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The Warning Bell
Signed 1st without dedication, sleeved dust jacket and book very good. Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.
Hardcover
First published May 28, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 16, 2014
A mountain of tragic deceptions
Set mostly in a small fishing village, St Cyriac, on the coast of Brittany, this is the tale of a man in search of the tragic WWII events that led to his life-long rejection by his father.
George Madoc was the skipper of an RAF rescue craft. Amongst her other duties, the sleek, fast, three-engined boat, known simply as 6548, was tasked with ferrying secret agents across the English Channel. George feels very uneasy about one of these agents, an assassin, code-named Lucien, but we don't find out why until much later.
Sixty years later, George's son, Iain, takes early retirement and looks forward to a new life with his wife, also leaving her work behind for a quiet life, and his daughter.
Sadly, Iain's mother dies very early in his retirement, but she bequeaths a small case containing some vital clues regarding the distance that George has maintained for all those years between himself and his puzzled son.
Iain has a compelling need to get to the bottom of the mystery, and sets off on an almost obsessive quest.
Despite all the barriers that the survivors of those times and their descendants place in Iain's way, the horrible truth is slowly revealed as one turns the pages.
The reader is swept along by the merciless currents of this story, and I could not put the book down for a moment as I read the last hundred-and-something pages. So, be warned! Allow yourself sufficient time to read the final chapters, or you may burn the supper or forget to pick up the kids from school, or somesuch!
An enthralling read.
Set mostly in a small fishing village, St Cyriac, on the coast of Brittany, this is the tale of a man in search of the tragic WWII events that led to his life-long rejection by his father.
George Madoc was the skipper of an RAF rescue craft. Amongst her other duties, the sleek, fast, three-engined boat, known simply as 6548, was tasked with ferrying secret agents across the English Channel. George feels very uneasy about one of these agents, an assassin, code-named Lucien, but we don't find out why until much later.
Sixty years later, George's son, Iain, takes early retirement and looks forward to a new life with his wife, also leaving her work behind for a quiet life, and his daughter.
Sadly, Iain's mother dies very early in his retirement, but she bequeaths a small case containing some vital clues regarding the distance that George has maintained for all those years between himself and his puzzled son.
Iain has a compelling need to get to the bottom of the mystery, and sets off on an almost obsessive quest.
Despite all the barriers that the survivors of those times and their descendants place in Iain's way, the horrible truth is slowly revealed as one turns the pages.
The reader is swept along by the merciless currents of this story, and I could not put the book down for a moment as I read the last hundred-and-something pages. So, be warned! Allow yourself sufficient time to read the final chapters, or you may burn the supper or forget to pick up the kids from school, or somesuch!
An enthralling read.
July 27, 2019
Ik heb dit boek gelezen aan de kust van Bretagne, hierdoor zag ik het verhaal nog meer voor me.
Heel goed hoe de verhalen uit het verleden en het heden door elkaar in het boek staan.
Heel goed hoe de verhalen uit het verleden en het heden door elkaar in het boek staan.
August 16, 2014
Really enjoyed this book, i usually guess quite early on what the outcome will be in books but with this one i really didn't have a clue, there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I found all the characters to be interesting and the plot was just fantastic. i would highly reccomend it!
August 4, 2019
It's starts with Iain Madoc's quest to uncover the details of his dad's World War 2 wartime past, particularly the time he managed to escape from a small village on the coast of northern France and crossed the channel to England in a small boat. This incident changed his father's character to the extent that he shunned him while growing up and would not talk to anyone about his wartime past.
Just before his Iain's mother dies, she gives him some newspaper clippings and a few items (including a hand draw map of a place) his dad brought with him from France. With his dad still stubbornly unwilling to discuss the matter, Iain sets about to investigate and uncover the past.
Although the story starts of slowly, it manages to keep the readers interest and the suspense builds gradually up with the many mini plots and characters that further complicate Iain’s mission to find the answers to what happened all those years ago. There are a number of twists to the plot right up to the end that keeps the reader guessing as to how the plot will unfold.
Overall this has been a very enjoyable book to read (4.5 stars rating). My only disappointment after reading this book is knowing that the author has passed away and therefore no new books to look forward to.
Just before his Iain's mother dies, she gives him some newspaper clippings and a few items (including a hand draw map of a place) his dad brought with him from France. With his dad still stubbornly unwilling to discuss the matter, Iain sets about to investigate and uncover the past.
Although the story starts of slowly, it manages to keep the readers interest and the suspense builds gradually up with the many mini plots and characters that further complicate Iain’s mission to find the answers to what happened all those years ago. There are a number of twists to the plot right up to the end that keeps the reader guessing as to how the plot will unfold.
Overall this has been a very enjoyable book to read (4.5 stars rating). My only disappointment after reading this book is knowing that the author has passed away and therefore no new books to look forward to.
May 11, 2010
I'm excited to read this! My mom recommended it - I finally found it on amazon.uk - how cool to get a book from England! Might make it hard to recommend it for bookclub - too bad!
Okay - just finished it - really enjoyed it! I love mysteries, especially ones surrounding the World Wars. This book really makes you think about your own morals and what you would do under extreme stress and fear. I would hope I would stand up for the weak, but I could never judge those that "ran away". Is it wrong to sacrifice a few for the good of the majority? I don't know and I'm glad I won't have to make those decisions. I just feel blessed to not be living in a war. I have enough to worry about with my family being protected from the evils around where I live! I highly recommend this book - since you have to order it from England, you are welcome to borrow my copy!
My mom just told me another source to get the book - www.poisonedpen.com - it's a bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ that stocks many english authors -
Okay - just finished it - really enjoyed it! I love mysteries, especially ones surrounding the World Wars. This book really makes you think about your own morals and what you would do under extreme stress and fear. I would hope I would stand up for the weak, but I could never judge those that "ran away". Is it wrong to sacrifice a few for the good of the majority? I don't know and I'm glad I won't have to make those decisions. I just feel blessed to not be living in a war. I have enough to worry about with my family being protected from the evils around where I live! I highly recommend this book - since you have to order it from England, you are welcome to borrow my copy!
My mom just told me another source to get the book - www.poisonedpen.com - it's a bookstore in Scottsdale, AZ that stocks many english authors -
May 17, 2011
A good idea. A man whose mother is dying finds out from her that his father, who has been cold towards him since he was a little boy, is this great war hero. The problem is his father refuses to accept this. The hunt for the "truth" leads this character to northern France and a town where the Germans occupied. The un-pealing of the layers of the "truth" the locals were prepared to admit to lead to lots more questions and while so more toes are trodden on. People who build reputations on the story's of their war but manufactured once they knew who had won are all under threat.
In a way it's a great detective story but because it's main character is not a cop it feels different/ It also has more twists that you care to think about. This is fine because it is all very believable with the town trying to protect the reputations of the local families that have lived there for the last 60 years.
In a way it's a great detective story but because it's main character is not a cop it feels different/ It also has more twists that you care to think about. This is fine because it is all very believable with the town trying to protect the reputations of the local families that have lived there for the last 60 years.
September 4, 2013
Another new writer for me, and it was a real pleasure to read this book. If you love the sea and have sailed (or driven along) the Brittany coast then his descriptions of the coast, the villages and the communities are really evocative.
With an equisitely constructed plot and a style which really gelled with me, this tale had many sad moments - and quite a few LOL moments too. Characters were sharply observed and MacAulay is very clearly a keen observer of people - which he conveys superbly.
Bang up to date with technology (though certainly not a techno-tale), it takes the reader back to France in wartime, a family mystery to be solved in the context of the profound moral choices and extreme survival pressures that even the ordinary person faced.
One particular twist of the plot made me gasp out loud. Not many books have ever done that to me.
Thoroughly recommended.
With an equisitely constructed plot and a style which really gelled with me, this tale had many sad moments - and quite a few LOL moments too. Characters were sharply observed and MacAulay is very clearly a keen observer of people - which he conveys superbly.
Bang up to date with technology (though certainly not a techno-tale), it takes the reader back to France in wartime, a family mystery to be solved in the context of the profound moral choices and extreme survival pressures that even the ordinary person faced.
One particular twist of the plot made me gasp out loud. Not many books have ever done that to me.
Thoroughly recommended.
June 25, 2013
A light read but a compelling mystery story set in France during World War II. Exciting and well written and woven around actual events. Particularly interesting was the illustration of the moral complexities of the Occupation. It is so easy for us to vilify the people who betrayed others but this book made me realise that these decisions are not always easy to make and although the resulting actions might not be commendable, the reasons behind them are often understandable. It also made clear the fact that most of the airborne damage along the Breton coast and resulting loss of civilian life was caused by the Allies, and not the Germans.
September 22, 2016
Not a thriller or page turner by any stretch, but still a very good story. Typical British fiction writing style, pretty slow and plodding, but with enough twists and turns to keep up interest and a setting that's memorable. It reminded me of a Robert Goddard novel, so if you're a fan of his then you'll like this one. Can't understand why an author of this caliber and following has to self-publish. (Orion published this one originally, but never reprinted it for some reason.) Due to self-publishing the editing was not up to scratch with missing words or words repeated in a sentence from time to time, somewhat annoying for me but faster readers probably wouldn't notice.
September 22, 2011
I have never read any of Tom Macaulay's books and don't know if he has written others but I enjoyed this read and loved the way he writes. The plot is plausible and the characters realistic even if the wife is altogether too good to be true. I love the intertwining of history with mystery and especially when it revolves around WWII.
February 18, 2015
I decided to read this book based on the other reviews from Goodreads. I'm glad I did. This was a quality book from beginning to end, the writing was really well done, detailed, interesting and the storyline was clever.
I enjoyed finding out about the time it covered and the people in it were very rounded and worth my time. An enjoyable book, well worth a read.
I enjoyed finding out about the time it covered and the people in it were very rounded and worth my time. An enjoyable book, well worth a read.
February 15, 2011
Another story of WWII and what happens to the survivors. Takes place in present day but looks back at a small village on the coast of France, north of Normandy, and what happened there during the occupation. Mystery story and story of relationship between father and son.
August 13, 2016
At first I was a bit skeptic since I tend to dislike anything to do with history. But I actually enjoyed the book. The narration happens on the present time not in the past; it is of a son trying to find the truth about his father's past not of the past itself.
January 31, 2015
Wow! What a story! I couldn't put it down and read it all in one session. The writing was excellent, the characters were 3 dimensional, and I didn't guess the villain until the end, nor did I foresee the outcome.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
October 4, 2010
A really well written first novel.
May 20, 2012
A great thriller - I really enjoyed it, having picked it up by chance
January 7, 2013
Reduce by 100 pages to make the pace faster. Still an interesting read
August 23, 2015
A brilliant read. I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. Highly recommended! The big mystery of the little village of St Cyriac will keep you gripped until the final page.
January 31, 2016
Wartime events come back to light as the son unravels the hidden dramas in a sea story that really get you in.
June 25, 2016
A good book about horrors endured during war and the everlasting effects on family and relationships
March 1, 2019
It took me a while to finish this book. I would say this book was alright, not the best I've read. But it could have been better.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews