Britain 1941. Still reeling from the greatest loss of his life, the Reverend Major Clement Wisdom is called on again to serve his nation in its time of need. Under the cover of taking up a new parish in far northern Scotland, Clement is sent to the remote village of Huna, in Caithness, to locate a possible enemy agent who is sending out encrypted radio messages.
Arriving in the depths of winter, Clement quickly finds it isn’t only the temperature that is unnervingly cold. Perched on the edge of Great Britain, the isolated community is wary of strangers. Struggling to gain trust from the locals and where even his assigned Government contact, the local Postmistress, is antagonistic, he becomes entangled in a web of silence. When the husband of his contact is found dead, the body horrifically impaled on a shard of window glass, Clement is at first unsure if it is an unfortunate accident, or a gruesome warning.
As more deaths are uncovered, Clement realises he is facing not only an enemy spy but a ruthless killer. With limited time, Clement must act quickly, and, if necessary, alone.
It was winter in 1941 when Reverend Major Clement Wisdom was sent to the north of Scotland to the small village of Huna, in Caithness. There had been radio messages, sent in code, that had been intercepted and London were sure there was an enemy agent in the area. Clement would go in under cover, ostensibly taking over a new parish. In fact though, Clement would be working alone, not knowing who he could trust.
As Clement came to know the locals, he knew he wasn't welcome. Even his contact was wary, unsure, hostile. But Clement would do what he was sent to do, whether it meant his life or not. He'd recently lost his beloved Mary, so wasn't bothered at the thought of death. But Clement was shocked when first one, then another death, occurred. The tides were turning, the strafing of the light house the previous week a puzzle. Clement needed to travel to a nearby island, yet who would take him in the middle of the night. Were the Germans on their doorstep, or was the ruthless killer an enemy spy?
If Necessary Alone is the 2nd in the Clement Wisdom series by Aussie author V.M. Knox and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fast paced, intense, gritty with the who, the what and the why stumping Clement as well as me! An excellent follow up to the first, I'm already looking forward to #3, which is waiting on my kindle. Highly recommended. (I'd like to see a brighter cover as it doesn't catch the eye as it is)
With thanks to Leschenault Press, Western Australia for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
An entertaining page-turner! A suspenseful SIS adventure on the British home front in Scotland with a resourceful & compassionate main character--vicar & intelligence agent, Clement Wisdom.
Excellent! This is full of tension, deception and all kinds of twists and turns. You will enjoy this from the first to the last page. Can't wait for a book three.
Having seen the advertisement for this book in History magazine I couldn't resist it. While I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy this second book has much more action and mystery. I particularly enjoyed that a vicar could be the hero of a Nazi spy novel. The villains are appropriately nasty and bloodthirsty. I must confess ever since Treasure Island I have enjoyed reading slam bam adventure books. If Necessary was a quick and enjoyable read and highly recommended.
Such a fun spy book! I got confused at times with all the debriefings and names, but it does come together in the end. The MC does a good job keeping everything in order, so I never felt too confused. He was an interesting character to follow; I liked to read his insights and how he approached each situation. I also liked how he wasn't perfect and made plenty of mistakes that he had to think his way through. There was nothing super convenient or contrived.