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Richard Prince #1
Prince of Spies
Find the truth; risk everything. A gripping WWII spy novel full of intrigue and peril from a modern master.
1942: A German spy comes ashore on a desolate stretch of Lincolnshire beach. But he is hunted down by a young detective, Richard Prince. The secret services have need of a man like him...
In occupied Europe, Denmark is a hotbed of problems for British intelligence. Rumours of a war-ending weapon being developed by the Germans are rife.
Sent to Copenhagen, Prince is soon caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Dodging Gestapo agents, SS muscle and the danger of betrayal, his survival – and the war effort – hangs in the balance.
Gripping and intense, Prince of Spies is the first in a new espionage series that will delight fans of Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and John le Carré.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2020
1050 people are currently reading
1098 people want to read
About the author
Alex Gerlis
37 books331 followersAlex Gerlis was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, in 1955. He graduated with a degree in Law and Politics from Hull University in 1977 and, after working as a political researcher and journalist, joined the BBC in 1983 as a researcher on Panorama.
Over the next twenty years he worked on a number of BBC News and Current Affairs programmes, including making documentaries for The Money Programme and election programmes with David Dimbleby and Jeremy Paxman. He has also edited Breakfast News, the One o'Clock News, the Six o'Clock News and the Weekend News for the BBC. In August 1998 he was the BBC TV News duty editor on the day of the Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the coverage of which later won a Royal Television Society award. In September 2001 he was one of the BBC Newsroom team covering the attack on the Twin Towers. He has also worked for the BBC throughout Europe, the United States, the Middle East and in China, and from 2005 to March 2011 was Head of Training at the BBC College of Journalism – the body in charge of the training of the corporation's 7,500 journalists.
Alex's first novel was inspired by his work covering the 50th anniversary of D-Day from Normandy. He is married with two daughters and lives in west London.
Over the next twenty years he worked on a number of BBC News and Current Affairs programmes, including making documentaries for The Money Programme and election programmes with David Dimbleby and Jeremy Paxman. He has also edited Breakfast News, the One o'Clock News, the Six o'Clock News and the Weekend News for the BBC. In August 1998 he was the BBC TV News duty editor on the day of the Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the coverage of which later won a Royal Television Society award. In September 2001 he was one of the BBC Newsroom team covering the attack on the Twin Towers. He has also worked for the BBC throughout Europe, the United States, the Middle East and in China, and from 2005 to March 2011 was Head of Training at the BBC College of Journalism – the body in charge of the training of the corporation's 7,500 journalists.
Alex's first novel was inspired by his work covering the 50th anniversary of D-Day from Normandy. He is married with two daughters and lives in west London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
September 6, 2020
I seem to be out of my slump that last 7 books or so and that is always a good thing lol. This was a solid world war 2 spy novel. I liked the main character The secondary characters were pretty good and the overall story was decent. I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. There were a couple of things that brought down the score for this book in my eyes. At time times in this book the story went very fast but I kind of understand why it would have bogged down the story. I guess unless something is revealed in the final two books a main informer and spy for Germany in England was glossed over in the which I thought was odd-I was curios what was going to happen to this person. The end was ok but it felt rushed and forced. I thought what happened to his kid at the end of the boo was a little strange and what that caused him to do-a reach. I would say I will read the next book and i do say you could do worse and go out and give this one a spin.
October 6, 2023
A brilliantly crafted World War II espionage thriller sees a British agent try to discover if rumours about Hitler's "Vengeance" weapons - the VI and V2 rockets - are true. Set in 1942 as the war is slowly turning in the Allies' favour, we meet Richard Prince, a young police detective, who has just tracked down a German spy in the East of England.
One of Britain's secret service bosses is impressed and asks Prince to travel to to Occupied Europe - assuring him that he'll only be away for a couple of months and that only a handful of people will know the true nature of his mission. He's warned that this is because there seems to be a traitor within the ranks of the Secret Service who has been responsible for the deaths of agents who had been parachuted into Europe.
After only a few days of training, he crosses the North Sea in a "rust bucket" of a trawler before being transferred to a Danish boat and travelling slowly through Denmark aided by various anonymous members of the Danish Resistance. His final destination is Copenhagen where he manages to contact a Danish businessman whose work takes him into Germany and who claims to have details of the Nazi rocket programme given to him by a Luftwaffe officer!
As the plot unfolds, the tension is almost unbearable.
The atmosphere of fear and paranoia in Nazi occupied Europe permeates this story as Prince worries what he would do if he is ever arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo. All he can do is hope that the traitor within the ranks of the SIS doesn't know of his ultra secret mission and that he won't be denounced by one of his Resistance helpers or the contact who claims to have the information British intelligence wants. Just as things seem to be going smoothly, his mission becomes even more dangerous as he joins his contact on a trip into Nazi Germany.
This is a wonderfully detailed blend of historical fact and fiction that will have spy thriller fans chewing their nails as Prince tries to discover the information that is vital to the Allied war effort. The first in a new espionage series featuring Richard Prince puts the author Alex Gerlis up there with the best in this field. I've read all 4 of Gerlis' previous wartime novels and can recommend his work to fans of serious spy fiction. A truly gripping read.
My thanks to the publishers Canelo Action and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
One of Britain's secret service bosses is impressed and asks Prince to travel to to Occupied Europe - assuring him that he'll only be away for a couple of months and that only a handful of people will know the true nature of his mission. He's warned that this is because there seems to be a traitor within the ranks of the Secret Service who has been responsible for the deaths of agents who had been parachuted into Europe.
After only a few days of training, he crosses the North Sea in a "rust bucket" of a trawler before being transferred to a Danish boat and travelling slowly through Denmark aided by various anonymous members of the Danish Resistance. His final destination is Copenhagen where he manages to contact a Danish businessman whose work takes him into Germany and who claims to have details of the Nazi rocket programme given to him by a Luftwaffe officer!
As the plot unfolds, the tension is almost unbearable.
The atmosphere of fear and paranoia in Nazi occupied Europe permeates this story as Prince worries what he would do if he is ever arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo. All he can do is hope that the traitor within the ranks of the SIS doesn't know of his ultra secret mission and that he won't be denounced by one of his Resistance helpers or the contact who claims to have the information British intelligence wants. Just as things seem to be going smoothly, his mission becomes even more dangerous as he joins his contact on a trip into Nazi Germany.
This is a wonderfully detailed blend of historical fact and fiction that will have spy thriller fans chewing their nails as Prince tries to discover the information that is vital to the Allied war effort. The first in a new espionage series featuring Richard Prince puts the author Alex Gerlis up there with the best in this field. I've read all 4 of Gerlis' previous wartime novels and can recommend his work to fans of serious spy fiction. A truly gripping read.
My thanks to the publishers Canelo Action and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
September 2, 2020
The first in a new series by Alex Gerlis and I really enjoyed it. Richard Prince is a police officer turned spy in this series , at the beginning his character seems a bit wishy washy, but later on he gets a bit of backbone :-) There are a couple of strong female roles in this one, and a fair few names to remember.It has a well paced plot and plenty of action which makes the book an easy read. I am not convinced it is worth writing a character list at the beginning of a novel, I for one never go back to them.. but perhaps I am alone in this opinion. All in all a good book.
July 27, 2021
4.5 Stars
April 23, 2021
Prince of Spies was suggested to me as one for those who enjoy Le Carre or Furst.
Sorry but the algorithm failed because its not, lacking the depth and intrigue of the former and the subtlety and considered pace of the latter.
I guess this works as a quick read, requiring no effort, on a mid-haul flight when we start flying again. But I won't be rushing to the sequel
Sorry but the algorithm failed because its not, lacking the depth and intrigue of the former and the subtlety and considered pace of the latter.
I guess this works as a quick read, requiring no effort, on a mid-haul flight when we start flying again. But I won't be rushing to the sequel
October 28, 2020
This is the fifth Gerlis spy novel I have read. I liked all of them. They have interesting characters and sound historical grounding in real events. This one follows Richard Prince, a British detective enlisted to collect information in Germany about the V-1 and V-2 rockets. It's the first in a new series. Now on to the second.
February 19, 2020
An outstanding addition to the spy/espionage genre.
In 1942, deep into WWII, Richard Prince is working as a detective in an English town when he is tapped by MI6 for a mission. His goal is to rendezvous with agents in Denmark and to determine if information received from a salesman about the German V1/V2 rocket programs is legitimate, and if so, gather intelligence about rocket programs. After a nerve-wracking crossing, he lands in Denmark, makes his way to a meeting, and finally lands in an apartment near the heart of Copenhagen. His next step is to meet with another agent - the salesman - and winds up flying to Berlin in order to meet an engineer and a young Luftwaffe officer.
Multiple encounters with the Gestapo, constant worry about the various people in the chain of handling him being moles or double agents, and the fate of those who have assisted him makes for a claustrophobic and stressful world in this book. The tension is very real, and the writing flows so well that I could literally feel my heart pounding during some scenes: will this be the point Prince's cover will be blown? Will this be the moment the Gestapo hauls him away for brutal interrogation? And what of those assisting him, both civilian and otherwise?
I won't go into detail about the second half of the book, as the stakes become even higher, and saying almost anything about it would count as a spoiler - and you should read it yourself to become immersed in the world of the book, which is, relatively speaking, just a very small corner of a very large war, but no less important than any other.
One caveat: the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger note, and not everything is wrapped up by the end of the book. I did not ding the book for this; after all, it's hard to wrap up everything that occurs in a sprawling war in a single book. However, I would recommend that even if you don't like cliffhangers that you still read this.
This is the kind of book for which you will happily forfeit sleeping hours and read into the wee hours. That it is the first in a series bodes well for any reader interested in espionage during WWII.
Highly recommended, and I look forward to further books in this series.
Five out of five stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the advance copy.
In 1942, deep into WWII, Richard Prince is working as a detective in an English town when he is tapped by MI6 for a mission. His goal is to rendezvous with agents in Denmark and to determine if information received from a salesman about the German V1/V2 rocket programs is legitimate, and if so, gather intelligence about rocket programs. After a nerve-wracking crossing, he lands in Denmark, makes his way to a meeting, and finally lands in an apartment near the heart of Copenhagen. His next step is to meet with another agent - the salesman - and winds up flying to Berlin in order to meet an engineer and a young Luftwaffe officer.
Multiple encounters with the Gestapo, constant worry about the various people in the chain of handling him being moles or double agents, and the fate of those who have assisted him makes for a claustrophobic and stressful world in this book. The tension is very real, and the writing flows so well that I could literally feel my heart pounding during some scenes: will this be the point Prince's cover will be blown? Will this be the moment the Gestapo hauls him away for brutal interrogation? And what of those assisting him, both civilian and otherwise?
I won't go into detail about the second half of the book, as the stakes become even higher, and saying almost anything about it would count as a spoiler - and you should read it yourself to become immersed in the world of the book, which is, relatively speaking, just a very small corner of a very large war, but no less important than any other.
One caveat: the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger note, and not everything is wrapped up by the end of the book. I did not ding the book for this; after all, it's hard to wrap up everything that occurs in a sprawling war in a single book. However, I would recommend that even if you don't like cliffhangers that you still read this.
This is the kind of book for which you will happily forfeit sleeping hours and read into the wee hours. That it is the first in a series bodes well for any reader interested in espionage during WWII.
Highly recommended, and I look forward to further books in this series.
Five out of five stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the advance copy.
July 7, 2020
Alex Gerlis is the author of four outstanding standalone World War II spy novels (The Best of Our Spies, The Swiss Spy, Vienna Spies, and The Berlin Spies), all of which I enjoyed enormously. I can’t quite say the same about his most recent novel of espionage in that era, Prince of Spies—a tale about a mission to undermine the development of the Nazi V-2 rocket.
The book is reasonably good—it’s certainly suspenseful, and Gerlis’ research is right on target as always—but something feels contrived about the story. I suspect the feeling of artificiality comes from the fact that the novel is billed as the first of a series about its protagonist, Richard Prince. It’s not that Prince lacks credibility as an espionage agent. But he seems to be just a little too good at it straight out of the gate. And the Gestapo agents he encounters come across as far less competent than I’ve been led to believe from reading a great deal of nonfiction about espionage during the war.
Richard Prince is an admired Detective Superintendent on England’s southern coast whose boss had refused to let him enlist. So, when an opportunity to join the Special Operations Executive (SOE) comes along, he’s all too willing. The problem is, Prince had recently lost his wife and daughter in a car crash and was left alone to father his three-year-old son. He’s reluctant to leave his son. But with the assurance that he’ll be on a mission to Denmark for only a couple of months, he relents.
Prince’s target: the Nazi V-2 rocket
It’s September 1942. Like nearly all of Europe, Denmark is occupied by Nazi Germany. And a businessman there has gotten word to London that he has access to top-secret information about the Nazis’ miracle weapons, the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket. They’re under development at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast in Germany near the Danish border. Prince is to infiltrate into Denmark, make contact with the businessman, retrieve the information, and hightail it back to London. But of course it’s nowhere nearly as simple as that.
A spy who is a little too good to be true
The SOE has turned to Prince not just because he is a brilliant police officer and deemed to be resourceful but because he just happens to speak Danish like a native. It turns out that his mother was Danish. They spoke the language at home from his infancy. Oh, and he also speaks fair-to-middling German and some French as well. Naturally, all these languages will figure in Prince’s more than half-year odyssey in Denmark and Germany before he is able to return to Britain. And the time will prove so fraught with danger that he is lucky to escape with his life.
A story grounded in history
As in his other novels, Gerlis builds his story around historical events and individuals.
For one thing, the Nazi V-2 rocket was, indeed, a major threat to Britain. Had the Germans managed to move its development forward on schedule, they could conceivably have brought the island nation to its knees. And that rocket, not so incidentally, was the invention that launched the space race once the US and Russia managed to import its developers following World War II.
One important character, “Lord Swalcliffe . . . is loosely based on Frederick Lindemann, Viscount Cherwell.” He was Churchill’s scientific adviser and intimate friend. In the novel, as in reality, the Lindemann character fought relentlessly against those in the SOE and the Air Ministry who feared the potential of the V-1 and V-2 programs. He also backed harebrained schemes that caught Churchill’s imagination and his own as well as several critical ideas that panned out well.
And “there was a major RAF raid [on Peenemünde] not dissimilar to the one described” in the novel—the ultimate object of Prince’s mission. That raid delayed the weapons’ development by several critical months.
The book is reasonably good—it’s certainly suspenseful, and Gerlis’ research is right on target as always—but something feels contrived about the story. I suspect the feeling of artificiality comes from the fact that the novel is billed as the first of a series about its protagonist, Richard Prince. It’s not that Prince lacks credibility as an espionage agent. But he seems to be just a little too good at it straight out of the gate. And the Gestapo agents he encounters come across as far less competent than I’ve been led to believe from reading a great deal of nonfiction about espionage during the war.
Richard Prince is an admired Detective Superintendent on England’s southern coast whose boss had refused to let him enlist. So, when an opportunity to join the Special Operations Executive (SOE) comes along, he’s all too willing. The problem is, Prince had recently lost his wife and daughter in a car crash and was left alone to father his three-year-old son. He’s reluctant to leave his son. But with the assurance that he’ll be on a mission to Denmark for only a couple of months, he relents.
Prince’s target: the Nazi V-2 rocket
It’s September 1942. Like nearly all of Europe, Denmark is occupied by Nazi Germany. And a businessman there has gotten word to London that he has access to top-secret information about the Nazis’ miracle weapons, the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket. They’re under development at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast in Germany near the Danish border. Prince is to infiltrate into Denmark, make contact with the businessman, retrieve the information, and hightail it back to London. But of course it’s nowhere nearly as simple as that.
A spy who is a little too good to be true
The SOE has turned to Prince not just because he is a brilliant police officer and deemed to be resourceful but because he just happens to speak Danish like a native. It turns out that his mother was Danish. They spoke the language at home from his infancy. Oh, and he also speaks fair-to-middling German and some French as well. Naturally, all these languages will figure in Prince’s more than half-year odyssey in Denmark and Germany before he is able to return to Britain. And the time will prove so fraught with danger that he is lucky to escape with his life.
A story grounded in history
As in his other novels, Gerlis builds his story around historical events and individuals.
For one thing, the Nazi V-2 rocket was, indeed, a major threat to Britain. Had the Germans managed to move its development forward on schedule, they could conceivably have brought the island nation to its knees. And that rocket, not so incidentally, was the invention that launched the space race once the US and Russia managed to import its developers following World War II.
One important character, “Lord Swalcliffe . . . is loosely based on Frederick Lindemann, Viscount Cherwell.” He was Churchill’s scientific adviser and intimate friend. In the novel, as in reality, the Lindemann character fought relentlessly against those in the SOE and the Air Ministry who feared the potential of the V-1 and V-2 programs. He also backed harebrained schemes that caught Churchill’s imagination and his own as well as several critical ideas that panned out well.
And “there was a major RAF raid [on Peenemünde] not dissimilar to the one described” in the novel—the ultimate object of Prince’s mission. That raid delayed the weapons’ development by several critical months.
February 27, 2020
First of all I have to thank Sophie at Canelo for asking me if I felt like reading this spy story set in World war 2 by Alex Gerlis. I also have to thank Netgalley. I was a little bit sceptical because it has been a long time since I found that period interesting. Since I live in Scandinavia and part of the book is set in Denmark I thought that was intruiging enough and it was a great book not only about the war but also about relationships and parenting. Of course its main story is espionage and it looks like there will be another one about Richard Prince in the making. This book was good enough that I will look into the others by this author.
August 10, 2020
Read this on a whim as I had read this author before. Same complaints as other books I've read from Mr. Gerlis. The writing is just not engaging. The plot is pretty good usually, but there is not enough effort put into getting into the feelings and sentiments of the characters.
January 15, 2020
This is the first of a new series of spy thrillers by an author in Alex Gerlis who has written other war books but this series featuring a former policeman turned spy in Richard Prince is going to be a success.
The plotting is excellent and the author's knowledge of time and place is detailed and forensic. Most of the action take place in occupied Denmark and the action is non-stop and breathless.
The publishers claim that it is perfect for fans of luminaries such as Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and John le Carré. I would like to wait for the next in this series before agreeing with that sentiment but I was also reminded of classics like "The Eagle Has Landed" and Daniel Silva's "The Unlikely Spy."
An excellent read and highly recommended.
The plotting is excellent and the author's knowledge of time and place is detailed and forensic. Most of the action take place in occupied Denmark and the action is non-stop and breathless.
The publishers claim that it is perfect for fans of luminaries such as Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and John le Carré. I would like to wait for the next in this series before agreeing with that sentiment but I was also reminded of classics like "The Eagle Has Landed" and Daniel Silva's "The Unlikely Spy."
An excellent read and highly recommended.
May 16, 2021
This is my first alex gerlis book and i found the hero very nieve for a superintendant in the polce, maybe he get more streetwise as the books progress. The really annoying thing about this writer is jumping from one situation to another, way to quickly and it spoils the book in opinion, hope he rectifies this in the future the books would be a lot better. The end is left with a good few unresolved issues which i believe is for you to buy the next book(not a fan of that), but it has been remarked upon in a few reviews. In all a good read with reservations could do better, so go out and BUY this book JUST.
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February 26, 2023Prince of spies
This has been an interesting read about the world of spies and espionage. Quite a cliff hanger as there are so many ways the author can spin the sequel of the book. Wondering if Prince will be caught when they rescue Hanne, and that gut feeling Henry is safe to keep Prince in the world of spies. Just left with a lot of questions and conspiracies
This has been an interesting read about the world of spies and espionage. Quite a cliff hanger as there are so many ways the author can spin the sequel of the book. Wondering if Prince will be caught when they rescue Hanne, and that gut feeling Henry is safe to keep Prince in the world of spies. Just left with a lot of questions and conspiracies
February 17, 2020
Well told story with interesting changes of direction. Just when you think the story is heading this way the story quickly changes due to something unexpected. I couldn't put it down. A really good read
November 18, 2020
Started off good. Held my attention for a few hours but then dragged on. I was 18% into it when it occurred to me I didn’t know who the main character was? So I shut it down. A book has to pull me through and this just didn’t
Life is too short to read mediocre stuff.
Life is too short to read mediocre stuff.
April 18, 2020
Not a page turner. Interesting but no real thrills.
September 24, 2020
Plot anorexic and implausible.
May 20, 2020
A great beginning to what promises to be an exciting new series.
“Prince of Spies” by Alex Gerlis introduces us to Richard Prince, a young detective in England during 1942 who helps capture a German spy therefore gets pulled into accepting an assignment from MI6 in Denmark (his mom was Danish), leaving behind his young son.
And off the story goes: meeting secret agents, other spies, avoiding the Nazis (rather unsuccessfully at times), making contact with the salesman who has information about Germany’s V1 and V2 rocket programs, which if true could change the tide of the war. Mr. Gerlis does a great job capturing the dynamics of what takes place in the safe halls of London versus the assets out in the field – once Prince gets the information, his superiors want him to go to Berlin. Once he brings back that information (barely escaping the SS), they want him to infiltrate the labor camp that’s actually working on the rocket site. The people sitting safely in their offices are always pushing for more and more, the agents in the field have no choice but to accept riskier and riskier assignments, with the predictable consequences. In the end not all of the threads are wrapped up, setting the stage for the next book in the series. Which I cannot wait to read.
An exciting adventure story, set at an exciting time. Mr. Gerlis does a great job in building the characters, setting the scenes, moving back and forth from London to the field. The action moves from England to Denmark to Germany to Sweden seamlessly, it is obvious that Mr. Gerlis did his research about the different situations countries found themselves in. The stories behind the people that interact with Prince show that decisions are made and actions taken for a variety of reasons, it’s not always black and white.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Canelo via NetGalley. Thank you!
“Prince of Spies” by Alex Gerlis introduces us to Richard Prince, a young detective in England during 1942 who helps capture a German spy therefore gets pulled into accepting an assignment from MI6 in Denmark (his mom was Danish), leaving behind his young son.
And off the story goes: meeting secret agents, other spies, avoiding the Nazis (rather unsuccessfully at times), making contact with the salesman who has information about Germany’s V1 and V2 rocket programs, which if true could change the tide of the war. Mr. Gerlis does a great job capturing the dynamics of what takes place in the safe halls of London versus the assets out in the field – once Prince gets the information, his superiors want him to go to Berlin. Once he brings back that information (barely escaping the SS), they want him to infiltrate the labor camp that’s actually working on the rocket site. The people sitting safely in their offices are always pushing for more and more, the agents in the field have no choice but to accept riskier and riskier assignments, with the predictable consequences. In the end not all of the threads are wrapped up, setting the stage for the next book in the series. Which I cannot wait to read.
An exciting adventure story, set at an exciting time. Mr. Gerlis does a great job in building the characters, setting the scenes, moving back and forth from London to the field. The action moves from England to Denmark to Germany to Sweden seamlessly, it is obvious that Mr. Gerlis did his research about the different situations countries found themselves in. The stories behind the people that interact with Prince show that decisions are made and actions taken for a variety of reasons, it’s not always black and white.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Canelo via NetGalley. Thank you!
March 16, 2020
Richard Prince is an unlikely spy much less hero at the start of this well researched novel of WWII. Fans of the genre should know that this one is a bit different-first and foremost because it is set in occupied Denmark. You, like me, might learn something as a result. The early parts might take a little patience but the payoff is worth it as Prince travels into Denmark and then, with the help of a contact (decide for yourself how you feel about him), into Germany to get information on the German rocket program. Hovering over all is the specter of a traitor within the British services. The characters are good and the tension ratchets up as you read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A great start to a new series.
January 2, 2022
Author Alex Gerlis http://alexgerlis.com published the book Prince of Spies in 2020. He has published nine novels with this the first of his Richard Prince Thrillers.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘R’ because of scenes of violence. The primary character in the novel is British Detective Superintendent Richard Prince.
Prince is a very successful Detective. He is approached by MI5 in 1942 to help catch a German spy who has landed in the UK. He is very successful and is soon asked to take temporary leave for a mission in occupied Europe on behalf of MI6.
Beyond his skills as a Detective, he brings to his MI6 assignment a knowledge of languages. He enters Denmark knowing there is likely a leak within the local SOE group. His short mission draws out far longer than he had planned. He must travel to Berlin in the guise of a Danish businessman to gather important information. Later he must infiltrate Peenemünde to discover more about the German rocket program. While in Copenhagen, he meets and works with a local female agent. They begin a relationship, but he must leave her behind when he returns to Britain. His simple trip turns into a harrowing and life-threatening experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 9+ hours I spent reading this 366-page WWII spy novel. I have read three of the novels written by Gerlis and have enjoyed them all (The others were Ring of Spies and Agent in Berlin). His novels remind me of those written by Helen MacInnes, Ladislas Farago, and Alistair MacLean. I like the cover art chosen for the novel. I rate this book as a 5 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘R’ because of scenes of violence. The primary character in the novel is British Detective Superintendent Richard Prince.
Prince is a very successful Detective. He is approached by MI5 in 1942 to help catch a German spy who has landed in the UK. He is very successful and is soon asked to take temporary leave for a mission in occupied Europe on behalf of MI6.
Beyond his skills as a Detective, he brings to his MI6 assignment a knowledge of languages. He enters Denmark knowing there is likely a leak within the local SOE group. His short mission draws out far longer than he had planned. He must travel to Berlin in the guise of a Danish businessman to gather important information. Later he must infiltrate Peenemünde to discover more about the German rocket program. While in Copenhagen, he meets and works with a local female agent. They begin a relationship, but he must leave her behind when he returns to Britain. His simple trip turns into a harrowing and life-threatening experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 9+ hours I spent reading this 366-page WWII spy novel. I have read three of the novels written by Gerlis and have enjoyed them all (The others were Ring of Spies and Agent in Berlin). His novels remind me of those written by Helen MacInnes, Ladislas Farago, and Alistair MacLean. I like the cover art chosen for the novel. I rate this book as a 5 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
January 20, 2025
A nice enjoyable spy thriller. The first of the Richard Prince series I quite enjoyed the read. Was a relatively plausible story without a lot of the usual action that requires the suspense of reality. The ending was a little abrupt - I know leading into the second follow-up book. But I usually at least like a little more of a conclusion such that if I didn't feel like reading the second book I wouldn't be too concerned.
That said - a really good nice easy read - will be searching out for more from Gerlis to continue the story.
That said - a really good nice easy read - will be searching out for more from Gerlis to continue the story.
October 21, 2021
Literally didn't put this one down.....but now I know how it started and I know how it ends bit there is a world of difference between the two situations by the end of this book. If anything reading the last book first actually enhanced my enjoyment of this book.
July 30, 2025
Picked up this four-book series after reading Gerlis’ Spy Masters and Wolf Pack series. This Prince of Spies series is another solid set of WWII spy thrillers from Gerlis. Loving the Richard Prince character.
April 26, 2022
3.75 stars
August 26, 2021
A well written tale that never lets up the tension. Richard Prince is a worthy protagonist and his adventures make exciting reading.
February 2, 2021
Alex Gerlis has given us an entertaining story, set in the Second World War and following Richard Prince as he endeavours to discover crucial information about the Germans’ V1 and V2 programmes in their embryonic stages. Prince was formerly an ambitious and accomplished police superintendent from Lincolnshire, and had a sparkling record which explained why he had been promoted so far at a relatively young age. He finds himself recruited into MI6 following his helpful contribution to an operation to find an undercover agent who has been helping German spies to infiltrate the country.
Life in MI6 is markedly different to the provincial police force, and Prince initially struggles to adapt. He is, however, particularly well suited to the operation for which he has been selected, being a fluent Danish speaker (having had a Danish mother). After minimal training he is despatched to Denmark where, after a few adventures and enar misses he establishes contact with Agent Osric (just one of many allusions to Hamlet scattered throughout the book), who will prepare him for the more substantial aspects of the operation.
The plot fairly rattles along, and there are several up and downs, and surprise developments. Gerlis writes more in the tradition of Richard Hannay than John le Carre, but that is fine by me – I am a devotee of both schools of spy story.
Life in MI6 is markedly different to the provincial police force, and Prince initially struggles to adapt. He is, however, particularly well suited to the operation for which he has been selected, being a fluent Danish speaker (having had a Danish mother). After minimal training he is despatched to Denmark where, after a few adventures and enar misses he establishes contact with Agent Osric (just one of many allusions to Hamlet scattered throughout the book), who will prepare him for the more substantial aspects of the operation.
The plot fairly rattles along, and there are several up and downs, and surprise developments. Gerlis writes more in the tradition of Richard Hannay than John le Carre, but that is fine by me – I am a devotee of both schools of spy story.
August 12, 2025
A gripping historical espionage page-turner set in Europe during the tumultuous years of the Nazi occupation. Richard Prince, a young detective based in Lincolnshire, is recruited by British intelligence to find proof of a rumored secret Nazi weapon under development. I would compare this to the novels of Alan Furst (one of my favorite authors in the genre) but with more of a British tilt to the proceedings. I really liked this one and will definitely be reading more of Mr. Gerlis's work. Cheers!
January 5, 2023
Spoilers ahead.
Fantastic! One of the better books I've read in a while. The last time I gave a fully deserved 5 stars was probably 20-25 books ago. This is a WW2 spy story and I haven't read one of those in a while too.
The story is a bit non-linear. It starts off with a German spy being caught in England which introduces us to a police superintendent named Prince. To be honest, this whole section wasn't needed at all. It was just a few chapters but the author could just have introduced us to Price directly.
The main story is about the German V-1 and V-2 rockets being developed at Peenemünde. Prince is sent undercover to Denmark where he meets a Danish businessman who has information about the rockets. He got the information from a German Luftwaffe Oberst who was secretly hoping the Allies would bomb and kill the project because he thought the rocket program was a waste of time and taking valuable resources from the production of airplanes.
But Prince's confirmation wasn't enough and they ended up sending him to Berlin and then eventually to Peenemünde to verify the information and the effects of the subsequent bombing raid.
I gave the book 5 stars because the author did a great job, which the authors of the previous 20-25 books I read didn't do. Firstly the writing was easy to read and follow. Secondly he did a good job of creating and maintaining the characters so that I was vested in them and cared about what happened to them in the book. Thirdly he did a good job of writing the WW2 setting, so that it felt realistic and accurate. Fourthly the action was fast and there were no long boring parts. Every piece of text moved the reader towards the end quickly (with the exception of the cut-outs).
The main storyline (that of Prince) was fairly linear and easy to follow. However the author did insert other POVs, like from the German, the Danish or the Gestapo POVs. Some of them started abruptly and I had to reread them after a few pages to figure out whose POV they were. I felt these cut-outs were rather unnecessary. They took time away from the main plot and didn't really add to the story. I think the book would have been better off without them.
Still overall, this was one of the proverbial couldn't put down books and I have immediately ordered the next ones in the series. Highly recommended for anyone interested in WW2 and spy books.
PS. In very good books there are sometimes intangibles which I think of as like finding hidden pieces of gold. In this book the author talks about the will to live in a labor camp. I don't have a page number but it was at 81% of the book.
Oh and this book doesn't finish, it continues in book 2.
Fantastic! One of the better books I've read in a while. The last time I gave a fully deserved 5 stars was probably 20-25 books ago. This is a WW2 spy story and I haven't read one of those in a while too.
The story is a bit non-linear. It starts off with a German spy being caught in England which introduces us to a police superintendent named Prince. To be honest, this whole section wasn't needed at all. It was just a few chapters but the author could just have introduced us to Price directly.
The main story is about the German V-1 and V-2 rockets being developed at Peenemünde. Prince is sent undercover to Denmark where he meets a Danish businessman who has information about the rockets. He got the information from a German Luftwaffe Oberst who was secretly hoping the Allies would bomb and kill the project because he thought the rocket program was a waste of time and taking valuable resources from the production of airplanes.
But Prince's confirmation wasn't enough and they ended up sending him to Berlin and then eventually to Peenemünde to verify the information and the effects of the subsequent bombing raid.
I gave the book 5 stars because the author did a great job, which the authors of the previous 20-25 books I read didn't do. Firstly the writing was easy to read and follow. Secondly he did a good job of creating and maintaining the characters so that I was vested in them and cared about what happened to them in the book. Thirdly he did a good job of writing the WW2 setting, so that it felt realistic and accurate. Fourthly the action was fast and there were no long boring parts. Every piece of text moved the reader towards the end quickly (with the exception of the cut-outs).
The main storyline (that of Prince) was fairly linear and easy to follow. However the author did insert other POVs, like from the German, the Danish or the Gestapo POVs. Some of them started abruptly and I had to reread them after a few pages to figure out whose POV they were. I felt these cut-outs were rather unnecessary. They took time away from the main plot and didn't really add to the story. I think the book would have been better off without them.
Still overall, this was one of the proverbial couldn't put down books and I have immediately ordered the next ones in the series. Highly recommended for anyone interested in WW2 and spy books.
PS. In very good books there are sometimes intangibles which I think of as like finding hidden pieces of gold. In this book the author talks about the will to live in a labor camp. I don't have a page number but it was at 81% of the book.
Oh and this book doesn't finish, it continues in book 2.
September 13, 2022
Prince of Spies
Avoidance of service on the Eastern front or the penalty of treason for being an arrested German spy seems to be favored incentives for the various spy agencies to create spies and double agents.
Also resistance movements and intelligence agencies must be sorted out.
Batman or Superman meet Alan Furst. Superstar British agent and fairly decent research into the historical record and the ambiguities of intelligence work, as well as the cynicism of leaderships, British as well as German.
This novel opens with the effort of the British establishment to identify a leak in their own operation. Gunnar and Ingar are “working” after curfew, in occupied Denmark, in the underbrush to help the British, with their exertions while spying. They are part of an effort to find out if the Germans have been leaked information about a false agent who is supposedly being air dropped into occupied Denmark.
Atmosphere of the novels: It seems that senior MI6 have clubs for eating dinner. ‘Punishment’ in the British service is to be stationed in India vs service on the Eastern Front as the favored ‘punishment’ in the Reich.
Gerlis tries to explain the organization of MI6 and the SOE down to the operational details …and he sends Hendrie to work for SOE as if he were ‘under a cloud.’
The formula includes again creating a senior SOE operative who was active in the Great War, and some politics at all levels of the organization.
Fictitious agents are another ploy. ‘Sending’ them in, and checking to see whether they are expected is the methodology.
The particular factoid in this book is whether or not the British Intelligence services were expecting the V1 and V2 rockets to play a signiicant role in the war.
There is an attraction that develops between the spy Agent Laertes (Richard Prince, Hans Olsen, Jesper Holm*, Peter Rasmusssen) and his Copenhagen contact, handler, controller, Agent Osric , Hanne Jakobsen.
Some of the exploits of agent Prince are a bit farfetched, even if barely conceivable… like his escaping from Germany after posing as a Frenchman and voluntarily entering a slave labor detail in Peenemuende; the arrest of agent Osric and her transfer to Ravensbrueck, the death of Prince’ sister in law in an air raid and the disappearance of his 3 year old son appear to devices to get some more missions in for Prince, before the war is won.
So we learn about the failed effort of the Germans to destroy the Danish Jewish community, and the German leadership’s awareness of what was going on at the Polish extermination camps… i do not know that the latter is historically accurate…. but I suppose authorial license kicks in and what we’d prefer to think…
Avoidance of service on the Eastern front or the penalty of treason for being an arrested German spy seems to be favored incentives for the various spy agencies to create spies and double agents.
Also resistance movements and intelligence agencies must be sorted out.
Batman or Superman meet Alan Furst. Superstar British agent and fairly decent research into the historical record and the ambiguities of intelligence work, as well as the cynicism of leaderships, British as well as German.
This novel opens with the effort of the British establishment to identify a leak in their own operation. Gunnar and Ingar are “working” after curfew, in occupied Denmark, in the underbrush to help the British, with their exertions while spying. They are part of an effort to find out if the Germans have been leaked information about a false agent who is supposedly being air dropped into occupied Denmark.
Atmosphere of the novels: It seems that senior MI6 have clubs for eating dinner. ‘Punishment’ in the British service is to be stationed in India vs service on the Eastern Front as the favored ‘punishment’ in the Reich.
Gerlis tries to explain the organization of MI6 and the SOE down to the operational details …and he sends Hendrie to work for SOE as if he were ‘under a cloud.’
The formula includes again creating a senior SOE operative who was active in the Great War, and some politics at all levels of the organization.
Fictitious agents are another ploy. ‘Sending’ them in, and checking to see whether they are expected is the methodology.
The particular factoid in this book is whether or not the British Intelligence services were expecting the V1 and V2 rockets to play a signiicant role in the war.
There is an attraction that develops between the spy Agent Laertes (Richard Prince, Hans Olsen, Jesper Holm*, Peter Rasmusssen) and his Copenhagen contact, handler, controller, Agent Osric , Hanne Jakobsen.
Some of the exploits of agent Prince are a bit farfetched, even if barely conceivable… like his escaping from Germany after posing as a Frenchman and voluntarily entering a slave labor detail in Peenemuende; the arrest of agent Osric and her transfer to Ravensbrueck, the death of Prince’ sister in law in an air raid and the disappearance of his 3 year old son appear to devices to get some more missions in for Prince, before the war is won.
So we learn about the failed effort of the Germans to destroy the Danish Jewish community, and the German leadership’s awareness of what was going on at the Polish extermination camps… i do not know that the latter is historically accurate…. but I suppose authorial license kicks in and what we’d prefer to think…
August 25, 2025
The spies and the mission in WW 2 Denmark.
If you have not read Alex Gerlis’s spy thriller novels this is your opportunity to correct the oversight. Certainly one of the two or three best living espionage or spy writers, his books are set during World War 2 and depict the horrors thrust upon the Allies and the Free World by Hitler and Germany in exemplary fashion.
THE PRINCE OF SPIES introduces Richard Prince and with great economy Gerlis lays out the setting and the plot, and sketches in Prince’s character with carefully crafted brush strokes. A mid-thirties Detective Superintendent who tracks down a German spy, Prince is seen by MI6 as the ideal man for a mission to Germany to gather information on the building of the V1 and V2 rockets. He would much prefer to be at home in Lincolnshire apprehending burglars and caring for his three year old son. His anguish over the death of his wife and daughter in a car smash two years before and love for the boy, fleshes out the human side and deftly depicts a man torn between what he wants and his duty to King and Country.
In short order he is on his way to Denmark where he meets his contact, Hanne Jakobsen and an array of well-drawn, tri-dimensional characters; friend, foe and unknown and thrust into one dangerous situation after another. The reader is in the hands of a master as the Germans close in and the suspense is ratcheted up as Prince narrowly escapes, or does not. And all this against the background of a spy’s daily routines and the critical elements of remembering changing identities, nationalities and stories.
No discerning reader could not be impressed with Richard Prince’s first mission and the care taken by spy-master Alex Gerlis.
Rupert Bush does a fine job narrating the story and capturing the numerous characters.
Highly recommended. Happy reading, Eric.
If you have not read Alex Gerlis’s spy thriller novels this is your opportunity to correct the oversight. Certainly one of the two or three best living espionage or spy writers, his books are set during World War 2 and depict the horrors thrust upon the Allies and the Free World by Hitler and Germany in exemplary fashion.
THE PRINCE OF SPIES introduces Richard Prince and with great economy Gerlis lays out the setting and the plot, and sketches in Prince’s character with carefully crafted brush strokes. A mid-thirties Detective Superintendent who tracks down a German spy, Prince is seen by MI6 as the ideal man for a mission to Germany to gather information on the building of the V1 and V2 rockets. He would much prefer to be at home in Lincolnshire apprehending burglars and caring for his three year old son. His anguish over the death of his wife and daughter in a car smash two years before and love for the boy, fleshes out the human side and deftly depicts a man torn between what he wants and his duty to King and Country.
In short order he is on his way to Denmark where he meets his contact, Hanne Jakobsen and an array of well-drawn, tri-dimensional characters; friend, foe and unknown and thrust into one dangerous situation after another. The reader is in the hands of a master as the Germans close in and the suspense is ratcheted up as Prince narrowly escapes, or does not. And all this against the background of a spy’s daily routines and the critical elements of remembering changing identities, nationalities and stories.
No discerning reader could not be impressed with Richard Prince’s first mission and the care taken by spy-master Alex Gerlis.
Rupert Bush does a fine job narrating the story and capturing the numerous characters.
Highly recommended. Happy reading, Eric.
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