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Angels and Bandits
"This second novel from Curtis anchors itself around the early days of World War II, specifically the epoch identified as the 'Battle of Britain' (July - October 1940) … the author carves out a creative niche that will enthrall readers."
-Historical Novels Review
The battle of Britain rages and two young RAF pilots from very different stations in life must somehow find common ground - and stay alive.
On the eve of World War II, working-class Eddy Beane is a flight instructor in London. He successfully completes dangerous espionage missions for Air Commodore Keith Park and takes on society-girl June Stephenson as a student. Her ex-fiance, Dudley Thane, is also a flyer, but upper-class and Cambridge-educated. When the German Luftwaffe attacks England in 1940, Eddy and Dudley end up serving in the same Spitfire squadron. Aerial combat is intense, and both men show their skills and courage, but can they set aside jealousy and class differences to become fighting brothers for the defence of Britain?
-Historical Novels Review
The battle of Britain rages and two young RAF pilots from very different stations in life must somehow find common ground - and stay alive.
On the eve of World War II, working-class Eddy Beane is a flight instructor in London. He successfully completes dangerous espionage missions for Air Commodore Keith Park and takes on society-girl June Stephenson as a student. Her ex-fiance, Dudley Thane, is also a flyer, but upper-class and Cambridge-educated. When the German Luftwaffe attacks England in 1940, Eddy and Dudley end up serving in the same Spitfire squadron. Aerial combat is intense, and both men show their skills and courage, but can they set aside jealousy and class differences to become fighting brothers for the defence of Britain?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
429 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2022
5 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Brodie Curtis
3 books17 followersRaised in the Midwest, Brodie Curtis was educated as a lawyer and left the corporate world to embrace life in Colorado with his wife and two sons.
Curtis is the author of THE FOUR BELLS, a novel of The Great War, which is the product of extensive historical research, including long walks through the fields of Flanders, where much of the book's action is set. His second novel, ANGELS AND BANDITS, takes his protagonists into The Battle of Britain. Curtis is currently working on a novel set on a Mississippi Riverboat prior to the Civil War.
A lover of history, particularly American history and the World Wars, Curtis reviews historical fiction for the Historical Novels Review and more than 100 of his published reviews and short takes on historical novels can be found on his website: brodiecurtis.com.
Curtis is the author of THE FOUR BELLS, a novel of The Great War, which is the product of extensive historical research, including long walks through the fields of Flanders, where much of the book's action is set. His second novel, ANGELS AND BANDITS, takes his protagonists into The Battle of Britain. Curtis is currently working on a novel set on a Mississippi Riverboat prior to the Civil War.
A lover of history, particularly American history and the World Wars, Curtis reviews historical fiction for the Historical Novels Review and more than 100 of his published reviews and short takes on historical novels can be found on his website: brodiecurtis.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 25, 2022
I have said it before, and I will say it again – sometimes you know you are going to love a book before you’ve read it. Sometimes, I will admit, I do get my hopes up a little too high for books, and I end up disappointed, but with this book, this was not the case. In fact, I don’t think I could’ve hyped this book up enough for it to disappoint me.
Eddy Beane goes from a tailor working for his aunt and uncle to a RAF pilot. This book is about the journey he takes, from being invited on a flight for the first time, and the subsequent urge to get back up in the air. Since the first time Eddy was lifted from the ground, he knew he belonged in a plane, and he works hard to get his licence and to succeed in what he loves.
Dudley Thane is the kind of character that you are not sure about. When we first meet him, he is not a character I liked. He is egotistical, stuck-up, and rude. And yet, he is also the kind of character who changes over the course of the book, until, somehow, you start to see his side of things, and learn who he really is.
I loved Eddy’s character a lot, but it is not just Eddy that makes this book worth reading. I have never flown a plane, surprise surprise (if any flight instructor saw how clumsy I can be just walking around the house, there’s no way they would ever let me near the plane, let alone to sit in the passenger seat), but reading this book, I started to feel the thrill of flying, even though I was just sat on my sofa, curled up under blankets. I don’t think I would ever be able to actually fly a plane, but the way everything has been described in this book makes me want to so much. Or maybe I just want to spend time with Eddy, and have him fly me around in a plane. I have problems talking to my husband about the books I’m reading, because I gush far too much about the male characters I am kind of in love with, and he’s not entirely sure whether he should be considering countless fictional characters as competition for my love and affection.
While World War Two fiction is some of my favourite, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that focuses solely on the RAF, and the pilots of the Spitfires. Come to think of it, I haven’t ever read a book about planes. This is either a mistake on my part, and a gap I need to fill in my bookshelf, or this author has just written an amazingly brilliant book, he managed to make me passionate about Spitfires, and want to fly planes. I think I’m probably leaning towards the latter.
So much happens in this book, it is difficult to sum it all up without talking about it all and spoiling things that happen halfway through. In a brief summery, I love Eddy, I want to fly planes, and I absolutely have to read more books by this author. In a slightly longer one, Eddy is a fabulous character, and I adore the fact that all of the characters change over the course of the book, they work towards what they want, and they stand up with courage. The way the aerial combat has been described is utterly amazing, I might as well have been watching a film it was so vivid in my mind. And I am starting to run out of adjectives and ways to describe how wonderful this book is, so I will end it with this – buy this book and read it. You absolutely have to.
*I received a copy of this novel from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
Eddy Beane goes from a tailor working for his aunt and uncle to a RAF pilot. This book is about the journey he takes, from being invited on a flight for the first time, and the subsequent urge to get back up in the air. Since the first time Eddy was lifted from the ground, he knew he belonged in a plane, and he works hard to get his licence and to succeed in what he loves.
Dudley Thane is the kind of character that you are not sure about. When we first meet him, he is not a character I liked. He is egotistical, stuck-up, and rude. And yet, he is also the kind of character who changes over the course of the book, until, somehow, you start to see his side of things, and learn who he really is.
I loved Eddy’s character a lot, but it is not just Eddy that makes this book worth reading. I have never flown a plane, surprise surprise (if any flight instructor saw how clumsy I can be just walking around the house, there’s no way they would ever let me near the plane, let alone to sit in the passenger seat), but reading this book, I started to feel the thrill of flying, even though I was just sat on my sofa, curled up under blankets. I don’t think I would ever be able to actually fly a plane, but the way everything has been described in this book makes me want to so much. Or maybe I just want to spend time with Eddy, and have him fly me around in a plane. I have problems talking to my husband about the books I’m reading, because I gush far too much about the male characters I am kind of in love with, and he’s not entirely sure whether he should be considering countless fictional characters as competition for my love and affection.
While World War Two fiction is some of my favourite, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that focuses solely on the RAF, and the pilots of the Spitfires. Come to think of it, I haven’t ever read a book about planes. This is either a mistake on my part, and a gap I need to fill in my bookshelf, or this author has just written an amazingly brilliant book, he managed to make me passionate about Spitfires, and want to fly planes. I think I’m probably leaning towards the latter.
So much happens in this book, it is difficult to sum it all up without talking about it all and spoiling things that happen halfway through. In a brief summery, I love Eddy, I want to fly planes, and I absolutely have to read more books by this author. In a slightly longer one, Eddy is a fabulous character, and I adore the fact that all of the characters change over the course of the book, they work towards what they want, and they stand up with courage. The way the aerial combat has been described is utterly amazing, I might as well have been watching a film it was so vivid in my mind. And I am starting to run out of adjectives and ways to describe how wonderful this book is, so I will end it with this – buy this book and read it. You absolutely have to.
*I received a copy of this novel from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
May 26, 2022
An RAF pilot flying during World War II, soaring a glorious Spitfire through the air. Eddy didn’t come from a background that suggests he would be in RAF blue. He grew up in France, and moved to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. It is a visit from Commander Park, and an offer to let him experience flight that sets Eddy on the path of becoming a pilot, and evidently, fighting for both his adoptive country, and his home country.
I don’t know much about planes, but I didn’t need to. Reading this book settled me into the story and introduced the technical know-how as the story progressed, so I felt like I was actually learning how to fly a plane while reading. By the end, I was almost certain I had flown in a Spitfire Squadron, I was so immersed in the story — well, maybe not! The detail of the areal combat scenes was so perfect I could see every tilt of a wing, and every trail of smoke.
Of course, Eddy is not the only character in this book, there is no way he could go from tailor to RAF pilot without running into a few people along the way. First off, June is a pretty important character. It begins with her asking for flying lessons, and slowly becomes a relationship. Eddy finds himself in a different world around June, for she is upper-class, and he is very much not. In the same way, he finds his fellow RAF pilots to be of a different world. One in particular, Dudley Thane, was another interesting character. He used to be engaged to June, and Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as him. Not only is there a difference in their knowledge of seemingly trivial things like literature, but Dudley has it out for Eddy. After all, June would rather be with Eddy than Dudley. I loved how the conflict between Dudley and Eddy played out, especially since, somehow, I started to like both characters, rather than picking a side.
This novel was absolutely impossible to put down, and I feel the author has completely succeeded in telling the story they set out to tell. This is the kind of book I would happily read again and again, and I miss it sorely now I have finished reading it.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
I don’t know much about planes, but I didn’t need to. Reading this book settled me into the story and introduced the technical know-how as the story progressed, so I felt like I was actually learning how to fly a plane while reading. By the end, I was almost certain I had flown in a Spitfire Squadron, I was so immersed in the story — well, maybe not! The detail of the areal combat scenes was so perfect I could see every tilt of a wing, and every trail of smoke.
Of course, Eddy is not the only character in this book, there is no way he could go from tailor to RAF pilot without running into a few people along the way. First off, June is a pretty important character. It begins with her asking for flying lessons, and slowly becomes a relationship. Eddy finds himself in a different world around June, for she is upper-class, and he is very much not. In the same way, he finds his fellow RAF pilots to be of a different world. One in particular, Dudley Thane, was another interesting character. He used to be engaged to June, and Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as him. Not only is there a difference in their knowledge of seemingly trivial things like literature, but Dudley has it out for Eddy. After all, June would rather be with Eddy than Dudley. I loved how the conflict between Dudley and Eddy played out, especially since, somehow, I started to like both characters, rather than picking a side.
This novel was absolutely impossible to put down, and I feel the author has completely succeeded in telling the story they set out to tell. This is the kind of book I would happily read again and again, and I miss it sorely now I have finished reading it.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
May 30, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
While I have read many books about the second world war, I have never read one about the RAF involvement, or the role of the pilots. This was a book I was very excited to read, not just because of the beautiful cover, although that was an important factor in my wanting to read this book, but also because I really wanted to find out more about the pilots of WW2.
Eddy didn’t have the start to flying that most of the RAF pilots did. He didn’t come from a wealthy family, and learn to fly for pleasure. He come to England from France when his mother died, to live with his aunt and uncle. It is when Commander Park comes to collect his clothes that he offers Eddy a chance to fly in a plane with him – the first time Eddy finds himself soaring through the air. He knows he absolutely has to learn how to fly, and so he works towards getting lessons and, eventually, owning his own plane.
This book has a little bit of everything. There is some romance, for once Eddy gets his teaching licence, he takes on a pupil whom he falls in love with, there is action, of course, and there is plenty of tension as Eddy flies in dangerous situations. I adored Eddy, he is an absolutely wonderful character. As he isn’t from a wealthy family, he doesn’t have the jumpstart into the ranks that some of the other RAF pilots do, because it doesn’t matter how good he is at flying, it is money that determines the rank. That is until everyone is up in the air together, and suddenly, money doesn’t matter, for it is skill in handling a Spitfire that will bring the pilots back to the ground safely.
I loved every second of reading this book. After looking up the author, I realised that there are some hints to another book he has written, which precedes this one, although they both stand alone. I would very much like to read that one as well, for now I know what this author has to offer, and I can safely say I would be happy to read anything he has written.
I received a copy of Angels and Bandits from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
While I have read many books about the second world war, I have never read one about the RAF involvement, or the role of the pilots. This was a book I was very excited to read, not just because of the beautiful cover, although that was an important factor in my wanting to read this book, but also because I really wanted to find out more about the pilots of WW2.
Eddy didn’t have the start to flying that most of the RAF pilots did. He didn’t come from a wealthy family, and learn to fly for pleasure. He come to England from France when his mother died, to live with his aunt and uncle. It is when Commander Park comes to collect his clothes that he offers Eddy a chance to fly in a plane with him – the first time Eddy finds himself soaring through the air. He knows he absolutely has to learn how to fly, and so he works towards getting lessons and, eventually, owning his own plane.
This book has a little bit of everything. There is some romance, for once Eddy gets his teaching licence, he takes on a pupil whom he falls in love with, there is action, of course, and there is plenty of tension as Eddy flies in dangerous situations. I adored Eddy, he is an absolutely wonderful character. As he isn’t from a wealthy family, he doesn’t have the jumpstart into the ranks that some of the other RAF pilots do, because it doesn’t matter how good he is at flying, it is money that determines the rank. That is until everyone is up in the air together, and suddenly, money doesn’t matter, for it is skill in handling a Spitfire that will bring the pilots back to the ground safely.
I loved every second of reading this book. After looking up the author, I realised that there are some hints to another book he has written, which precedes this one, although they both stand alone. I would very much like to read that one as well, for now I know what this author has to offer, and I can safely say I would be happy to read anything he has written.
I received a copy of Angels and Bandits from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
May 31, 2022
A gripping story that will keep you turning those pages long into the night.
Everyone knows the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but this cover is one that certainly stands out on a crowded bookshelf. Although I read the blurb before I saw the cover, I know that if I had seen the cover first I would not have hesitated in picking it up.
Eddy Beane came to England from France when his mother died, to live with his aunt and uncle. He is working in their tailoring business when Commander Park comes to collect his alterations and offers to take Eddy out for a flight. It is sitting in that plane that Eddy’s life changes forever because once he has been up in the air, being on the ground isn’t satisfactory anymore. He simply has to learn to fly.
As the second World War approaches, Eddy finds himself carrying out missions for Commander Park in his own plane, flying over enemy territory to photograph enemy planes. That may be Eddy’s first taste of flying for the RAF, but it certainly is not his last. Between everything, he starts a relationship with June, one of his flying pupils. When Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as June’s ex-fiancee, Dudley, though, emotions run high.
I don’t really have the words to describe this novel, and it’s rare a book leaves me speechless. What could I say - this book is amazing, spectacular, brilliant. I felt like I was watching a movie as I was reading it. It is in all ways a complete success in every sense of the word.
If you, too, love WWII fiction, or if you have any interest in Spitfires and RAF pilots, or if you just like pretty covers like me, this is a book you have to buy and read.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. I was under no obligation to leave a review.
Everyone knows the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, but this cover is one that certainly stands out on a crowded bookshelf. Although I read the blurb before I saw the cover, I know that if I had seen the cover first I would not have hesitated in picking it up.
Eddy Beane came to England from France when his mother died, to live with his aunt and uncle. He is working in their tailoring business when Commander Park comes to collect his alterations and offers to take Eddy out for a flight. It is sitting in that plane that Eddy’s life changes forever because once he has been up in the air, being on the ground isn’t satisfactory anymore. He simply has to learn to fly.
As the second World War approaches, Eddy finds himself carrying out missions for Commander Park in his own plane, flying over enemy territory to photograph enemy planes. That may be Eddy’s first taste of flying for the RAF, but it certainly is not his last. Between everything, he starts a relationship with June, one of his flying pupils. When Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as June’s ex-fiancee, Dudley, though, emotions run high.
I don’t really have the words to describe this novel, and it’s rare a book leaves me speechless. What could I say - this book is amazing, spectacular, brilliant. I felt like I was watching a movie as I was reading it. It is in all ways a complete success in every sense of the word.
If you, too, love WWII fiction, or if you have any interest in Spitfires and RAF pilots, or if you just like pretty covers like me, this is a book you have to buy and read.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. I was under no obligation to leave a review.
May 27, 2022
📚📚📚📚📚⭐ = A book in a million
There are some books that you don’t want to end because you know you’ll miss the characters once it is over. This book is one of those.
It only takes one taste of flight for Eddy to get hooked. He went up as a passenger, but as soon as the plane touched back down, he knew he had to go back up, as a pilot. His training, and subsequent business he creates, flying back and forth to deliver parcels and the like, lead to an involvement with the RAF – he is asked to fly over enemy territory, and take pictures of their planes, as proof that the planes exist. With the Second World War about to start, it is imperative that the RAF can get the funding to build more fighter planes.
As the book progresses, Eddy finds himself inside a Spitfire, flying off with a squadron to protect Britain. It was truly fascinating to read about the RAF, especially from a pilot’s point of view. I have never read a book from the perspective of an RAF pilot before, and I learnt so much about not only how the RAF worked to maintain control of Britain’s airspaces, but also about how planes work, and how difficult it can be to fly one.
At times, I was reminded of the film Top Gun, and I think this book would make an absolutely wonderful film. I would love to watch it on the big screen. In the meantime, though, I suppose I will have to settle for reading this book over and over, for I missed reading it as soon as I finished.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. I was under no obligation to leave a review.
There are some books that you don’t want to end because you know you’ll miss the characters once it is over. This book is one of those.
It only takes one taste of flight for Eddy to get hooked. He went up as a passenger, but as soon as the plane touched back down, he knew he had to go back up, as a pilot. His training, and subsequent business he creates, flying back and forth to deliver parcels and the like, lead to an involvement with the RAF – he is asked to fly over enemy territory, and take pictures of their planes, as proof that the planes exist. With the Second World War about to start, it is imperative that the RAF can get the funding to build more fighter planes.
As the book progresses, Eddy finds himself inside a Spitfire, flying off with a squadron to protect Britain. It was truly fascinating to read about the RAF, especially from a pilot’s point of view. I have never read a book from the perspective of an RAF pilot before, and I learnt so much about not only how the RAF worked to maintain control of Britain’s airspaces, but also about how planes work, and how difficult it can be to fly one.
At times, I was reminded of the film Top Gun, and I think this book would make an absolutely wonderful film. I would love to watch it on the big screen. In the meantime, though, I suppose I will have to settle for reading this book over and over, for I missed reading it as soon as I finished.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. I was under no obligation to leave a review.
April 25, 2022
My thoughts about Angels & Bandits.......
This book had it all. Love lost & found, history, suspense and ordinary families during very trying times. Yes, this is another story that takes place during WWII BUT this story is well thought out with characters that become very real people. I really liked the way all of the different relationships & characters evolved with the story. This story is a sequel to The Four Bells (which I read and liked!) but the story stands on its own as well. I highly recommend this book.
This book had it all. Love lost & found, history, suspense and ordinary families during very trying times. Yes, this is another story that takes place during WWII BUT this story is well thought out with characters that become very real people. I really liked the way all of the different relationships & characters evolved with the story. This story is a sequel to The Four Bells (which I read and liked!) but the story stands on its own as well. I highly recommend this book.
July 24, 2022
Angels and Bandits is the kind of book that can appeal equally to fans of World War II accounts and women’s/romance fiction. If you happen to like both, you’re really in for a treat. The author’s meticulously researched accounts of the RAF’s aerial flight missions and other aspects of wartime Europe make for a page-turning read—you feel transported back to that time and place. And there’s not just one but two love stories that keep us on our toes wondering how things will turn out. Recommended reading!
April 4, 2024
8 years after Curt’s first book ‘The Four Bells’, Eddy Beane (son of fallen Eddie Beane & nephew of injured Al Weldy, WW1 war buddies serving at Flanders), learns how to fly airplanes and joins the RAF to help Britian fight Nazi Germany during WW2. Along the way, he meets Dudley Thane, another RAF pilot and ex-fiancé to June Stephenson, who Eddy later marries, and the two must learn how to overcome their many differences to fly in the same squadron during the ‘Battle of Britian’. There is also a connection to the first book when the German soldier Axel, that Eddie & Al befriended in the trenches during the ‘Christmas Truce’ at Flanders, writes asking for his daughter Lotte to be rescued from Nazi Germany (which Eddy does). Historical fiction, the descriptions of the dog fights between the British Spitfires and the German Messerschmitt 109’s were amazing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2022
Finished this book in one evening... did not intend to stay up half the night, but I couldn't put it down. I loved the flying action -- from the flight training to the espionage journeys over Europe and finally as a Spitfire pilot. Felt like I was in the cockpit alongside Eddy and Dudley. I hope Curtis follows up with another book in this series, looking forward to following the next generation of characters in this this saga.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews