What do you think?
Rate this book
Spy Masters #1
The Best of Our Spies
The Allies have landed, the liberation of Europe has begun.
In the Pas de Calais, Nathalie Mercier, a young British Special Operations Executive secret agent working with the French Resistance, disappears.
In London, her husband Owen Quinn, an officer with Royal Navy Intelligence, discovers the truth about her role in the Allies' sophisticated deception at the heart of D-Day.
Appalled but determined, Quinn sets off on a perilous hunt through France in search of his wife. Aided by the Resistance in his search, he makes good progress. But, caught up by the bitterness of the war and its insatiable appetite for revenge, he risks total destruction.
Based on real events of the Second World War, this is a thrilling tale of international intrigue, love, deception and espionage, perfect for fans of Robert Harris, John le Carré and Len Deighton.
545 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2012
1184 people are currently reading
1822 people want to read
About the author
Alex Gerlis
37 books328 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
December 22, 2022
It took an age to read this: it spent almost all of it's time prior to being handed to the charity shop on the floor beside the fire.
I must surmise the five star reviews are from friends and former journalist colleagues: none of whom took the time to read the book and offer the author, a former journalist, some advice. "Proof read the manuscript before you hork it." The publisher might have bothered, but then again being pally with the author and knowing he is a former journalist most likely thought, "Ahh, no need, let's all go for a beer."
The writing is dreadful - for a former journalist it is beyond the pale.
The list is endless: and this is a topper: "They must have put him on reduced rations because there was hardly anything to eat."
Nazi intelligence decide to send one of their secret agents to Britain: she's a trained nurse, so they order her to find work in a military hospital. Clever them German's; they'll be secrets to be found wherever you turn 'in a hospital'. A nurse, well, probably trip over them on a daily basis. Guess what? She finds evidence from a file that a patient, when recovered, will be moving into intelligence work: incredible.
If you are going to train a nurse to be a spy and have the ability to provide her with a believable biography, then why not chance your arm with a secretarial job that provides chance of mixing in London’s social circle: never know who you might bump into.
The five-star reviews, almost all, state how well researched this is: ‘mates reviews’ I would wager (should have read the book first).
A basic understanding of the war time adage 'loose-lips' might just have steered the writer from such a lazy plot line.
An utterly absurd plot, that becomes predictable, wearisome and painful.
I must surmise the five star reviews are from friends and former journalist colleagues: none of whom took the time to read the book and offer the author, a former journalist, some advice. "Proof read the manuscript before you hork it." The publisher might have bothered, but then again being pally with the author and knowing he is a former journalist most likely thought, "Ahh, no need, let's all go for a beer."
The writing is dreadful - for a former journalist it is beyond the pale.
The list is endless: and this is a topper: "They must have put him on reduced rations because there was hardly anything to eat."
Nazi intelligence decide to send one of their secret agents to Britain: she's a trained nurse, so they order her to find work in a military hospital. Clever them German's; they'll be secrets to be found wherever you turn 'in a hospital'. A nurse, well, probably trip over them on a daily basis. Guess what? She finds evidence from a file that a patient, when recovered, will be moving into intelligence work: incredible.
If you are going to train a nurse to be a spy and have the ability to provide her with a believable biography, then why not chance your arm with a secretarial job that provides chance of mixing in London’s social circle: never know who you might bump into.
The five-star reviews, almost all, state how well researched this is: ‘mates reviews’ I would wager (should have read the book first).
A basic understanding of the war time adage 'loose-lips' might just have steered the writer from such a lazy plot line.
An utterly absurd plot, that becomes predictable, wearisome and painful.
September 6, 2013
As a bit of a history buff, I found this to be incredibly well-researched and respectful of the truth of people's experiences during wartime. I was drawn to the fascinating subject matter of the world of counter-espionage, especially as the central character is a woman, and she is certainly intriguing: enigmatic yet so believable in her resourcefulness and determination. Her role changes through the course of the war, and she moves from certainty to doubt, and even horror at her part in events. The figure of the man she dupes, by contrast, grows from a naive and open-hearted soul to a much tougher and more cynical individual. Nobody is left untransformed by the cataclysmic events of the fighting in France, and the sense of paranoia and unease never lets up. Unputdownable, and if this doesn't get made into a fantastic film, I shall eat my French Resistance beret!
October 16, 2023
A World War 2 spy story full of twists and turns. It stretches from the British and French defeat in France to the final months of the war. At its' heart are two main characters. One is a wounded Royal Navy officer who is sent to recuperate at a military hospital. There he meets a French nurse, who escaped France after it was overrun by the Wehrmacht. They fall in love and get married and move to London where the Royal Navy officer, Owen Quinn, works for the Admiralty's intelligence department helping to plan the Allied invasion of France. Meanwhile his wife, Nathalie Mercier, continues her nursing work in London, but - we have known from the start of the story - she is not what she seems. As they live their seemingly innocent lives, British intelligence is using both of them as part of "Operation Fortitude" - the code name for a deception with the aim of misleading the German high command as to the location of the imminent invasion. Owen is completely unaware that his wife is a German spy, codenamed "Magpie" and that his superiors are using them both in a daring plan to convince the enemy that the main invasion of France will come at the Pas-de-Calais. An incredible story unfolds, in Britain and France, as the war continues and the Allied landings in Normandy goes ahead. But what will happen to Owen and Nathalie when their lives together - based on lies and deception - start to unravel?
October 15, 2017
Best spy novel I have ever read. Ever.
All spy stories should be this devious. Lt. Quinn, having been returned to England following his ship being bombed into oblivion off Crete, falls in love with one of his nurses. Unbeknownst to him she is a German spy in deep cover, but the spymasters in Bletchley Park know it and are manipulating their relationship so they can turn her into a double agent without her, or his, knowledge. “He has no idea whatsoever who she is. He is unaware of what is going on. Thinks this beautiful Frenchwoman who is two years older than him has fallen in love with him. He is like the cat that has found the cream, gallons of the stuff, in fact.” The idea is to feed her all sorts of false information leading to an assumption that the real invasion of the continent will take place at Pas de Calais and not Normandy which they want the Germans to believe is just a diversion. Then she is sent to France.
Not only is it a terrific spy novel, but a good love story, as well and nicely set in an historical context. You will begin to question good and evil and whether the end can ever justify the means.
All spy stories should be this devious. Lt. Quinn, having been returned to England following his ship being bombed into oblivion off Crete, falls in love with one of his nurses. Unbeknownst to him she is a German spy in deep cover, but the spymasters in Bletchley Park know it and are manipulating their relationship so they can turn her into a double agent without her, or his, knowledge. “He has no idea whatsoever who she is. He is unaware of what is going on. Thinks this beautiful Frenchwoman who is two years older than him has fallen in love with him. He is like the cat that has found the cream, gallons of the stuff, in fact.” The idea is to feed her all sorts of false information leading to an assumption that the real invasion of the continent will take place at Pas de Calais and not Normandy which they want the Germans to believe is just a diversion. Then she is sent to France.
Not only is it a terrific spy novel, but a good love story, as well and nicely set in an historical context. You will begin to question good and evil and whether the end can ever justify the means.
September 11, 2013
With historical fiction and World War II such popular genres and subjects these days, it is easy to find oneself unable to choose a book or, worse still, grabbing a turkey. This is a dilemma easily avoided with Alex Gerbis' 'The Best of Our Spies'. A blend of H.E. Bates' 'Fair Stood the Wind for France', John le Carre's 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and a few others, '...Spies' is a well-researched, blunt instrument of literature. In parts predictable, it is its ability to lull and then surprise that makes it a good read, and a good read it is.
April 6, 2017
A number of excellent nonfiction books have been written about the exploits of British Intelligence in World War II, some of them by the practitioners themselves. Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben McIntyre stands out among recent examples. The title refers to what was variously called the XX Committee, the Twenty Committee, or the Double Cross Committee, a high-level body in British government charged with mounting a number of secret operations to deceive the Germans about the location of the Normandy Invasion. Their work, code-named Operation Fortitude and kept secret for decades, was spectacularly successful. It probably made the difference between the success or failure of the all-important invasion.
Naturally, an historical event so rich in detail and possibilities has also given rise to many spy novels as well. The most satisfying of those I’ve read is The Best of Our Spies, by Alex Gerlis. Working on the foundation of historical fact, including some real-life characters as well as the locations where the action really took place, Gerlis has woven a deeply engrossing and suspenseful tale that does as good a job as any nonfiction book in conveying what Operation Fortitude was really like. Though the principal characters are entirely fictitious, the lives they led may well come as close as any historical accounts to the reality lived by some of the many intelligence officers and agents involved in the scheme.
A spy story that conveys authenticity
The best writers of espionage fiction — John le Carre, Charles Cumming, and Olen Steinhauer, for example — are careful to avoid turning their protagonists into superheroes. They write about, often wallow in, the moral ambiguity of their characters’ work. Gerlis does, too. Both Owen Quinn and the young Frenchwoman whose stories dominate the novel are problematic characters, deeply affected by the events around them. For anyone with any empathy at all, it would be difficult not to feel their pain.
Most of the action in The Best of Our Spies takes place over the four final years of World War II. The scene shifts rapidly from one chapter to another, moving back and forth from a number of locations in England, to a succession of French towns and cities as well as the headquarters of the Abwehr (German military intelligence) in Berlin. The novel is full of surprises despite the fact that the major events in the story are so well known.
About the author
In the last few years British TV and radio journalist Alex Gerlis has turned to writing historical novels about espionage. The Best of Our Spies was the first, in 2012. His second, The Swiss Spy, was published in 2015.
Naturally, an historical event so rich in detail and possibilities has also given rise to many spy novels as well. The most satisfying of those I’ve read is The Best of Our Spies, by Alex Gerlis. Working on the foundation of historical fact, including some real-life characters as well as the locations where the action really took place, Gerlis has woven a deeply engrossing and suspenseful tale that does as good a job as any nonfiction book in conveying what Operation Fortitude was really like. Though the principal characters are entirely fictitious, the lives they led may well come as close as any historical accounts to the reality lived by some of the many intelligence officers and agents involved in the scheme.
A spy story that conveys authenticity
The best writers of espionage fiction — John le Carre, Charles Cumming, and Olen Steinhauer, for example — are careful to avoid turning their protagonists into superheroes. They write about, often wallow in, the moral ambiguity of their characters’ work. Gerlis does, too. Both Owen Quinn and the young Frenchwoman whose stories dominate the novel are problematic characters, deeply affected by the events around them. For anyone with any empathy at all, it would be difficult not to feel their pain.
Most of the action in The Best of Our Spies takes place over the four final years of World War II. The scene shifts rapidly from one chapter to another, moving back and forth from a number of locations in England, to a succession of French towns and cities as well as the headquarters of the Abwehr (German military intelligence) in Berlin. The novel is full of surprises despite the fact that the major events in the story are so well known.
About the author
In the last few years British TV and radio journalist Alex Gerlis has turned to writing historical novels about espionage. The Best of Our Spies was the first, in 2012. His second, The Swiss Spy, was published in 2015.
January 1, 2016
Excellent spy novel, with some real edge of your seat suspense at times. Highly recommended. As is his other bookThe Swiss Spy.
August 22, 2017
I enjoyed this story, especially the second half of the book , which I think picked up pace quite a bit.
I did not however much like the characters, particularly Owen Quinn, he did not seem to be the "right" age for me.
I did not however much like the characters, particularly Owen Quinn, he did not seem to be the "right" age for me.
January 19, 2019
DNF. Strange writing style which leaves you cold and unengrossed even through what are supposed to be very emotional scenes. The main protagonist is not fully developed, and so it is hard to get to know her or understand her motives. Not as good as people say it is.
December 16, 2018
ספר מעניין ומהנה, אשר למרבה האכזבה כושל בחוסר אמינות משווע בעיצוב דמותה של נטלי המרגלת.
לאורך כל הספר חיכיתי בסבלנות לשלב בו נתוודע לקווי האופי האמיתיים של נטלי, לאג'נדה המוצקה שלה, ולמניעים שהביאו אותה להפוך למרגלת נאצית נועזת. אלא שברגע האמת, בסוף הספר, לאחר הרפתקאות רבות, מתברר שהסופר לא טרח לטוות למרגלת קווי אופי, אג'נדה כלשהי, או מניעים סבירים לפעולותיה, וכי דעותיה ניתנות לשינוי כאילו היו קנה קש רצוץ. למותר לציין שהדבר כלל לא מתיישב עם אופיה של נטלי לאורך הספר, ועם עמידתה האיתנה במבחני אומץ ועינויים.
הטובה שבמרגלות/אלכס גרליס
לאורך כל הספר חיכיתי בסבלנות לשלב בו נתוודע לקווי האופי האמיתיים של נטלי, לאג'נדה המוצקה שלה, ולמניעים שהביאו אותה להפוך למרגלת נאצית נועזת. אלא שברגע האמת, בסוף הספר, לאחר הרפתקאות רבות, מתברר שהסופר לא טרח לטוות למרגלת קווי אופי, אג'נדה כלשהי, או מניעים סבירים לפעולותיה, וכי דעותיה ניתנות לשינוי כאילו היו קנה קש רצוץ. למותר לציין שהדבר כלל לא מתיישב עם אופיה של נטלי לאורך הספר, ועם עמידתה האיתנה במבחני אומץ ועינויים.
הטובה שבמרגלות/אלכס גרליס
October 22, 2018
אל הספר הנפלא הזה התוודעתי לראשונה כשקראתי את הביקורת של עלית קרפ ב"הארץ" (3/7/2018). הייתה לי תחושה שזה ספר מצוין עוד לפני שקראתיו אבל לא ידעתי עד כמה שתחושתי תתאמת ועד כמה הוא ישאב אותי לתוכו... בפעם הקודמת שזה קרה לי השנה זה היה עם סדרת "הרומאנים הנפוליטניים" של אלנה פרנטה (או השד יודע איך קוראים לה...).
הספר מתבסס על אירועים אמיתיים לקראת תום מלחמת העולם השנייה ומתמקד במבצע ההונאה של בעלות הברית שנועד ליצור בפני הגרמנים מצג שווא לפיו הפלישה של בעלות הברית צפויה לצאת לפועל ב"פה דה קאלה" במקום ב"נורמנדי", אזור שהגרמנים האמינו בתחילה כי יהיה ההגיוני ביותר לפלישה האמורה (מכל מיני סיבות שמפורטות בספר). חלק מהדמויות, האירועים והמקומות המתוארים בספר אמיתיים וחלק מהדמויות בדויות. הספר שופך אור על אחד האירועים שללא ספק הכריעו את הכף לטובת בעלות הברית עד לניצחון על גרמניה הנאצית ומשלב בתוכו רומן מסעיר מאין כמוהו אותו רקח הסופר אלכס גרליס בכישרון רב (ואגב זהו ספרו הראשון). ידעתי באופן כללי על תכנית ההונאה של בעלות הברית אולם הספר השלים לי "חורים בהשכלה" ההיסטורית והשילוב של האירועים האמיתיים עם הרומן הבדיוני גרם לי כאמור עונג רב.
במהלך הקריאה תהיתי איך הסופר יחתום את הסיפור... אז כדי להימנע מספוילר אגיד רק כי הוא עשה את זה באופן מפתיע (לפחות אותי זה הפתיע), עם היגיון ומרגש ביותר.
בשורה סופית: Highly Recommended
הספר מתבסס על אירועים אמיתיים לקראת תום מלחמת העולם השנייה ומתמקד במבצע ההונאה של בעלות הברית שנועד ליצור בפני הגרמנים מצג שווא לפיו הפלישה של בעלות הברית צפויה לצאת לפועל ב"פה דה קאלה" במקום ב"נורמנדי", אזור שהגרמנים האמינו בתחילה כי יהיה ההגיוני ביותר לפלישה האמורה (מכל מיני סיבות שמפורטות בספר). חלק מהדמויות, האירועים והמקומות המתוארים בספר אמיתיים וחלק מהדמויות בדויות. הספר שופך אור על אחד האירועים שללא ספק הכריעו את הכף לטובת בעלות הברית עד לניצחון על גרמניה הנאצית ומשלב בתוכו רומן מסעיר מאין כמוהו אותו רקח הסופר אלכס גרליס בכישרון רב (ואגב זהו ספרו הראשון). ידעתי באופן כללי על תכנית ההונאה של בעלות הברית אולם הספר השלים לי "חורים בהשכלה" ההיסטורית והשילוב של האירועים האמיתיים עם הרומן הבדיוני גרם לי כאמור עונג רב.
במהלך הקריאה תהיתי איך הסופר יחתום את הסיפור... אז כדי להימנע מספוילר אגיד רק כי הוא עשה את זה באופן מפתיע (לפחות אותי זה הפתיע), עם היגיון ומרגש ביותר.
בשורה סופית: Highly Recommended
January 29, 2019
What a riveting read. Fiction but based on real people and events during WWII, it had danger, pathos, amusing parts and so much more leading up to and beyond the D Day Landing in Normandy.
Natalie was the central character, a double agent with many aliases and although an enemy to the English, the author made it easy to sympathise with her as details of her real background emerge late in the story.
Highly recommended.
Natalie was the central character, a double agent with many aliases and although an enemy to the English, the author made it easy to sympathise with her as details of her real background emerge late in the story.
Highly recommended.
October 20, 2020
רומן שמשלב מתח, ריגול ועובדות היסטוריות על התקופה שבה עומדים כוחות בעלות הברית לפלוש לצרפת במלחמת העולם השניה ומנהלים מולם קרב מוחות.
ספר מותח ומוצלח, שבהחלט הותיר עלי חותם ורושם, מאוד אפקטיבי מתחילתו ועד סופו.
בניגוד לאופן המקובל היום, הספר אינו מעמיד דילמת הזדהות של טובים ורעים (למשל כפי שנעשה בסדרה האמריקאים) עד השליש האחרון של הספר בו נעשה מאמץ מעט דידקטי להאיץ תהליכים אצל הדמויות וזה מרגיש מעט מאולץ ושטוח.
הספר שוטף וקולח ואחז בי לכל אורכו, קראתי בשקיקה וסיום הספר מצוין לטעמי.
ספר מותח ומוצלח, שבהחלט הותיר עלי חותם ורושם, מאוד אפקטיבי מתחילתו ועד סופו.
בניגוד לאופן המקובל היום, הספר אינו מעמיד דילמת הזדהות של טובים ורעים (למשל כפי שנעשה בסדרה האמריקאים) עד השליש האחרון של הספר בו נעשה מאמץ מעט דידקטי להאיץ תהליכים אצל הדמויות וזה מרגיש מעט מאולץ ושטוח.
הספר שוטף וקולח ואחז בי לכל אורכו, קראתי בשקיקה וסיום הספר מצוין לטעמי.
January 3, 2017
This was an exceptionally good spy novel set in WWII Britain and France, mostly before and following the June 1944 landing by the Allies in France. It closely follows the detailed planning and subterfuge employed by the Allies to convince the Nazis that the Second Front landings would be in the Pas de Calais area rather than the true objective, the beaches of Normandy.
The book reflects an impressive deal of research and attention to detail by the author. The characters are very well-drawn and fleshed out, I especially enjoyed that of the leading male, a young naval officer recovering from his wounds and the female lead, a nurse from France who escaped during the Dunkirk evacuation to find work in British hospitals. But that is incredibly simplistic, a disservice really, and it's because I don't want to give any of the plot away. 4.5 stars.
The book reflects an impressive deal of research and attention to detail by the author. The characters are very well-drawn and fleshed out, I especially enjoyed that of the leading male, a young naval officer recovering from his wounds and the female lead, a nurse from France who escaped during the Dunkirk evacuation to find work in British hospitals. But that is incredibly simplistic, a disservice really, and it's because I don't want to give any of the plot away. 4.5 stars.
November 24, 2020
3.5
It was okay, likeable characters.
It was too long; I kept waiting for some twists or some big revelation but none come.
It was okay, likeable characters.
It was too long; I kept waiting for some twists or some big revelation but none come.
June 23, 2019
I would say almost a 4 star. I thought this was a non fiction book when I bought it because I have issues with many “historical” fiction books. I must say though that this was a stellar novel, no matter how much you read things which you knew would never ever happen, were left out, or were added. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading it and tried to ignore some glaring errors like any reference to living through the Blitz in London bombing after for all the characters living in London. So odd and a rather big gaff.
July 6, 2022
Wow. I found this book riveting from beginning to end. It has more twists and turns than a long mountain road, each turn making the reader wonder what will happen next.
The book's main character is Owen Quinn, commander of a ship sunk by the Germans early in the second world war. Quinn's injuries from the sinking take him to a hospital where he is cared for by a nurse, Nathalie Mercier, who is actually a Nazi spy. Mercier and Quinn become close. Quinn guilelessly falls for her, while Mercier encourages his affections in order to extract secrets from him and others in the military hospital where he is recovering. She sees her relationship with him as a tool and she is ruthless enough to use it.
When he recovers, Quinn is assigned to work in the Admiralty doing secret intelligence work related to his training and college education. He and Mercier marry. As he continues his work in military intelligence, she picks up bits and pieces of information that she transmits to Germany.
Although she is a spy for Germany, the Intelligence Service of Britain knows this and uses her to hoodwink the Germans about various English war plans. Quinn is unaware of any of this, simply falling deeper and deeper into love with her.
Since this is a spy novel, to say much more about the plot would also be giving away secrets. No one wants to read a book that someone else has spoiled.
Beyond the plot, the book also shows a great deal about human nature. Through the pages of the book, we encounter just every type of humanity, every human emotion, and every type of moral value. Friends who betray friends are counterbalanced by people who place friendship above personal gain. There are patriots and traitors, brave people and weak people, manipulators and followers, and just about every other combination.
Many novels with a lot of characters and many complex situations come to an end, leaving some questions and plot elements incompletely handled. This book resolves every issue in its storylines; there are no loose ends when the book draws to a close. It is a satisfying and enjoyable read, worth every one of it, over 600 pages.
The book's main character is Owen Quinn, commander of a ship sunk by the Germans early in the second world war. Quinn's injuries from the sinking take him to a hospital where he is cared for by a nurse, Nathalie Mercier, who is actually a Nazi spy. Mercier and Quinn become close. Quinn guilelessly falls for her, while Mercier encourages his affections in order to extract secrets from him and others in the military hospital where he is recovering. She sees her relationship with him as a tool and she is ruthless enough to use it.
When he recovers, Quinn is assigned to work in the Admiralty doing secret intelligence work related to his training and college education. He and Mercier marry. As he continues his work in military intelligence, she picks up bits and pieces of information that she transmits to Germany.
Although she is a spy for Germany, the Intelligence Service of Britain knows this and uses her to hoodwink the Germans about various English war plans. Quinn is unaware of any of this, simply falling deeper and deeper into love with her.
Since this is a spy novel, to say much more about the plot would also be giving away secrets. No one wants to read a book that someone else has spoiled.
Beyond the plot, the book also shows a great deal about human nature. Through the pages of the book, we encounter just every type of humanity, every human emotion, and every type of moral value. Friends who betray friends are counterbalanced by people who place friendship above personal gain. There are patriots and traitors, brave people and weak people, manipulators and followers, and just about every other combination.
Many novels with a lot of characters and many complex situations come to an end, leaving some questions and plot elements incompletely handled. This book resolves every issue in its storylines; there are no loose ends when the book draws to a close. It is a satisfying and enjoyable read, worth every one of it, over 600 pages.
April 11, 2014
This is a gripping, WW2, espionage thriller that really captivates. It’s one that starts at a pretty brisk pace and doesn’t once slow down. It gathers momentum and climaxes at breakneck speed.
It’s an intricate tale of intrigue, bluff and double bluff. It’s a tale of love, deception, courage, tragedy, horror and loss.
Nathalie Mercier, a young nurse, is sent to France by British Intelligence to work with the French Resistance shortly before D-Day. She leaves behind a new husband, Owen, also working closely with the Royal Navy Intelligence, who wonders if they will ever see each other again. But the seemingly naïve, industrious and dedicated Owen has been underestimated by his superiors, and he discovers a web of deceit and lies from people he trusted and loved. He has to find his wife, at all costs.
Gerlis is master storyteller. The characters are well defined and totally credible, and you care deeply about those you are intended to. The facts of the Second World War period have been meticulously researched, and the horrors of that dreadful time woven into the story with skill, to produce an atmospheric and riveting novel.
Whilst I would dearly love to accredit a five-star rating to this book, Gerlis' editing is as unremarkable as his skill as a storyteller is irrefutable. There are countless errors (words missing, spelling, punctuation and some bad grammatical errors), but it’s a testament to the quality of the story and writing (for the most part) that I can still attribute a healthy four stars. The book appears to be well accepted, so I fear future professional editing may well be bypassed. I’ll just hope.
This was an unexpected reading pleasure. Historical novels, though not excluded from my reading, are less favoured, but this certainly grabbed my attention, and I had no option but to neglect my daily chores and use matchsticks to prop my eyes open in the small hours of the morning. The end had to be reached as quickly as possible! Highly recommended.
It’s an intricate tale of intrigue, bluff and double bluff. It’s a tale of love, deception, courage, tragedy, horror and loss.
Nathalie Mercier, a young nurse, is sent to France by British Intelligence to work with the French Resistance shortly before D-Day. She leaves behind a new husband, Owen, also working closely with the Royal Navy Intelligence, who wonders if they will ever see each other again. But the seemingly naïve, industrious and dedicated Owen has been underestimated by his superiors, and he discovers a web of deceit and lies from people he trusted and loved. He has to find his wife, at all costs.
Gerlis is master storyteller. The characters are well defined and totally credible, and you care deeply about those you are intended to. The facts of the Second World War period have been meticulously researched, and the horrors of that dreadful time woven into the story with skill, to produce an atmospheric and riveting novel.
Whilst I would dearly love to accredit a five-star rating to this book, Gerlis' editing is as unremarkable as his skill as a storyteller is irrefutable. There are countless errors (words missing, spelling, punctuation and some bad grammatical errors), but it’s a testament to the quality of the story and writing (for the most part) that I can still attribute a healthy four stars. The book appears to be well accepted, so I fear future professional editing may well be bypassed. I’ll just hope.
This was an unexpected reading pleasure. Historical novels, though not excluded from my reading, are less favoured, but this certainly grabbed my attention, and I had no option but to neglect my daily chores and use matchsticks to prop my eyes open in the small hours of the morning. The end had to be reached as quickly as possible! Highly recommended.
November 13, 2018
The story is fascinating and breathtaking, written well. The characters are well built and reliable. Gerlis does not fall into the trap of making "our side" pure. He describes it with a mixture of good and evil, as in reality.
The historical background of the book made me spend a lot of time reading and browsing through google maps and Wikipedia, which increased the experience of reading and connected me more to people, events and places embedded in the plot. All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. It seems that I am well connecting to books that take place against an actual historical background and also teach me the story of another period and events from the past.
Conclusions? The need to win overrides moral judgment, and its high price justified by the price setters, which will not be paid by them.
The book highly recommended.
The historical background of the book made me spend a lot of time reading and browsing through google maps and Wikipedia, which increased the experience of reading and connected me more to people, events and places embedded in the plot. All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. It seems that I am well connecting to books that take place against an actual historical background and also teach me the story of another period and events from the past.
Conclusions? The need to win overrides moral judgment, and its high price justified by the price setters, which will not be paid by them.
The book highly recommended.
December 1, 2021
I've read many non-fiction books about the agents in WWII and any one of them is more exciting and better than this fictional account. I found the read a slog, the characters lacked depth, there began to be many words missing as I read through the second half (the editor got tired of reading?), and finally a mix of some anticipated and other highly improbable endings.
September 13, 2021
I'm still searching for the series to fill the Philip Kerr / Bernie Gunter hole in my reading life and happened upon this book in a charity shop. It is about WW2 and described on the cover as The Spy Masters Book One so I gave it go.
My initial feeling, judging by the writing on the first pages, was that Alex Gerlis had attended a class on how to write like Dan Brown and no time was spent establishing character. The events came thick and fast. Action. Action.
The writing settled down after a while and the main characters developed through the ways they dealt with each other and adversity and it became an interesting story of spies and deception. Then it began to drag just a tad when the book turned (following the fortunes of the war) and the protagonist Owen Quinn was longer the victim of cruel duplicity by nearly everyone around him but grew into a man on a mission. This metamorphosis made me think that the book could have been split into two - one leading up to D-Day and its sequel.
At times the writing was in need of an editor who would have cut down on the receptions and the frequent instances of show and tell that betrayed that this was Gerlis's first attempt at full-length fiction.
There are apparently four books in the series and if I happen upon one of the others I'll doubtless give it a go but I wasn't sufficiently positive about this one to seek them out.
My initial feeling, judging by the writing on the first pages, was that Alex Gerlis had attended a class on how to write like Dan Brown and no time was spent establishing character. The events came thick and fast. Action. Action.
The writing settled down after a while and the main characters developed through the ways they dealt with each other and adversity and it became an interesting story of spies and deception. Then it began to drag just a tad when the book turned (following the fortunes of the war) and the protagonist Owen Quinn was longer the victim of cruel duplicity by nearly everyone around him but grew into a man on a mission. This metamorphosis made me think that the book could have been split into two - one leading up to D-Day and its sequel.
At times the writing was in need of an editor who would have cut down on the receptions and the frequent instances of show and tell that betrayed that this was Gerlis's first attempt at full-length fiction.
There are apparently four books in the series and if I happen upon one of the others I'll doubtless give it a go but I wasn't sufficiently positive about this one to seek them out.
February 4, 2021
What really gripped me with this book was that it included a fascinating part of the history of World War II, including a lot of period 'feel' whilst at the same time, being full of the human detail you only get with a novel. It asked questions - what would you do in these circumstances when faced with these dilemmas or opportunities? It gave you characters who struggled with themselves in times when the whole of the world we knew was struggling - so it felt real. Yet it also showed how, for some people during some parts of the war, nothing much happened.
It was based to an extent on real events and there was much explanation of the significance of these events in the fragile nature of the plans for D-Day. It showed how a population, broken and bitter, might react as the chokehold of occupation was released.
A fascinating insight into this period of history as a backdrop to a story that could easily have been true.
It was based to an extent on real events and there was much explanation of the significance of these events in the fragile nature of the plans for D-Day. It showed how a population, broken and bitter, might react as the chokehold of occupation was released.
A fascinating insight into this period of history as a backdrop to a story that could easily have been true.
Want to read
January 28, 2017I tried to listen to this on audio and I wasn't able to focus on the story. I found my mind kept wandering to things in real life that were distracting me and I just couldn't stay in the story. I think this might be better for me to read and try it another time when real life is not as busy as it has been.
April 6, 2019
Wish I could have given it 5 stars
This is a compelling book about the British Intelligence effort to mislead the Germans about their DDay landing location. The characters are well drawn and the story is well structured. However, the kindle edition of the book needs comprehensive editing to remove the all too frequent punctuation and misplaced word construction errors. These seriously distracted and annoyed this reader!
This is a compelling book about the British Intelligence effort to mislead the Germans about their DDay landing location. The characters are well drawn and the story is well structured. However, the kindle edition of the book needs comprehensive editing to remove the all too frequent punctuation and misplaced word construction errors. These seriously distracted and annoyed this reader!
June 30, 2021
This novel is well written and the author did a good job of capturing the atmosphere in France during the occupation and immediately afterwards. Much of the story is essentially a missing person search and I would have offered a higher rating had more actual spying activities been included in the story.
Read
October 27, 2018WW II spy novel about the espionage during the last four years of the war. Solid, at times exciting, the characters are flawed and realistic. Good on the history of false landing locations for D Day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2019
A really gripping story. Lots of detail and you are pulled into the story as you read. Great storyline and kept me hooked until the end. Great book
May 5, 2025
I've read several books by Alex Gerlis, all very enjoyable and fast moving but all very similar and all very English. He's hit on a winning formula.
January 27, 2021
Great read, sees WW2 from a different angle. Keeps you guessing, recommended.
August 24, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book, but it never enthralled me. The pacing in the second half of the book seems better but, perversely, I preferred the story arc in the first half.
As others have commented, the proof-reading for the ebook version is appalling. Though that really affected my reading enjoyment, I have not marked it down for that.
As others have commented, the proof-reading for the ebook version is appalling. Though that really affected my reading enjoyment, I have not marked it down for that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews