Laiva

by Justin Scott

A gripping espionage thriller, which sees two spies locked in a psychological battle of wills in the run up to the Second World War.
A fire rages across the decks of the superliner Normandie, interned in New York harbour and being converted into a warship for World War II.

As the burning ship sinks, it becomes clear that a Nazi spy is behind the disaster. And naval architect Steven Gates must expose the agent’s deadly plans for even greater destruction.

Soon the two spies are locked in a psychological battle of wills that takes them deep into the Normandie’s sunken hull – and almost costs Gates the love of the only woman who can save him.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Espionage

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Also writes as Justin Scott, Paul Garrison, J.S. Blazer, and Alexander Cole.

Reviews

[Rachel Hackney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thriller with a spy, a romance and fascinating details about ships. It is set mostly in New York City during the early days of the American entry into World War II. It even includes details about the patrolling that took place to try to keep men and supplies heading from the U.S. to Europe during the war. Scott is a superb storyteller.

[Derek Bridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good adventure story, riffing off a true event, and made more credible by a wealth of technical detail.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more convoluted than Scott's 1978 work The Shipkiller, The Man Who Loved The Normandie is, as they say, a two-fisted tale. It's based on the fate of the actual ship Normandie, but with a lot of guesswork, derring-do and (as the cover so subtly suggests) Nazis. Not going to exercise your brain hugely, but it's perfect when you're looking for a wham-bam encounter.

[Jyv · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the lengthy detail rather tedious. I didn't care a jot about any of the characters. I couldn't wait to finally reach the end of the book.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good action read.