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Gregory Sallust #5
V For Vengeance
14 Jun 1940 - 22 Jun 1941
V for Vengeance ...... is a story set against the background of Vichy France and the occupied territories in 1940, with Gregory as determined as ever to overthrow the iron rule of the Third Reich. Nursed back to health by Madeleine Lavalliere, he leaves Paris just as the Germans march into the capital. Little did he realize, however, that he would meet up with Madeleine once more, that together they would evolve a plan which would inflict irreparable damage upon the Nazis...
V for Vengeance ...... is a story set against the background of Vichy France and the occupied territories in 1940, with Gregory as determined as ever to overthrow the iron rule of the Third Reich. Nursed back to health by Madeleine Lavalliere, he leaves Paris just as the Germans march into the capital. Little did he realize, however, that he would meet up with Madeleine once more, that together they would evolve a plan which would inflict irreparable damage upon the Nazis...
- GenresFiction
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 1940
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Wheatley
385 books248 followersDennis Yates Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) [Born: Dennis Yeats Wheatley] was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors in the 1950s and 1960s.
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 21, 2018
Quite enjoyed it as a war/espionage tale, albeit that the dialogue was often more like political debate and the national stereotyping was somewhat grotesque even given its setting.
May 22, 2025
A whirlwind of action in book 5 of the Gregory Sallust series. He’s the British Agent who, more than anyone else it seems, was responsible for injecting mayhem into the Nazi war machine.
We are in 1940 Paris and the great city has fallen to the German army without a shot being fired as the French army disintegrates into a rabble of fleeing soldiers. Sallust, Georges and Kuporovitch are in there (of course) but Kuporovitch is in a coma following a street accident and Madeline Lavallière is keeping an eye on her elderly (probably in her late 40s!) mother.
It becomes obvious that the French need to reorganise their resistance and Sallust is tasked with commuting back and fore to London to facilitate matters at great risk to himself: if only he’d set up a WhatsApp group he could have saved months and severe injury.
There’s not a moment of respite as the French eke out a miserable wintery existence while the Nazis plunder the country, make the Franc worthless and inflict pitiless reprisals on anyone foolish enough to resist.
Written in 1942 there’s a huge amount of exposition as to the real-time state of play in Europe and I was taken aback by the references to perfidious Albion (we ran away apparently at Dunkirk), the British being the victims of Vichy and Nazi propaganda to turn the French citizens against their eventual saviours. “Very well, alone.” Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and a desperate plan emerged to deflect Nazi efforts away from world domination and onto the pathway to self-destruction.
A cracking good read and perhaps (did I say it was published in 1942) forgivably beastly to the Germans; the “German” head shape revealing that the “lack of spiritual and moral qualities in the German race is still plain for all to see”, and obviously belonged to “a member of a primitive and undeveloped race”. “At best, the higher qualities of the German race are far below those of any other European people”, due to them living in dark woods and missing out on the civilising influence of Graeco-Roman culture. Ouch! Still, desperate times and it wasn’t just Goebels who was a bit racist. Captain Mainwaring in the 1970s TV show Dad’s Army” echoed this view of German soldiers. My how we laughed.
Fortunately for King Leopold of Belgium, his tarnished reputation for capitulation is rightly restored and the blame placed on the French army’s disarray.
We are in 1940 Paris and the great city has fallen to the German army without a shot being fired as the French army disintegrates into a rabble of fleeing soldiers. Sallust, Georges and Kuporovitch are in there (of course) but Kuporovitch is in a coma following a street accident and Madeline Lavallière is keeping an eye on her elderly (probably in her late 40s!) mother.
It becomes obvious that the French need to reorganise their resistance and Sallust is tasked with commuting back and fore to London to facilitate matters at great risk to himself: if only he’d set up a WhatsApp group he could have saved months and severe injury.
There’s not a moment of respite as the French eke out a miserable wintery existence while the Nazis plunder the country, make the Franc worthless and inflict pitiless reprisals on anyone foolish enough to resist.
Written in 1942 there’s a huge amount of exposition as to the real-time state of play in Europe and I was taken aback by the references to perfidious Albion (we ran away apparently at Dunkirk), the British being the victims of Vichy and Nazi propaganda to turn the French citizens against their eventual saviours. “Very well, alone.” Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and a desperate plan emerged to deflect Nazi efforts away from world domination and onto the pathway to self-destruction.
A cracking good read and perhaps (did I say it was published in 1942) forgivably beastly to the Germans; the “German” head shape revealing that the “lack of spiritual and moral qualities in the German race is still plain for all to see”, and obviously belonged to “a member of a primitive and undeveloped race”. “At best, the higher qualities of the German race are far below those of any other European people”, due to them living in dark woods and missing out on the civilising influence of Graeco-Roman culture. Ouch! Still, desperate times and it wasn’t just Goebels who was a bit racist. Captain Mainwaring in the 1970s TV show Dad’s Army” echoed this view of German soldiers. My how we laughed.
Fortunately for King Leopold of Belgium, his tarnished reputation for capitulation is rightly restored and the blame placed on the French army’s disarray.
May 16, 2016
I had read that this was weaker than its fellows, perhaps because Gregory is not the main character. He is missing for well over a third of the book. Somehow this offers a different perspective. There's a little feeling of the Occupation and the growing dislike of it. The change in mood between summer 1940 & 1941 is marked. Also, the plot is slightly more plausible, though the denouement is a trifle daft. I did wonder why the invasion of Russia hadn't been discussed.
Possibly the most instructive passage was the adjustment of the opinion of the King of Belgium's actions from their criticism in the Black Baroness.
Possibly the most instructive passage was the adjustment of the opinion of the King of Belgium's actions from their criticism in the Black Baroness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 4, 2013V for Vengeance ...... is a story set against the background of Vichy France and the occupied territories in 1940, with Gregory as determined as ever to overthrow the iron rule of the Third Reich. Nursed back to health by Madeleine Lavalliere, he leaves Paris just as the Germans march into the capital. Little did he realize, however, that he would meet up with Madeleine once more, that together they would evolve a plan which would inflict irreparable damage upon the Nazis...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews