The Night Service

by Tom Walker

‘Tom Walker’s in-depth understanding of RAF heritage and culture ensures his already exciting stories are lent an extra dimension of authority and credibility.’ Frank Barnard Erich Stolcher, a cunning and brutal Gestapo agent, has devised a game to play British intelligence against itself. With the aid of a captured wireless set, he lures agents from the Special Operations Executive into a trap. After narrowly avoiding capture in Crete, war weary RAF officers Peter Denhay and Charlie Kendrick become embroiled in the German's deadly war of shadows. Rekindling an old love affair with an intelligence officer named Evelyn Moore, Denhay begins flying agents out of occupied France. But Kendrick falls foul of his new commanding officer after a professional quarrel, and is dispatched to Bomber Command in disgrace. Shot down on his first sortie, he survives by hiding with a French family. Matters are complicated when Kendrick falls for the daughter, Cecile. When Evelyn goes unexpectedly missing in an attempt to expose the deception, Denhay sets out to find her. Grounded and alone, the officer must contest with both the RAF and the enemy to rescue Evelyn from occupied France before Stolcher catches her. Aided by swift-flying Mosquito bombers, Denhay and Kendrick attempt a daring prison break. The war of shadows becomes all too real.Recommended for fans of Frank Barnard, James Holland and Len Deighton. Tom Walker is a serving RAF Officer who joined after graduating from Kings College London in 2002. He is also the author of Out of the Desert. Praise for Tom 'An assured start to a thrilling series... A novel which grips, both in and out of the cockpit. Out of the Desert will entertain fans of James Holland and Frank Barnard alike.' Richard Foreman

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2021

Reviews

[Stacy Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

War time spy thriller.
Two RAF pilots Charlie & Peter escape from Greece & capture after crashing into the sea.
Back in Britain they part after harsh words.
Peter spends time with an old flame Eva then after leave heads off to fly agents in & out of France.
Eva herself is sent into France on a secret mission.
Charlie spends time with his father then returns to an instructor role before flying bombing raids.
The Gestapo are plotting and trying to unearth SOE agents.
You know all these characters are heading to a showdown, the Gestapo busy trying to undermine all the work by SOE, Eva sent to find out if the SOE network is secure.
Peter unaware of what Eva is undertaking & busy training on his new aircraft.
Charlie still suffering & Ill after the crash he & Peter where in.
Great characters, you feel the pain & anguish for them, the stress and fatigue of front line personal during war.
A truly wonderful book
Well written
Great storyline that flows well.

[S I · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ‘won’t this book in a Twitter/X competition and, to be honest wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s the second book in a series and I’ve yet to read the first so had yet to meet the main characters - that said, Tom gave a resume of his main characters and the story also stands alone.

I think that it must be quite difficult to develop a novel based on historical facts; although, Bernard Cornwell would suggest that it can be done! Tom got quite deep into some technical aspects of RAF Bomber Command and there are probably who could comment on the accuracy of his research. I think that some of his timelines are probably a bit shortened to fit into his story; however, if you’re interested in a story, this is definitely worth a read.

Tom did highlight in his notes at the end of the book the actual events which inspired his story, which should calm down some historians reading it!

If you are prepared to allow a bit of artistic license, this is a good read.

I’ll definitely check out book 1!

[09/01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down

Well written tale,managed to read it in 2 days. It intertwines occupied territories,and resistance. All will become clear,thoroughly good read. Cannot wait for next instalment.

[Gerald E Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

An interesting story but I have my doubts on some of the technicalities involved, I would hate to bomb from a Mosside at 120 with wheels down.

[laurence thomson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not great

Boys own book no real substance and totally unbelievable story line was weak and characters were twee,sickly and boring I'm sure 12-14 years olds would enjoy it

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read with all the gusto of a WW2 English RAF thriller complete with larger than life characters. Highly recommend

[Stephen Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ripping yarn!

Thoroughly enjoyed this and book 1. Quite a page turner. A great story told with suitable attention to detail. Enjoy.......