm no quitter I kept reading and it's well written, it's just not my cup of tea so to speak.
March 10, 2023
Captain Harry Tennant is one of those men who was utterly changed by World War Two. The empty places in his life are mirrored by the London wreckage that surrounds him every day. Rather than being demobbed after VE-Day, he was made part of an Army Intelligence Corps group investigating war crimes. As he puts his team’s mission: “We investigate anything that might possibly be classed as a war crime…Not the big stuff – concentration camps and the wholesale massacres – more run-of-the-mill incidents. Summary execution of POWs...reprisals against civilians...that sort of thing” (p119). In June 1946, a file mysteriously dropped on his desk by his superior officer, the one-eyed Col. Jekyll, offers a puzzle involving murdered Tommies at a chateau near Caen, a labyrinth of false identities, an Irish seductress, the family of his emotionally (and socially) wife. Early in THE UNQUIET GRAVE, Tennant says: “After Dunkirk when it became obvious we were on our own, I swapped uniforms” (p116). The real question for him as a continuing character is: What will Harry do when he finally is altogether devoid of any uniform?
December 30, 2024
I had low expectations of this novel as I paid a mere 99p for it and the first 30 pages or so seemed to fit my expectations. However, I stuck with it and it developed into an intriguing and nicely written thriller, introducing Captain Harry Tennant, who will no doubt feature in a series of books. The action is set in London in 1946, and Tennant has returned from service in Italy and later Berlin, to head up a small unit investigating Nazi war crimes. The unit is given the case of a destroyed Bren gun carrier discovered in Normandy with 2 of the crew dead in the back, a third man clearly executed and the fourth missing, though with his ID tags discovered in possession of a dead SS officer. As Tennant tries to piece together the events, he falls foul of the IRA, discovers that truth may not be what his superiors want to hear and finds that the case has links to his already complicated personal life. The Unquiet Grave successfully evokes the grime and ruin of postwar London, with rationing and privation, and skilfully weaves together a complex mystery with a not entirely obvious solution.
August 29, 2021
What a discovery this book is! The author caught the uncertainty of post-war London perfectly in the character of Harry Tennant; not quite married, not quite discharged from the army, temporarily employed and homed.
The rich period detail, especially through Harry's cheerfully cynical eyes, made me feel as though I was there. This is a book rich in atmosphere and characterisation. I can understand it might not be gripping for those wanting a fast-paced mystery to resolve. But for this reader, the way the book unfolded, with the plot all about discovery and self-discovery was perfectly paced and delivered. A brilliant read.
The rich period detail, especially through Harry's cheerfully cynical eyes, made me feel as though I was there. This is a book rich in atmosphere and characterisation. I can understand it might not be gripping for those wanting a fast-paced mystery to resolve. But for this reader, the way the book unfolded, with the plot all about discovery and self-discovery was perfectly paced and delivered. A brilliant read.
March 27, 2018
A long time coming, but worth the wait.
A very well written book, but one that took me a while to realise it. The first third of the book seemed to meander around, going nowhere, apart from giving you a good description of the privations of post war London.
Then suddenly the plot kicked in and the rest of the book made up for the previous third.
The story is complex and at times left me wondering where it's was going but by the end I was a fully paid fan.
A very well written book, but one that took me a while to realise it. The first third of the book seemed to meander around, going nowhere, apart from giving you a good description of the privations of post war London.
Then suddenly the plot kicked in and the rest of the book made up for the previous third.
The story is complex and at times left me wondering where it's was going but by the end I was a fully paid fan.
May 24, 2020
A delightful story based around a war crime investigation
Sounds unlikely but the characters, dialogue and plot don't come over as dark or sinister in this first person account. Set after the second world war a small army section, tasked with investigating lesser level war crimes is asked to look at what appears to be a very minor (by their standards) event. It eventually, and gradually becomes clear what they are investigating and why. I enjoyed every page.
Sounds unlikely but the characters, dialogue and plot don't come over as dark or sinister in this first person account. Set after the second world war a small army section, tasked with investigating lesser level war crimes is asked to look at what appears to be a very minor (by their standards) event. It eventually, and gradually becomes clear what they are investigating and why. I enjoyed every page.
March 27, 2017
Enjoyable read. Gives a tiny peek into the process of verifying WW11 war crimes. There are 3 seemingly unrelated investigations under way and it's interesting how Mr Oldman has them converge and interweave. Some of the relationships area a little unbelievable but I did find the overall story intriguing.
June 9, 2019
Intriguing storyline
I found this book to be a bit slow getting started, BUT once it got going, it became more cohesive and the real plots intriguing. I was dismayed however at the abundance of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. If this is the original story, Mr Oldham needs a good proofreader, or at least a spelling and grammar program.
I found this book to be a bit slow getting started, BUT once it got going, it became more cohesive and the real plots intriguing. I was dismayed however at the abundance of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. If this is the original story, Mr Oldham needs a good proofreader, or at least a spelling and grammar program.
July 25, 2020
First in a series set just post-WWII England. A former policeman now worx in a very minor war crimes investigation unit, looking into a very unusual episode that might, or might not, be a war crime. It's a first book so it's not great, but it is well enough done to pursue the next. My only criticism is that the red herring is too big to ignore yet is essentially unrelated to the story.
May 7, 2017
A Real Taste of 1946
Great read, completely absorbed me. Truly captures the reality of like in Britain in the immediate aftermath of World War two. All the character's, with possible exception of Rose feel authentic. No heroes and even the villains rendered with nuance.
Great read, completely absorbed me. Truly captures the reality of like in Britain in the immediate aftermath of World War two. All the character's, with possible exception of Rose feel authentic. No heroes and even the villains rendered with nuance.
July 5, 2019
The main plot centered around a murder within a war situation was interesting but its highlight for me was its setting immediately after WWII - with the characters having to cope with rationing, damaged dwellings, etc. The romantic subplots we could have done without.
July 13, 2019
Torpid
A sluggish read set immediately in the aftermath of WW II in London. The plot moves at a snails pace and none of the characters were particularly interesting. Only the protagonist has a mild interest in seeking the truth and in the end, it hardly matters.
A sluggish read set immediately in the aftermath of WW II in London. The plot moves at a snails pace and none of the characters were particularly interesting. Only the protagonist has a mild interest in seeking the truth and in the end, it hardly matters.
November 22, 2020
A bit complicated but turned into a very good read. Good strong characters will be interested to see where Tennant goes from here.
As above complicated with a satisfying end the thing that is missing from so many good reads. Would recommend enjoy.
As above complicated with a satisfying end the thing that is missing from so many good reads. Would recommend enjoy.
June 16, 2023
I put off reading this for ages, why as this was an amazing book well written and full of snipets of interesting information that made this an amazing read one that kept me hooked the whole wway through. Several twists and turns that you needed to keep focused.
December 6, 2017
Wartime mystery
Easily readable and engaging story, really liked the description of London and it's people immediately after the end of the war., rationing, coupons etc.,
Easily readable and engaging story, really liked the description of London and it's people immediately after the end of the war., rationing, coupons etc.,
September 2, 2019
Maybe 4.5. Well-written mystery taking place just after WWII in UK. Protagonist works in War Crimes unit tracking folks down.
September 14, 2019
Excellent, really enjoyed this
September 19, 2019
A really good book
Enjoyed this character and the story line, lots of twist and turns that required concentration. I look forward to reading thev2nd book in this series.
Enjoyed this character and the story line, lots of twist and turns that required concentration. I look forward to reading thev2nd book in this series.
Read
September 20, 2019A lot of confusing I go about people and places but the main plot and story were interesting. I would like a bit more character depth but overall I enjoyed the book
June 5, 2020
A good story, with some interesting characters, a good feel for place and time. Maybe slightly over-written, hence not 5 stars, but still worth the investment of a little of your time.
October 13, 2020
Excellent and intricate plot.
Terrific evocation of post war austerity as the backdrop to a complex and riveting story.
Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Terrific evocation of post war austerity as the backdrop to a complex and riveting story.
Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
October 16, 2020
Decent story if a bit long winded when it comes to his family
April 24, 2023
interisting story well constructed
Very good read from beginning to end well worth the effort. Well put together hope there is a sequel wWould recommend
Very good read from beginning to end well worth the effort. Well put together hope there is a sequel wWould recommend
October 2, 2019
The Unquiet Grave had a bit of a slow start, as sometimes happens with first-in-a-series books, but once I got going with it, it held my interest. World War II has ended not long ago, and Captain Harry Tennant is still in the Army, detailed to a small section investigating minor war crimes. (In other words, not the stuff of the Nuremberg Trials, but crimes such as executing POWs for convenience' sake.) One of these investigations ends up involving people with a bit of influence -- and still worse, some may be connected to Tennant's somewhat-estranged wife. Oh, and there's the IRA as well. All this, in a London still suffering the aftermath of Nazi bombs. I will probably look for more of this series.
November 15, 2016
The Unquiet Grave is not quite a mystery nor a spy novel, but it incorporates elements of both. Captain Harry Tennant's job is to investigate war crimes, not the big cases, but the smaller ones. Most are a matter of form, putting together information from the records of both sides. Oldman is a bit overzealous enumerating the complex movements of troops and the various officers. It is confusing and detracts from an otherwise good story.
Rose Kearney's inquiry into her brother's disappearance is not something Tennant's group would ordinarily handle. There are aspects of the situation that put it in their purview. Two of Kearney's comrades burned to death, but the third was clearly executed. Kearney's remains were not found. Tennant's superiors hope for a quick resolution, attributing the death to some of the German troops in the area. Tennant, however, wants to find the truth and starts asking difficult questions. Questions whose answers may cause more trouble and more danger than anticipated.
As a stand alone novel, The Unquiet Grave is a good mystery - a bit slow and ponderous, but with good characterization and thorough plotting. I might be wrong, but The Unquiet Grave may be the first of a series, providing background for Tennant as he joins the newly formed MI5.
4/5
I received a copy of The Unquiet Grave from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Rose Kearney's inquiry into her brother's disappearance is not something Tennant's group would ordinarily handle. There are aspects of the situation that put it in their purview. Two of Kearney's comrades burned to death, but the third was clearly executed. Kearney's remains were not found. Tennant's superiors hope for a quick resolution, attributing the death to some of the German troops in the area. Tennant, however, wants to find the truth and starts asking difficult questions. Questions whose answers may cause more trouble and more danger than anticipated.
As a stand alone novel, The Unquiet Grave is a good mystery - a bit slow and ponderous, but with good characterization and thorough plotting. I might be wrong, but The Unquiet Grave may be the first of a series, providing background for Tennant as he joins the newly formed MI5.
4/5
I received a copy of The Unquiet Grave from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews