The Lantern Network

by Ted Allbeury

Routine surveillance, nothing special' - Commander Bailey's brief from Special Branch seems simple enough. But it leads to a sudden, bloody suicide. Piece-by-piece, Baily uncovers the history of a courageous special agent aiding the French Resistance during WWII. But the agent's loyalties are fatally divided. Thirty years on, in a quiet flat in south London, the final, tragic act of the drama takes place...THE LANTERN NETWORK is a gripping story of heroism and betrayal in Nazi-occupied France from a genuine craftsman of the thriller genre.'A grimly realistic story of patriotism, treachery and fierce courage of men and women who defy torture and death' - Daily Telegraph

Genres: Thriller, Espionage, Fiction, War, Mystery, British Literature

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

1917 - 2005. Also wrote under the pseudonyms Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly.

Ted Allbeury was a lieutenant-colonel in the Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later a successful executive in the fields of marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one highly-praised general novel, THE CHOICE, and a short story collection, OTHER KINDS OF TREASON. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died on 4th December 2005.


See also: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/j...
and
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/t...

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ted Allbeury, a now almost forgotten author, once rivalled Deighton and LeCarré in the bestseller lists through the 70s and 80s. This novel from the late 70s is a superb example of his craft. A taught, tough espionage thriller about the French Resistance in World War 2, The Lantern Network has that ring of truth about it that shows Allbeury's background in the intelligence services.

The novel starts with a routine Special Branch investigation into a solitary, anonymous factory owner, James Walters, who has possible links to the KGB. When, for no apparent reason, he kills himself by slashing his throat, Commander Bailey of Special Branch has to try and find out why. Who was he really? What made him suddenly commit suicide.

There follows a flashback central part of the novel which details the exploits of a British SOE officer (cover name Charles Chaland) who is sent to run a section of the Resistance (due to his French background) in occupied France. This part is utterly gripping as he and his men harry the Germans in the run up to D-Day. The risks and dangers these brave men and women went through are brought vividly to life, as is the brutality of the Gestapo. Allbeury pulls no punches.

At the heart of this novel is, as with all good spy novels, betrayal and divided loyalties. Allbeury keeps the mystery alive in the third part of the novel as Bailey visits survivors of the Resistance in France and tries to piece together what happened to Chaland after D-Day and whether it links to Walters. Bailey's journey mirrors that of Chaland and the novel highlights the secrets we must keep to safeguard loved ones.

A great read and all done in 200 pages! It's a shame that Allbeury's backlist is out of print. He's well worth your time if you love spy thrillers. Time to hit those second hand bookshops and eBay....

[Tim Trewartha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable spy novel, partly set in occupied France during WWII. Well written, interesting characters, decent plot, highly recommended.

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good thriller showing the terrible consequences of betrayal in French Resistance groups during World War II.

Allbeury apparently served with SOE duirng the war, and it kind of shows.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older thriller that is just as excellent now as when it was first published.

[David Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

First rate story in which our late 1970’s intelligence services note slightly suspicious behaviour from a factory owner James Walters, who has attended a reception in Poland and visited a gallery in Paris known to be the site of a KGB dead letter drop.
Bailey takes on the task of interviewing the man who seems to have no vices or past at all. An unfortunate event than leads Bailey to try and make further enquiries.
We flash back to France in 1943-44 and an SOE commander, Charles Parker, with an axe to grind with the Nazis and who’s organisational skills and training make for an ideal leader of the resistance but is dogged by ill-fortune and otherwise heroic colleagues who are relatively incompetent or worse.
As preparations for D-Day progress there are inevitable tragedies, skirmishes with the Gestapo and desperate emotional entanglements. There is no let up in the appalling decisions that have to be taken as France fights for its life and vested interests compete to position themselves for the political future beyond the war.
The author draws on his own extensive experience to create an all too believable account of desperate times. Many such bleak but incredible stories are only now being uncovered and in the 1970s I expect a lot of the events portrayed (albeit this is a fictional account) were subject to official secrecy (like those who worked at Bletchley and whose families never knew during their lifetime).
We just didn’t know to whom we should have been grateful while admirable former operatives lived out the post war years in quiet anonymity. I remember a crotchety elderly female patient of mine living in a care home who claimed she’d been in the SOE. I could well believe it. She died in the 1990s and, as far as I am aware, never told her story.
Bailey spends part 3 of the book competently piecing together events for which there was no apparent record; ironically the Germans hold the key to unlocking the past.

[Jak60 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of courage, love, treason and, like most of Allbeury's stories, it's a tragic story. There's little espionage and tradecraft in The Lantern Network, which is mostly about the final period of the WW2 Resistance in France, so, in this respect, it's a kind of Allbeury light; a good read but not among the best from this author.
This book confirmed to me, if there was any need, that reading Allbeury is like a going to a treasure hunt. If you think that by picking the top 2-3 books in terms of popularity you'd get the author’s best, then you risk to be rather disappointed. In fact The Twentieth Day In January (n.1) and The Lantern (n.3), object of the present review, are in my view far from being the best books by Allbeury.
So, in order to find the treasures, you need to dig deeper into the author’s body if work, which is very wide, scratching the bottom of the barrel; this way, you might stumble in quite a few ordinary books but, if you persist, you’ll discover some real golden nuggets from what is one of the most under-rated writers of clod war espionage novels.
My personal list:
The golden nuggets
Seeds Of Treason (my favourite)
The Other Side Of Silence
The Dangerous Edge
A Wilderness Of Mirrors
Moscow Quadrille
Shadow Of A Doubt
The Only Good German
The Line Crosser
Beyond The Silence
The OK books
The Crossing (it didn't make the top of my list for half a notch...)
The Twentieth Day In January
The Lantern
What you can skip
Show Me A Heroe
No Place To Hide
The Girl From Addis
Pay Any Price (my least favourite)
The list is provisional as I’m still in the process of digging in the Allbeury quarry; I have on my TBR Shadow Of Shadows, Deep Purple, The Long Run, Palomino Blonde and A Time Without Shadows. I’ll keep my list updated...

[Philip Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Call no man happy until he is dead".
This opening quote from Cicero gives the reader a 'heads up' that this won't be a barrel of laughs. It is, however, an excellent espionage thriller, the best I have read from this ever-reliable author. We start with a suicide and then jump back to occupied France before returning to the present day (or rather 1978 when the book was written). The author's own considerable wartime experience helps present a gritty authentic portrait of the Resistance. No punches are pulled with brutal torture scenes that are all the more impactful thanks to their pithy, almost casual, delivery.

As well as being a convincing spy thriller there is also a mystery angle (who was the traitor, what happened to our brave young SOE agent?) The love element is less convincing - our present day hero falls deeply in love within a few minutes of meeting the young beauty (she plays the piano and has a lovely dress, so fair enough). I'm being picky - this is a superb thriller that shows how the Second World War bled into the Cold War.

[Andy Onyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my first Allbeury and WW2 SOE read. Ted’s wartime exploits are discussed in the terse interview in the link below (terse before the ignorant interviewer realises who he’s dealing with!)
I found this a brilliant read, up there with the biggest dogs in THE era- shoulder-to-shoulder with likes of Le Carre, Forsyth, Hall and arguably biggest of them , the great Len Deighton.
Len was a personal friend, probably acquired from the late 50’s advertising scene in Soho- and all evidence points to ‘The un-named spy’ in his game changing debut, THE IPCRESS FILE(Harry Palmer in the film) being partially based on Allbeury.
I found the romance element of the novel a bit mawkish- Did I read somewhere that Ted enjoyed romance novels himself? All forgiven on the strength and authenticity of the rest. There’s never a ‘yeah, but.’ regarding the outstanding courage and bravery of the SOE. Never.
Thanks to @spybrary and the @shippersunbound list for highlighting another true great I’d never heard of.

https://youtu.be/a2TxmAJOf-k?si=FRwi-...

[Stephen Burridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of Allbeury when I picked up this old paperback for next to nothing at the used book store associated with the local public library. It turns out that the book is a good one of its kind and I enjoyed it. I got another of the author’s books at the same time and I’m looking forward to reading it.

The book begins with the routine investigation of an obscure businessman in 1970s London, conducted by a British “Special Branch” counterintelligence officer. There is a long flashback to French Resistance activities led by a British Special Operations Executive agent in the last year of WW2. This is the heart of the book; I found it suspenseful and interesting. In the end we return to the 1970s “present” for further investigation and explanation, and a suitable ending. The story has a mix of suspense, action, courage, cynicism, romance, and betrayal that is perhaps characteristic of the espionage genre. I found it satisfying.

[Steve In Ludlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just rediscovering Allbeury after having read a few of his spy thrillers 40 years ago.
This is my third and the best of a new binge.
Tense, concise and poignant stuff starting in the (late 1970s) present day and with a flashback to the WWII French resistance and German occupation.
Characters you care about and actions with consequences and in no way dated. A cracking, moving read.

[Sara M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very visceral read. Brings alive events of long ago and the emotions of those in the resistance.

[Ram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhilarating spy cum war novel by Ted Allbeury in “The Lantern Network”.

More at

https://vramonline.wordpress.com/2025...

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lantern Network also shows off many of Allbeury’s best traits. There’s the theme of the past coming back to haunt the present, something that appears in a number of his works (including in The Twentieth Day of January) is present here. Also evident is his quickly drawn characterizations, here minus some of the caricaturing he could sometimes resort to using in other works. Best of all is Allbeury’s ability to pack so much into so little with the novel running a mere 218 pages, yet never once felt rushed or hurried. It’s an economy of prose that can ramp up tension (as it does during an ambush mid-way through) or the unsettling nature of what’s happening when a character awaits torture. It’s everything that makes Allbeury’s writing what it is, including a bestseller of his day.

See full review: https://spybrary.com/the-kresal-dossi...

[Nigel Pinkus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a WW2 war story! Excellent! First published way back in in 1979 and only recently (in the last few years) has it been released on Kindle for a dollar. A reader doesn't take on reading a 'good war story' without realising that there will be tragic and this Allbeury story is no exception. An awesome read not only because it was brutal, violent and tragic, but also because the reader could feel the fierce courageousness of some the members of the SOE (Special Operation Executive) and deep eternal love for their families. It had Gestapo-Nazi assassinations, KGB tradecraft, a SOE operation that had gone wrong in France and a SIS agent sent to investigate the incident that had happened thirty odd years ago. All in 200 pages. Fabulous! 5 Stars! If you liked this Allbeury story, then also try: 'A Wilderness of Mirrors' and/or A Time Without Shadows' aka 'The Rules of the Game' which were stories about WW2 operations that went wrong and were reinvestigated many years later.

Ted Allbeury wrote a staggering 42 novels and used two other pen names ~ Richard Butler and Patrick Kelly as well. Here are 26 other read’s from Allbeury, all rated accordingly:

THE GOOD (Four to Five Stars): 'A Wilderness of Mirrors', 'A Time Without Shadows' aka 'The Rules of the Game', 'The Only Good German' aka ‘Mission Berlin’, 'The Dangerous Edge', ‘Palomino Blonde’ aka 'Omega- minus','The Lonely Margins', ’The Crossing' aka ‘The Berlin Exchange’, 'Seeds of Treason', 'Other Kinds of Treason', 'Special Forces' aka 'Moscow Quadrille', the feel good, 'The Girl From Addis', 'Pay Any Price' and the rather exceptional, and this person's favourite, 'The Line-Crosser' (published in 1993).

THE AVERAGE (Two or Three Stars): Some other novels that this person thought were either average or only okay were: 'Show Me a Hero', 'No Place to Hide' aka ‘Hostage’, ‘The Reckoning’, ’The Twentieth Day of January’ a.k.a. ‘Cold Tactics’, 'The Reaper' aka 'The Stalking Angel', 'Shadow of Doubt' and ‘Deep Purple’.

THE UGLY (One or two stars): It’s, however, probably best to stay away from: ‘Aid and Comfort’, ‘The Assets' aka “Due Process’, 'The Secret Whispers’, 'The Alpha List', ’Consequences of Fear' aka ‘Smokescreen’ and ’The Spirit of Liberty' aka ‘Beyond the Silence’. He also wrote, ’The Choice' which is not espionage and this reader thought (even though it was critically acclaimed) not a good one. Cheers.

[j seasman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Great story with unexpected twists. I would recommend this book and the author to other readers interested in the SOE in France. Although a work of fiction it’s written by a former SOE member.