Just Finished Reading: The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon (FP: 2019) [324pp] 

Hamburg, 1962. It was a request that Aaron Wiley could hardly refuse. After suffering a heart attack on the street his uncle was fighting for his life. His uncle, Holocaust survivor, dedicated Nazi Hunter, was convinced that he seen the infamous Dr Otto Schramm in Germany. A man who was supposed to have died in Argentina, a man who had picked his uncle, Max Weill, out of a line of camp inmates to help him with his ‘experiments. It was a face, a way of walking that Max could hardly forget. Aaron was harder to convince but a later incident changed his mind. But what could he do about it? Despite being a desk officer for the CIA, he had no field experience, couldn’t speak the language and had no contacts in Buenos Aires except for the CIA office there. Aaron knew they wouldn’t help him. Why would they? They hadn’t been in the Nazi hunting business since the war ended and they were trying to make nice with the new government now that Peron was out. So, he was on his own. Even Max’s contacts in MOSSAD where less than enthusiastic, especially with the global publicity surrounding the Eichmann kidnapping. But reluctantly, they would help as much as they could, which would be damned little. Aaaron was most definitely on his own... 

I’ve never been disappointed with this author, and he is an auto-buy for me every time I see another of his books in paperback. This was (as expected) no exception to his run of excellent historical/Cold War thrillers. From the first few pages I was hooked. The feel of the novel was somewhere between ‘Marathon Man’ and ‘The Odessa File’ - kind of Cold War, seedy, war criminals hiding (often in plain sight) with higher authorities either turning a blind eye or actively colluding with their disappearance (for a number of reasons – none of them good). One top of this wonderful ‘feel’ we have very good characterisation – you know how I like that – with Max, Aaron, the love interest Hanna (a wonderfully complex multi-layered character) and other less central players. The story itself took turns I wasn’t expecting and surprised me multiple times which I really liked. Nothing worked out quite the way I thought it would. But I think the best part of the novel for me was the completely outstanding dialogue. Not only did it feel REAL it was clever, complex, full of asides and meanings that wouldn’t have been apparent to those without the godlike view of the reader. More than once, I thought that any other character in earshot wouldn’t really know what they were *really* talking about – rather than what they SEEMED to be talking about. It was quite brilliant. 

As you might expect I really enjoyed this – I do seem to be doing very well with novels lately – and the author has confirmed, yet again, his auto-buy status. There is a warning however, being based around the subject matter it is there will be moments of nastiness (to say the least) which some sensitive readers might find rather objectionable. I did have a few nose wrinkling/frowning moments and I consider myself quite Stoic. So, be warned! Obviously recommended but with that caveat in mind. 

Just Finished Reading: 1983 – The World at the Brink by Taylor Downing (FP: 2018) [344pp] 

1983 was another big year for me. After three attempts (yes, I know!) I finally managed to get my ass to (Lancaster) university which I started in October of that year. Unknown to me, and most of the rest of humanity, the world almost ended in nuclear fire just a month later – or so the author suggests in a very well-made argument. 

For anyone who lived through the 80’s one of the things they’ll remember if the turbulence and uncertainty around just about everything. It was not the most stable of times. With Reagan in America and Thatcher here the neo-cons were having a field day with the economy and (radical) change was most definitely in the air – except for Russia unless you were talking about the leadership. After Stalin’s death in 1953 Soviet premiers had been coming and going at alarming speed. The thing they had in common was age and their hardline agenda. When Leonid Brezhnev died (in office of course) in 1982 he was replaced by ex-KGB chief Yuri Andropov who died in 1984, to be replaced by Konstantin Chernenko who died the following year, to be replaced by Mikhail Gorbachev who presided over the end of the Soviet Union. Next exactly a stable period in global politics. 

The Soviets had over this time much bigger fish to fry. They were more than aware that a stagnating economy and massive defence spending could not long coexist. But at the same time Reagan was increasing US defence spending in eye-watering amounts. With the proposed deployment of Pershing II missiles in Europe as well as cruise missiles in the UK (I remember going on student demonstrations about them!) the Soviets were becoming terrified about a NATO first strike to decapitate their leadership before a proper response could be attempted. The only possible course of action once this became a reality was to fire first. As tensions rose on both sides – although FAR more on the Russian one – they intended to do just that. 

In deep ignorance of Soviet thinking at this time the Americans continued to ‘poke the bear’ in speeches and in regular violations of Soviet airspace which, as some of you will remember, resulted in the shooting down of Korean airline KAL 007 when it (for still mysterious reasons) entered restricted Soviet airspace on 1st September of that year. To add fuel to the fire, if such was needed, global tensions increased further with the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut on October 23rd. Premier Andropov with his KGB hat firmly in place was becoming daily more convinced that an attack was coming and all of the intelligence his agents throughout the west were feeding back seemed to confirm it. Then came the straw that almost broke the camel's back – a War Game. 

On 7th November Exercise Abel Archer 83 began. It was an exercise that NATO had run before and its primary function was to test systems and people in the event of a nuclear exchange. This year, 1983, a few new wrinkles had been added. Where possible actual world leaders were involved and code systems were changed at certain points in the exercise to simulate real conditions. The Soviets, already deeply paranoid at this point, half convinced themselves that the ‘exercise’ was simply a cover for an actual attack and took a range of precautions in response including having both fighters and nuclear armed bombers on runways ready to go and the dispersal of around 50% of its mobile nuclear missiles across the East. You can imagine what might have happened if something had gone wrong and someone, somewhere, in good faith pushed the button...  

I’d never heard of any of this before. I knew, as we all did living under the threat of instant annihilation, that the threat level fluctuated and them sometimes you could actually taste the tension in the air, but I never appreciated how close that near miss was in late 1983. It was, according to the author, closer than during the Cuban Missile Crisis partially because it was, effectively secret (or unappreciated) until much later. We dodged a bullet without even knowing. Well written and well-argued this might very well keep you up at night. It certainly enhanced my knowledge of that period of the Cold War and made me appreciate just how lucky I was FINISHING my degree with the world still intact. The only (slight) niggle I had was the authors moderately irritating habit of repeating himself a little too much for my liking. Apart from that this was a solid read and is, therefore, definitely recommended for all Cold War fans. 

Just Finished Reading: For All the Tea in China – Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World’s Favourite Drink by Sarah Rose (FP: 2009) [275pp] 

In all my years of drinking the stuff (as I am right now) I’ve never really thought about where tea comes from or how it became THE drink of the English and much of the rest of the world. I knew of its association with China and, especially, India but had assumed that it simply grew in different areas – like other plants – and that was it. I had no idea that it was actively STOLEN from China in order to break China’s monopoly on the trade and, not incidentally, make the East India Company a great deal of money. At the centre of things was botanist Robert Fortune who was tasked to gain access to China’s interior (at that time out of bounds to Europeans), accumulate tea plants and seeds, discover the secrets of making tea – from plant to pot – and make it out alive to tell the tale. Needless to say, the attempt was not without considerable risk as China was largely terra incognita before its borders were forcibly opened, but the potential profit was likewise considerable. Nothing like it had been attempted before. It was going to be quite the adventure! 

Tea is so ubiquitous that its almost invisible here. A ‘cup of tea’ is, as often parodied (with a lot of truth) as the ‘answer to everything’. That’s not far wrong. I’m not exactly sure at what age I started drinking it (5 maybe?) but growing up it was a regular ritual throughout the day. I think we drank it at least 3 or 4 times (maybe more) each day at home. But, until very recently, I never even thought to ask what TYPE of tea it was – mostly ‘blended’ standard tea (AKA the cheap stuff) - or where it came from. On going to university in the early 80’s I ‘fell in with’ a group of HEAVY tea drinkers – probably 6-10 cups a day or more! – which was cool. Tea kept us up, focused and fun to be with. I’m sure that it helped with our studies too. 

After Uni and my move to London, I kept up the tea habit for a while, but it slowly seemed more of a drag making it for myself and I slowly lost the habit. Only after a break of years – if not decades – I started drinking it again (presently green tea with lemon & honey) and found that I really missed it. My daily cuppa – just the one – is something I look forward to with some anticipation. After reading this book I’ve decided to expand my range into other teas (I picked up a box of Assam today) and intend to try out as many as I can find. I think it’ll be fun experimenting with ‘real’ tea rather than the standard blends I’ve been used to my whole life. It might take me a while to move away from teabags though – but I DO have an unused pot that could be dusted off... and I’ve seen some really nice/cute diffusers...  

If you have any interest or curiosity about the world's favourite drink this will definitely fill in the gaps in your knowledge. A fascinating read of global industrial espionage that got me wondering about other food and drink we’ve stolen and transplanted around the world. More to come. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: Spynest – British and German Espionage From Neutral Holland 1914-1918 by Edwin Ruis (FP: 2012) [239pp] 

Spies are apparently the second oldest profession but the kind of espionage we easily associate with World War Two was very new during the Great War. Part of the problem was, it seemed, that “Gentlemen do not read each other's letters”. So, what is a covert organisation to do? Hire, use or otherwise acquire people who are most definitely NOT gentlemen to do the dirty work for you. In both the case of the Germans and the British, and indeed the Dutch who kept an eye on both parties as they operated in their country, they employed conmen, swindlers, thieves and, when required, prostitutes. Very few of these would be considered ‘professional’ spies in the modern sense. What we now regard as such is a surprisingly modern arrival. 

Needless to say, such people were anything but reliable – either they simply took the money on offer and ran or reported back with completely or partially fabricated ‘information’. They were, as a class, either practically useless or positively harmful. Such activities couldn’t really last and, after much trial and error, a more professional organisation – on all sides began to emerge using military and ex-police as operatives although a thief or professional burglar still had their uses. 

The Dutch position was an interesting one. Unlike in the Second World War Holland remained unoccupied and neutral. They knew that their neutrality was somewhat fragile and made great efforts to neither antagonise the Central Powers or the Triple Entante. They did, however, have their favourite. It was considered that Germany posed the greater threat to their sovereignty despite a sometimes-adversarial history with Great Britain. In both cases they made a simple deal – share your findings with us (the Dutch) and don’t use violence on our streets and you can do as you please (within reason). The British accepted the deal with pleasure, the Germans were much more reluctant and suffered for it. It was over the war period a difficult balancing act – especially as both the British and Germans used Dutch nationals in their endeavours to spy and counter-spy on each other but the alternative was far more dangerous. They had Belgium, their next-door neighbour, as an example of what might happen if their neutrality went up in flames. 

As I knew almost nothing about Great War espionage (or, to be honest, the role of Holland in the war) this was often a most interesting read. A few things surprised me including just how amateur espionage was in the early years of the war. The other thing that really struck me was the number of spies executed in England – by firing squad at the Tower of London no less!  - for often very minor spying activity. What was clear from the outset was that Germany wasn’t very good at the whole spying game and their efforts generally fell flat (as they did by and large in the re-match 20 years later). The Brits, eventually, go their act together although overall espionage didn’t (apparently) account for very much in the end. A fairly quick read and (often) quite the eye-opener. More on this subject – from those involved – to come. Recommended for those interested in early espionage and who like reading around the edges of the World Wars. 

Just Finished Reading: The Thirty-Nine Steps (FP: 1915) and The Power House (FP: 1916) by John Buchan [304pp] 

Richard Hanny was bored with London. He had decided to leave the capital and try his luck elsewhere in the Empire, South Africa maybe or Australia. Somewhere, he hoped, with a little more going for it. Maybe he hadn’t heard the warning of being careful with his wishes? Returning to his flat late at night he found a mysterious man waiting for him, a man with a strange story of foreign agents and threats to England. He told a good story and Hanny believed him – at least up to a point. The confirmation came at the point of a knife. Not one aimed at Hanny himself, but one buried in the chest of his recent guest. Going to the police was hardly an option although a body in his flat might interest them a little too much for comfort. There was really only one thing he could do – leave London, evade the police and find out exactly what he had just gotten himself involved in. Maybe then he could take the evidence to the police or the authorities and they wouldn’t lock him up for a hundred years, or worse! He just had to stay alive long enough to do so. Challenge accepted. 

I’ve had this copy (an old hardback published heaven knows when) for a few decades at least so, along with some of the other classics I’ve read recently, thought it was about time I actually read it. I’ve seen the movie adaptations multiple times and have enjoyed them, most especially the 1959 version starring Kenneth More although the 1935 version with Robert Donat had its charms too. Both films play a great deal with the narrative so it turned out that most of the plot was actually new to me. My first surprise was just how short it was at a mere 170pp – so much less of a novel and much more of a reasonably long novella. Apart from the tension early on most of the story seemed to consist of a hare and hounds chase across Scotland sprinkled with improbable escapes and lucky meetings. My particular favourite was when the baddies locked Hanny in a room – presumably prior to his death – that contained blasting caps and high explosives. Luckily, Hanny was an ex-mining engineer.....!! Despite a rather thin narrative together with the improbably lucky coincidences and meetings, this was still quite entertaining although the mystery and the ending were both rather lacklustre. Reasonable 

The second novella, ‘The Power House’, had much in common with ‘The 39 Steps’ – professional out of his depth, secret organisation up to no good, government agencies at a loss and a threat to the realm. Interestingly though, this story was, in my opinion at least, better than its more famous counterpart. 

The story is told by the main character – an English barrister and Member of Parliament – during an evening chat after some duck hunting with friends and was in response to the assertion that said barrister was lucky enough to lead a dull safe life. Not so, apparently. The story involved the sudden disappearance of an acquaintance and the search by a friend for him. Wanting to help in any way he can the barrister/MP starts making enquiries and finds himself becoming entangled in an international conspiracy that puts his life in danger. The plot was, I found, much tighter and more focused that that of ‘39 Steps’ despite having much the same overall theme. The barrister himself was rounded and believable as was his plethora of contacts in London both high – ambassadors, police commissioners and civil servants – and low – petty criminals he’d dealt with in court. I also really liked his belligerent Yorkshire MP friend (from the opposition party) who was always up for a fight. He was often very funny and was a nice touch. The mystery itself was well handled and the ending equally believable. Overall, it was very nicely done. Why this novella isn’t the one we’re all familiar with rather than ‘39 Steps’ is beyond me. Recommended if you can find it in print.  

Just Finished Reading: The Red Eagles by David Downing (FP: 2014) [232pp] 

Europe 1945. With the European war swiftly coming to an end Premier Joseph Stalin is looking to the future and he doesn’t like what he sees. It has become obvious that the USA will, with the inevitable defeat of the Axis Powers both in Europe and Asia, become the world’s dominant power for years if not decades to come. What is worse, if such a thing can be imagined, is that they will for most of that time be the world's only nuclear power. Knowing about the bomb's existence before the American President told him was a delicious moment but that fleeting moment didn’t count for much with a radioactive Sword of Damocles very publicly dangling over the head of the Soviet Union. Their own programme was advancing at pace. People, even scientists, work wonders when their families are threatened. But there was one element that even death threats cannot conjure out of thin air – enough Uranium 235 to build enough bombs to counter the Capitalist threat. If they couldn’t make enough fast enough there was only one real alternative – they would have to steal it from the Americans. Easily said but certainly possible – except for one thing, the Americans would both know it had been taken and how many bombs could be made from it. A deception plan would be needed, and a third party needed to be blamed. If there was time for the Germans to act before the Third Reich collapsed. 

This was, to say the least, an intriguing work of fiction! I’ve been watching a long running series of YouTube History videos on the end of the European war, so I had lots of background information sloshing around my brain cells which helped fill in some of the background details. The plot was very clever, and I really liked the inevitable problems that arose – no plan surviving contact with the enemy (AKA reality) - as well as to how they were believably handled. As always (broken record time!) good characterisation was key to my enjoyment and here we had that in spades with the Russians, Germans and Americans all being well drawn and, mostly, likable. The only character we were supposed to dislike – and I did – ended up satisfactorily dead which was good. The romance elements actually made sense (normally I skip over those bits) and I didn’t have a single eye-rolling moment which is a pleasant change. Pacing was good and despite being rather short gripped enough to feel longer – in a good way. I actually don’t think I can fault this in a single way, and I consequently enjoyed it a great deal. More from this author to come. A solid above average read. Recommended.  

Just Finished Reading: This Dark Business – The Secret War Against Napoleon by Tim Clayton (FP: 2018) [356pp] 

Wars are neither fought nor won exclusively on the battlefield. This was as true during the Napoleonic Wars as it is today. Indeed, many of the techniques used throughout the 20th century were invented and used for the first time during the decades long war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France.  

Along with the usual diplomatic maneuvering across Europe to rise allies to the cause and to ensure that they stay in the fight even after early defeats the British government maintained a propaganda war against France – and most especially against Napoleon himself – both at home and abroad. For domestic consumption the UK government financed contributors to magazines and periodicals to write articles and produce political cartoons critical of the French regime and the Revolution that proceeded it. Indeed, the government approved the publication of and often completely financed newspapers to spread that very message – that France was a direct threat and needed to be opposed rigorously and to believe (or act) otherwise was both unpatriotic and dangerous to national security. Needless to say, newspapers and pamphlets who opposed the government were denied publication and their editors or publishers often ended up in court or in prison. If damaging revelations could not be discovered or twisted to fit then fake reports or forged letters would have to suffice and these were often published in both foreign and domestic newspapers to justify actions that the British government had already decided on. But propaganda, no matter how effective, would never be enough – especially in the years when it seemed that Napoleon and his generals were invincible on the battlefield. Something more direct needed to be attempted. 

In 1800 a determined group of men – both old-style Republicans and dyed in the wool Royalists – determined that the only way things would change for the better would be if Napoleon was dead. They determined that they could aid in this by blowing up the dictator with a barrel of gunpowder as he approached the theatre in what is probably the first recorded use of a roadside IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Obviously, it failed as we know from history but it came close, very close, to killing the man who was and would continue to change European history. The plotters had been delivered into France from British warships and had been paid with British gold. A few years later another, much larger, group were similarly infiltrated into France to complete the task, again paid for by Britain. The term ‘assassination’ was to be avoided (however tenuously) but that was the common object everyone had in mind. 

Following both streams in the secret endeavour, the author dives into a great deal of detail (too much in my opinion) on the propaganda side of things with somewhat less time spent on (at least for me) the more interest assassination plans. Both aspects of the secret war involved a LOT of people and I honestly lost track of who people were and skimmed over things a little from time to time both for sanity and for time's sake. If the author had concentrated more of the main players rather diving into the more detailed accounts, I think that the narrative would have flowed both faster and smoother. So, I did find myself struggling through this more than I would’ve liked. Part of that, I’m sure, is that the great majority of the book was completely new to me. I’d honestly never really thought of the political or covert aspects of the Napoleonic Wars until I’d come across the idea in a recent novel based during that period (Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O’Brian). A little stodgy at times but of interest to anyone wanting to know more about the wars progress off the battlefield.  

Just Finished Reading: How Spies Think – Ten Lessons in Intelligence by David Omand (FP: 2020) [303pp] 

Before I tell you about this quite excellent book, I feel I must address the misnomer in the room. This book is not about how ‘Spies’ think, it’s about how Intelligence Analysts think, but I’m guessing the spies title was catchier and sold more copy [grin]. 

Anyway, with that out of the way we can move on. The first thing that really needs to be said here is that the author REALLY knows what he’s talking about. After joining the Intelligence world from university, he eventually climbed to the giddy heights of Director of GCHQ (the UK equivalent of the NSA in America). Along the way he advised Prime Ministers and military commanders during the Falkland’s Conflict, the breakup of Yugoslavia and the 1st Iraq War. He was, as it’s said, ‘in the room’. Naturally, also along the way, he learned a few things about information and how to separate the wheat from the all too prevalent chaff. These are the 10 lessons, SO required in today’s climate of misinformation, disinformation and Conspiracy Theory, that he passes on to the rest of us so we are well armed enough to know (or at the very least attempt to know) what is REALLY going on out there. It could not be timelier. Among the lessons we all need to take note of are:  

Situational awareness – recognising that our knowledge of the world is always fragmentary and sometimes wrong. 

Recognising the facts do not ‘speak for themselves’ and need explaining. 

Developing 'Strategic notice' to reduce the times we are caught completely by surprise. 

Accepting that it is often our own demons that are most likely to deceive us. 

This was SUCH a good read on a number of levels. The author is an *authority* in the old sense of being steeped in the world of data analysis and can speak with both clarity and gravitas on the subject. The insights into decision making at the highest levels was fascinating in itself but the in-depth look at how raw data is sifted for meaning and how misinformation (deliberate or otherwise) can have its effect minimised is a very useful skill to acquire (as we all know so well). There’s a lot to think about between these covers which makes this book anything but a ‘one and its done’ kind of read. This is the kind of book that can easily reward multiple readings spaced a year or two apart. In a world where we can barely believe anything anymore (and just wait until technology gets SO good that anything you see on a screen – no matter how ‘realistic’ - can be seamlessly produced on anyone’s laptop) it’s vital to have a mental toolset that can be used to help you discern the truth or closer to it. Definitely recommended for all truth-seekers out there!  

Just Finished Reading: Defectors by Joseph Kanon (FP: 2017) [290pp] 

Moscow, 1961. For publisher Simon Weeks it was the opportunity of a lifetime – actually two opportunities. First, he would get a book deal – KGB approved no less! - which will put his publishing business into the big leagues and he would hopefully finally learn why his older brother defected to the Soviets almost a decade previously. Simon had every right to be angry with his older sibling. The loss of friends and his job in the State Department was bad enough but the constant suspicion, whispered comments and an unbreakable association with a traitor to America should have been grounds enough for that, but Frank was still his brother despite everything that had happened. Meeting in Russia wasn’t a problem. Everything had been arranged by the Soviets. What Simon didn’t know, what he couldn’t know, was something he had kept from everyone – including his wife who just happened to be Simon’s ex-lover. Frank was dying. It was heart trouble – not exactly unknown in his profession – be inoperable in the USSR. But it was possible, just possible, that doctors in the States could save him. Of course, the KGB would never let him return to the US just like that. The only alternative: Frank would defect again, back to the Land of the Free and Simon, his younger loyal brother, would help him do it – wouldn't he? 

I’ve read several books by this author and I have yet to be disappointed. This was no exception. The whole book, the vast majority of which took place in Moscow, had a wonderful feel of claustrophobia even in open spaces. The pervading tone throughout is of suspicion, hidden meaning, double dealing and things unsaid. The whole main cast – Simon, Frank, Jo (Frank’s wife & Simon’s ‘ex’) and Boris (Frank’s KGB ‘minder’) - were wonderfully drawn and all completely believable. I actually liked Boris a lot despite being a very strait-laced Russian. Despite the fact that this was most certainly not an ‘action’ novel or really much of an espionage one (most of the actual spying took place in the ‘past’ or off-page) this was gripping in other much more subtle ways. Not only did we have the mystery of Frank’s defection to unravel – or to be revealed – we also didn’t always know who was working for who and exactly what people’s true motives were. Everything said, everything talked about and everything seen had to be viewed and reviewed through Cold War politics to figure out exactly what was, and what wasn’t, going on. The say that the book immersed you in the Cold War vibe is really a great understatement and the whole thing was, on many levels as you should expect from the time, very clever indeed. Although I began to suspect how things were going towards the end, how things progressed did come as a rather pleasant surprise all told. Definitely recommended to all lovers of Cold War based fiction. Much more from this author to come.      

Just Finished Reading: Code Breakers – The Secret Intelligence Unit that Changed the Course of the First World War by James Wyllie and Michael McKinley (FP: 2015) [306pp] 

When radio first appeared on the scene in the early days of the 20th century military forces across the globe immediately saw its potential. First amongst them were nations navies who now, at last, had a method of communicating with ships at sea previously out of touch as soon as they left harbour. But there was a problem and it was a significant one – radio was broadcast and open to interception. Signals lost a lot of their power if potential enemies could easily read your instructions. The obvious solution was to encode the messages at transmission and decode them on receipt. As inevitably as day follows night radio produced codes and codes produced code breakers. 

One of the first acts of the British navy when war broke out in 1914 was to cut the trans-Atlantic cables used by the belligerent powers (as well as the neutral powers in Europe) forcing them to use cables that went through London and thence onto America and points East. Amazingly it was considered at the time that gentlemen simply didn’t read other people’s private messages. The infant Intelligence services – split at that time between Army and Navy – had to fight to gain access to the diplomatic telegrams that, as a matter of course, the cable companies kept copies of. With a wealth of materials and some fortuitous acquisition of enemy code books and other materials from around the globe it slowly became possible to read telegrams and radio communications almost in real-time. You can imagine how important this became for the prosecution of the war – once a few ‘wrinkles’ were ironed out. 

But message interception was only one aspect of the work. From the start, even before codes had been broken, it was possible to use radio receivers to pinpoint the locations of U-boats at sea (thereby allowing ships, and later convoys, to be redirected away from them), zeppelins on their way to bomb London and even locations of enemy army units at the Front. More than once it was possible to guess upcoming attacks and to act accordingly. Likewise, it was possible to direct warships to intercept U-boats at sea and, eventually, to direct fighters to intercept incoming zeppelins and, again eventually, shoot them down. 

Covering the whole war and, indeed, the whole world this was a fascinating insight into a new way of war. Britain had a number of advantages in the effort to break enemy codes – both technical and personal – and they used these advantages (mostly) to their great advantage – at least when listened to by those they had been created to advise. From tracking the German High Seas Fleet to decoding the infamous Zimmerman telegram that finally brought the US into the war on the side of the Allies the effect of the activities of a hand-full of men working to extremely tight deadlines and with matters of life and death always front and centre cannot be overstated. These units were the antecedents of the more well-known Bletchley Park of WW2 and the present GCHQ. Those with an interest in such things will find LOTS of fascinating information to absorb here. Definitely recommended for fans of espionage and the less obvious nooks and crannies of World War history. More of that sort of thing to come!      

Just Finished Reading: The Secret Twenties – British Intelligence, The Russians and the Jazz Age by Timothy Phillips (FP: 2017) [329pp] 

It was, at least in some ways, a good thing. With the end of the Great War all government departments, no matter how vital to national defence, would be assured of significant budget cuts. Afterall, the country had almost bankrupted itself fighting the Central Powers and could no longer afford much that many had started to take for granted. One department, however, had a new threat to face and needed the budget – still cut but not wholly removed – to fight it. Since the Russian Revolution of 1917 the British (and indeed Europe at large) had fully expected the Bolsheviks to attempt to export their revolutionary ideology further west. Fortunately, it would not be easy for Russian agitators to slip into the country to cause their particular brand of mayhem. Until that is, in his infinite wisdom, Prime Minister Asquith INVITED them in. The PM was certain that ‘normalising’ relations with the dominant Soviet government would cool their fervour and reintegrate them into ‘polite society’ before they could cause too much harm. Over the protests of the Intelligence services trade and cultural exchange was to be discussed and established at meetings in London. Soon a large delegation of Russian diplomatic and auxiliary staff had taken up residence in the heart of the Empire. MI5 (British counter-intelligence) and Special Branch (the political arm of the police force) were convinced that at least some of the staff must be spies. They were right. Over the subsequent decades British Intelligence monitored mail, spied on members of the British Communist Party (including elected officials), government ministers and prominent icons of British intelligentsia as well as celebrity guests of the new Soviet regime. There were successes as well as almost farcical failures in intelligence gathering. Time was wasted in investigations of those who flirted with Communism whilst dedicated spies, both Russian and British, passed on vital secrets to Moscow. British intelligence had a lot to learn but learn they did and these lessons came in very handy indeed following the next great war... 

I have missed the dark and seedy world of the spy for a while now so this was exactly what I needed. Researching recently declassified files from MI5 archives the author not only delved into the ongoing struggle between the still underfunded, fledgling and to be honest rather amateurish counterintelligence efforts of the British as they fought the hardnosed and dedicated Russian operatives on their native soil. Almost as interesting was the many insights into the shift in attitudes in the general population (as exhibited in intercepted correspondence) towards authority, sex, politics and the larger establishment. Although seen as a period of at least relative peace between two titanic conflicts the 1920’s and 1930’s where far from as peaceful as most people would have thought. Not only were huge technological and economic shifts happening in the background but newly minted nations across the world were fighting for their futures and often came into the world bathed in blood. It was a time of great change and great struggle. Not all of those struggles took place in the full light of day. Indeed, the day-to-day struggles in the shadows were often just as important, if not more so, than those screamed from newspaper headlines. An interesting and highly informative look at part of that struggle. Recommended.    

Just Finished Reading: Munich by Robert Harris (FP: 2017) [429pp]

September, 1938. With war clouds gathering on the horizon it looks increasingly likely the Europe will be at war for the second time in twenty years. But all hope is not lost. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has an idea, something that has never been attempted before – a personal appeal to Herr Hitler to come back from the brink. Chamberlain is convinced, as are some of his cabinet, that Hitler is a man they can do business with. He is, they tell themselves, above all else a pragmatist who knows that Germany, even re-armed, cannot stand against the combined forces of France and Great Britain backed up by her globe spanning Empire. Hitler, Chamberlain feels in his heart of hearts, will see sense. So begins four days of what would, in later decades, be called ‘shuttle diplomacy’ with the world’s peace in the balance. With a front row seat is Hugh Legat, attached to Number 10 from the Foreign Office, who has been pulled into the very centre of the action by his friendship with German diplomat Paul Hartmann who has information that could help stop the proposed invasion of Czechoslovakia. The British Secret Service are initially sceptical that Hartmann has much credibility but the German Secret Service are taking things very seriously indeed and could put the whole diplomatic effort in jeopardy as well as both friends very lives.

The Munich Crisis of 1938 and the whole Appeasement process has, over the years, received a lot of attention – most of it bad. The very word ‘appeasement’ has become very pejorative because, with the advantage of 20-20 hindsight it failed spectacularly in 1939 with the outbreak of World War Two (spoiler!). Here the author gives a much more nuanced and honestly sympathetic treatment of those four decisive days and the thinking behind both Chamberlain’s proposals and Hitler’s ultimate rejection of ‘peace in our time’. The overall tone of the book was that of a political thriller which was pretty impressive since most readers will go in already knowing the outcome. What was even more impressive, now knowing much more about the background to the events in September 1938 from subsequent reading, was just how close to actual events were portrayed here in fiction (or probably more accurately that horrible word ‘faction’). The only non-historical main characters were Legat (British) and Hartmann (German) which allowed the reader to be ‘in the room’ during most of action/conversations/debates around the events themselves. In effect Legat/Hartmann *was* the reader and very well handled that was too! Everything else, from the public pronouncements to the private conversations (I can only vouch for the British side on this) were pretty much accurate and taken from subsequently published diaries and letters. In other words the author’s research was spot on and he even, which I personally love, listed some of his researched books in a bibliography at the back. Not many novels would do this (unfortunately) and not many authors would bother (ditto). It just goes to show how confident the author was in the historical accuracy of his work – and he was right to be so.

Both this novel and my subsequent reading (review on Monday) actually paint a much more sympathetic picture of what Chamberlain was trying to achieve and both his motivation and doubts about doing so. His generation had lived through a cataclysmic war only 20 years previously and were willing to do almost anything to avoid a new one. In this Chamberlain and his cabinet were certainly not alone, indeed most of British public opinion was 100% behind his efforts to avoid war. But Chamberlain also was more than aware that he, the British government and the French were selling Czechoslovakia ‘down the river’ in the hope that they could avoid a wider war that could devastate the continent. They knew, as they indeed found out, that if their efforts failed they would be vilified by history but how would history have judged them if the Entente had gone to war with German over Czechoslovakia if such a thing had indeed been avoided? What a truly horrible position to be in and, in this exceptionally good novel, we ourselves are put right in the heart of things to make our own minds up about it. What would you do without the knowledge of what was coming next? It’s not anywhere near as cut and dried as you might assume. Definitely recommended for all thriller buffs and anyone interested in the last year of peace in Europe. 

Just Finished Reading: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene (FP: 1958) [225pp]

It wasn’t really an offer he could refuse. Not that it was an offer really, or even a demand, it was more of an expectation, a duty, an obligation to Queen and Country. It was only after he’d returned home that he began to understand what he had just done. He had accepted the role of an agent, a spy, without the least idea of what was required of him. After all he was a man who sold vacuum cleaners for a living and, to be honest (at least to himself), business was not great in fact the business was failing. It wasn’t long of course before his ‘handler’ in London demanded something from him – a list of agents in place, the beginnings of an organisation on the ground, reports back home of economic, political and military activities on the island. Cuba was becoming important in East-West relations and he, Wormold, was in the centre of things. He’d better have his finger on the pulse of things. So he did the only thing he could think of – he started to fabricate what he could not possibly accomplish on his own. He created an alcoholic pilot who knew things and had seen strange devices in the jungle. He invented an exotic dancer who had relations with several high place officials in Havana’s government. To his delight London sent him money and demanded to know more. Soon his ‘organisation’, his detailed reports (cribbed from the local papers and back issues of magazines) and his bank balance grew making his profligate teenage daughter very happy indeed. Naturally it wasn’t too long before London was so impressed with his work that they offered him something he couldn’t possibly refuse and couldn’t possibly allow – help, in the form of staff sent from home base. What was worse the local authorities and some very big players indeed started to believe his fabrications too. Things are going to get very hot indeed for our man in Havana.

It’s highly likely that I’ve seen the 1959 Alec Guinness movie based on this book but had long forgotten the plot. Going in to this slim classic novel I didn’t even realise that it was a gentle comedy rather than an actual espionage novel. Saying that I soon fell in love with the brilliantly rendered cast of characters – Wormold himself, his surprisingly level headed daughter, his German friend Dr Hasselbacher (I felt SO sorry for him throughout the book) and his new personal assistant Beatrice. I also found myself relaxing into the cosy plot – with the occasional if brief moments of threat and tension – often chuckling at the absurdities and knots that Wormold had to tie himself into to extract himself from his own fantastical machinations. This is my first Graham Greene novel and most definitely won’t be my last. I found the whole reading experience to be delightful and finishing it left a smile on my face for days afterwards. Not laugh out loud funny too often but most definitely chucklesome with some very astute observations about human nature and the absurdities of the Cold War. Excellent and most recommended. This was my 4^th Classic novel this year and, although I don’t have any more scheduled just yet, expect to squeeze at least a few more in before the end of the year. I hear Miss Marple calling me…… [grin]    

Just Finished Reading: Our Man in New York – The British Plot to Bring America into the Second World War by Henry Hemming (FP: 2019) [326pp]

It had often been a story told around the family dinner table – how his father had almost drowned age 3 just days before the outbreak of World War Two. Luckily, for both his father and the author, a family friend had been on hand to fish the wandering boy out of the pond and save his life. But who exactly was this family friend?

His name was Willian Stephenson (which turned out not to be the name he was born with) who, in 1939, was a successful businessman with contacts and contracts all across Europe. With war on the horizon Stephenson offered his services and those of his organisation to British Intelligence who turned him down. Impressed with his obvious abilities that had another idea. They wanted him to sail to New York and run the MI6 office there. His remit was an apparently simple one – to report back on American willingness to help Britain’s war effort and to ‘do what he could’ to encourage the US to enter the war on Britain’s side. It was going to be a tough hill to climb. In May 1940 only 7% of Americans thought that declaring war on Germany was a good idea. America had a large German population who either desired neutrality or active support of their homeland. Meanwhile German propaganda had been operating for some time inside the US to ensure that they didn’t join forces with Britain against the Axis Powers. If that wasn’t enough there was a well-funded (again in part but by no means exclusively by the Nazi government) Isolationist movement that had many supporters and celebrity endorsement by the likes of all-American hero Charles Lindbergh. With a limited budget and only a handful of staff in New York Stephenson did the only thing he could – he spent his own money on moving the MI6 operation to better and bigger premises and started a recruitment campaign. His objectives were clear: He needed to accurately gauge US public opinion on the war, he needed to counteract German propaganda, he needed friends in high places, he needed to discredit Lindbergh and he needed to manipulate American media outlets to turn public opinion in the way his boss back in London most desired. Over the next year, despite the forces ranged against him Stephenson waged a campaign the likes of which had not been seen (or honestly conceived of) until then. By October 1941 76% of Americans approved of their President’s foreign policy and stance towards Germany. By November 1941 an impressive 85% of Americans fully expected to be at war with Germany imminently. Mission accomplished.

I do love reading around subjects rather than running straight at them. In Britain’s darkest hour after the Fall of France and before the US entered on the Allied side the willingness of America to become the Arsenal of Democracy was vital to England’s survival. I knew that Roosevelt wanted to help as much as he could but his hands were tied by Congress and previous agreements limiting Presidential action and involvement in foreign wars. Roosevelt pushed as close to this limits as he could publically and pushed beyond them in secret. If he had been discovered there was a real possibility he could have been impeached. What I didn’t realise, until reading this GRIPPING narrative, was just how much we manipulated US public opinion in order to support the President’s endeavours on Britain’s behalf so that it wouldn’t look like he was too far ahead of the public mood – he wanted to be seen, at least in theory, as following opinion rather than leading it. It was, to say the least, a risky strategy that could have easily backfired and turned public and political opinion against Britain just when she needed it most. I’m sure, like me, not many people know much if anything at all about this aspect of WW2. It was to say the least an eye-opening and fascinating insight into a side of the war that had previously failed to cross my mind. HIGHLY recommended for anyone interested into why America entered the war when and how it did.  

[Side Note: This is only the 6th book reviewed with a publication date of 2019. So far, despite being half way through 2021, I have yet to read/review anything published on 2020 or '21. I wonder how long it'll be until I do so?]

Just Finished Reading: Our Man in Charleston – Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey (FP: 2015) [327pp]

Even on the journey to Charleston British consul Robert Bunch had yet to decide if his posting was an opportunity or a poison chalice. On the face of it his task was a simple one – although singularly beyond his predecessor’s capabilities – to change a South Carolinian law that was inconveniencing the British crown. The law, brought in to effect after a slave uprising some time before, mandated that all non-white sailors aboard ships entering Charleston harbour would be held in jail – at the ship owners expense – for the duration of the ships visit. The reason was a simple one, at least to the great and the good of that slave owning state – seeing and (heaven forbid) communicating with free men of colour would only lay the seeds of rebellion in the minds of ignorant black folk so everything possible needed to be done to prevent this. The British consul’s first task was to get this law modified (if not overturned) to prevent British citizens from being abused (or worse) in Charleston’s jail system just for having the misfortune of being on a ship that called into that port and for being black. Unsurprisingly Bunch had his work cut out for him but he didn’t stop there. In the years that followed consul Bunch, often way beyond his remit (and sometimes either simply ignored or reprimanded) produced report after report and letter after letter both to his superior in New York as well as to his Foreign Office superiors in London outlining conditions in Charleston and in the South generally and, as Secession and even war approached alerted London as to the mood of the Southern states (and later the Confederacy) as well as their expectations of British intent. Bunch provided, often at great personal and professional risk, vital intelligence about the burgeoning insurrection and detailed assessments that often proved to be both detailed and prescient.

This was quite an eye-opening book on multiple levels. I had no idea that British consuls were even active in the Southern US never mind that at least some of them played such vital roles in informing the British response to the emerging Civil War. I was also rather surprised at the level of opposition to Slavery by the British government. I know slavery was abolished (in the most part) in 1833 across the Empire – with some parts only being added later – but was unaware at just how much effort Britain expended to stop the TRADE in slaves rather than slavery per se. Not only did the British essentially bully other countries (notably Spain) to enact similar legislation in its colonies (Cuba especially) but also stationed elements of the Royal navy off the coast of Africa to interdict any ship suspected of transporting slaves across the Atlantic. This cost the British economy around 2% of GDP, around 5,000 lives lost and existed for SIXTY years. I had zero idea that this was a thing! Inevitably there will be books on the way about this very subject so stay tuned. Taking this into account you can imagine consul Bunch’s views on the Southern idea that Britain would inevitably first recognise the Confederacy post-secession and would probably fight on their side against the North because of – cotton. This was, of course, a complete fantasy. As the future rebellion built intelligence from Bunch and others had already resulted in increased investment in cotton production in both Egypt and India. Even after the war started and cotton exports dropped to almost nothing (which caused great hardship in the mill towns of Northern England) there was never any possibility that Britain would back the South. The whole idea was inconceivable. What was much more likely was a British war AGAINST the South if the Confederacy had gone ahead with the idea of re-opening the Atlantic slave trade to ease its economic woes. If Confederate slavers had tangled with British naval vessels war between those two entities would have most likely followed.

For a whole host of reasons this was one of my top reads of the year so far. Not only did I learn a LOT about the move towards Civil War in the US (admittedly from a fairly low level to begin with) but I also renewed my fascination with 19^th century British politics and especially the career of Lord Palmerston (known as “pumice stone” for his legendary abrasiveness!) who during that period was sometimes Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. I think I added at least 3-4 books to my Amazon Wish List because of this book and it has provided me with several avenues of new research to follow – so great stuff. As always much more to follow. Highly recommended.               

Just Finished Reading: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (FP: 2015) [495pp]

Always an outsider. Always. He didn’t even question it any more, it was who he was. But knowing who he was and what he was turned out to be a kind of power. Once he accepted his position, his fate, he was free. Maybe he was even home no matter how far he travelled. It started the very day he was born a bastard – the product of lust between a western priest and a Vietnamese villager. As a bastard and a mixed blood he would never be accepted except by the mother who bore him. But he was smart and learnt quickly – both the ways and the words of the west and the truth of the coming Communist Revolution. He was an ideal infiltrator into the security apparatus of South Vietnam one able to mimic the South’s love of all things modern and American. He even fooled the fabled CIA into employing him. He was also ideal to leave his country on the Fall of Saigon and flee to the west as a refugee. There, embedded within the last remnants of South Vietnam’s power structure, he could observe and report on their plans for a triumphal return to power. Always on the outside, always looking in. Outside his country, outside his patriotic duty to the South, outside his belief in the Communist Party and outside his blood bond friendship. Always outside.

I remember watching the Vietnam War on the nightly news broadcasts and distinctly remember the last days of Saigon and the rushed helicopter flights onto waiting, and sometimes fleeing, ships beyond the shores of that embattled country. I hadn’t really considered what happened afterwards to the many native Vietnamese and children of American soldiers who fled when the regime in the South fell in April 1975. Here we are presented with several examples of how people survived in the new world of America through the eyes of someone who was all too aware of what had happened and what was to come. Unsurprisingly, given the amount of awards this book either won or was nominated for, this is a very well written work. The sense of isolation is as palpable as the oppressive atmosphere of Saigon in the summer time without the relief of monsoon rain. The dramatic escape from Saigon was adrenaline pumping stuff and full of tragedy as well as hope. Everything felt very real including the almost overwhelming feeling of loss as the narrator and his ex-General started to come to terms with their situation. Our sympathies were definitely fully engaged with his plight and those of his blood brother who had literally lost everything. Yet….. Although I found the first few hundred pages both affective and interesting my overall appreciation began to wane. I think a large part of the problem was that, apart from the narrator, almost none of the characters were particularly likable. The General and his wife were arrogant dreamers who I actively disliked and their rebellious daughter wasn’t much better. The Vietnamese reporter was likable enough but had too small and too short a role to play. Despite the strength of the main character his presence wasn’t enough, in my mind, to hang the entire narrative on. The plot, once they left South Vietnam, I thought wandered semi-aimlessly with the plotting of the Southern regime’s return (honestly barely touched upon) and a side plot as the narrator ‘assisted’ a movie director with his Vietnam War movie with added ‘authenticity’. Again interesting enough but I did wonder more than once, apart from causing the narrator to look back on his own reality in contrast to the US fictionalised version of the war, what the point was. I think what I’m trying to say is that I just couldn’t ‘connect’ with the book except on the more superficial ‘interesting and well written’ level. It engaged my intellect but only occasionally did it engage my emotions.

Rather oddly one of the reviews on the front of my copy said that the book was ‘tremendously funny’. That’s certainly not the tone I took from it! The book was, in many places, anything but funny (the hilarious squid episode aside!!). Apart from the combat, death, guilt, grief, torture and two rapes (one real during an interrogation and one simulated in the movie) there was little space I think for humour – at least in my reading! Although I can kind of see why it won so many awards I can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as other books I’ve read this year. It’s certainly worth a read, I give it that, but it won’t be in my ‘must read’ list for 2021.

Awards:

Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Winner of the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel

Winner of the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction  

Winner of the 2015 Centre for Fiction First Novel Prize

International IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards Best Book (nominee)        

PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction Best Book (Finalist)

Just Finished Reading: The Final Hour by Tom Wood (FP: 2017) [455pp]

Dying is bad enough, but coming back hurts – a LOT. It didn’t make it any easier that she couldn’t tell her doctors the details of the drug that had been used to kill her or the antidote she had used to save her life. They were curious enough, and suspicious enough, of the Jane Doe who couldn’t remember who had slipped her the drug or even her own name. It was only a matter of time before such suspicions raised red flags in places she really didn’t want them raised and they sent people to investigate. It was going to be best if she left before that happened. Meanwhile the man who ‘killed’ her, only know as ‘Victor’, had problems of his own. After a job in Italy went wrong the CIA was royally pissed with him and members of the Agency were expending a lot of time and energy tracking him down. If that wasn’t bad enough a high price contract on his life was starting to impact on his ability to do his job. Being a lone operator Victor had no way to cover all of his bases so he did the only thing he could and contracted himself to British Intelligence in a Quid Pro Quo – he’d do some jobs for them and they’d help him find out who was trying to have him killed. Then things got really complicated…..

I’d picked this book up ages ago in one of my usual random browsing through the Best Seller section of my local supermarket and only read it now because of the similarity to the title of my last book [more of that to come!]. But what a difference…! Almost from the first page I loved it. Overall I don’t think that I have a single quibble. Although the 7^th book in a series (I had no idea at the time) it was virtually effortless to get into the story. The main characters – Victor and Raven (the poisoned woman in the hospital) – are quite brilliant and completely believable as international assassins for hire with few allegiances but equally deep seated professional moralities (which actually explains a lot of Raven’s motivation in the novel). Likewise the secondary characters in both the CIA and British SIS are well drawn and believable. The ‘baddies’ here are likewise understandable and believable in their context. I was highly amused at one point where Raven called them ‘The Consensus’ only to be huffily told that they were an amorphous organisation and didn’t have a name. “I know”, she said “But I have to call you *something*”. The dialogue throughout was equally impressive and actually deepened the plot, explained some of the background and fleshed out various characters in such a naturalist way that it didn’t slow down the plot in the least. These were not simply contrived pauses between ‘boss fights’. Considering the profession of the two main protagonists this is a book with a fair amount of violence. Both Raven and Victor are very capable people and I lost count of the bodies fairly early on (although it’s not a particularly large number). There are a few torture scenes here too but nothing particularly graphic. I’m doing my best not to give too much away here which might explain some of the scattergun approach to the review. There is a LOT going on in this book but the fairly complex plot is handled so well that it seamlessly falls into place ahead of you. EVERYTHING makes sense here. It is a world of big players, professionals, amateurs and civilians. At one point Raven and Victor muse at the idea of what would happen if ‘civilians’ (that’s *US* by the way!) knew what was really going on in the world. Read this and you might just start to suspect what that is! This is a highly polished, well written and gripping thriller. If you don’t mind a bit of brutal violence and love playing in the dark world of espionage and assassination this is definitely the book for you – but (again) I’d start with the FIRST book in the series as I will be soon. Highly recommended.  

Just Finished Reading: Operation Kronstadt by Harry Ferguson (FP: 2008) 

It was an impossible mission, so of course he agreed to go. Lieutenant Augustus ‘Gus’ Agar RN had missed the ‘big shows’ during the Great War and was eager to show his mettle. This mission for a struggling MI6 looked just the thing. The plan, such that it was, was deceptively simple. ‘Gus’ and his chosen men would temporally join the British Fleet in the Baltic along with 3 of the navy’s radical torpedo boats. They would then run missions into Bolshevik occupied areas to drop off and pick up intelligence operatives including Paul Dukes who was at that time the only SIS agent operating inside St Petersburg and a vital British asset. At their earliest opportunity ‘Gus’ and his team would extract Dukes and return home. Simple really – except for a few minor issues. For one, no one had been in touch with Dukes for weeks and it wasn’t at all certain that he was still at liberty. For another the boats being used had never operated in Baltic waters before and no one really knew how they would perform. The boats themselves, whilst not exactly experimental, where on the cutting edge of naval technology. They were fast, VERY fast, but where incredibly noisy at high speed and frighteningly delicate because of the need to reduce as much weight as possible. Even a near miss from any shell of appreciable size would easily destroy the craft and kill everyone on board. The engines where modified from aircraft use and were notoriously temperamental and, the weight restrictions had another effect. The torpedoes couldn’t be launched forwards using compressed air to fire them ahead at their intended target. Nothing so rational, oh no. They were ejected backwards – using a powered ram – which meant that the boat had to swerve out of the way to avoid being hit by their own weapon. But that was OK. No one expected that the torpedoes would be required. But as the weeks slipped by without any message from Dukes, ‘Gus’ had an idea. The Bolshevik fleet was in easy reach of his team and they could, if given permission, wreak havoc in a confined space. Appalled by the idea that any of the boats could be lost before Dukes could be rescued MI6 gave an emphatic ‘No’ to the operational request. ‘Gus’ went anyway and, as predicted havoc did ensue. After a successful mission was completed the British admiral in the Baltic saw an opportunity to deal the Russians a crushing blow and maybe drown the Bolshevik Revolution in its crib. Only two things stood in the way – the combined firepower of the Kronstadt Fortress and the Soviet Baltic Fleet.

I knew that we had spies in Russia both in the run up to and in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution but I had no idea that the British navy was so heavily involved in operations in the Baltic at that time. I know that Allied Forces were stationed briefly on Russian territory supposedly to assist the ‘Whites’ in their civil war with the ‘Reds’ but I never realised that British and Russian forces actually came to blows with thousands dead around Kronstadt. It was completely off my radar. I certainly know a LOT more about that now! This was essentially a story in two halves – the espionage bit with Dukes in St Petersburg and ‘Gus’ in the Baltic in his torpedo boats. Both sections were incredibly tense and very exciting (with the benefit of 100 years distance!). I was honestly entranced by the whole thing. The rescue plan itself and Dukes being in place in the heart of Soviet Russia were typical ‘make do with what you have and improvise the rest’ British operations wholly dependent on the grit, determination and bloody mindedness of all involved. Luckily for most of those involved (without giving TOO much away) things largely worked as hoped – at least eventually! This was a story of a little known operation  quite brilliantly told. Highly entertaining – especially if you enjoy real hair-raising moments – and highly recommended.       

           [!Coming next: A Pandemic Blitz Read, so buckle up ]

Just Finished Reading: Caught in the Revolution – Petrograd 1917 by Helen Rappaport (FP: 2016)

Russia was still in the war – but only just. The Allies were pushing hard for her continued involvement but tensions were growing both on the front lines and on the streets of Petrograd. After a series of defeats and continued food shortages the ruling elite had finally had enough and demanded that the Czar – tainted by his direct involvement with military planning and his wife’s continued infatuation with the ‘Mad Monk’ Rasputin – step down in favour of his brother who subsequently declined the offer to become the next in line. The coup/revolution was, as these things go, relatively bloodless and hopes were high that the new government could do what the Czar had failed to do – prosecute the war and feed their own people. But riven by faction, indecision and active opposition both from within and without they only succeeded to limp from crisis to crisis. Seeing their chance to drive Russia out of the war they allowed Vladimir Lenin, notorious political agitator, to pass through German occupied territory and return to his homeland. Their hopes succeeded beyond all expectations as Lenin and other Bolsheviks brought down their more Liberal opponents in a more bloody but still relatively bloodless second Revolution. Inheriting a country in chaos and promising everything to everyone they, very much like their predecessors, lurched from one crisis to the next seemingly unable (or unwilling) to quell the rising tide of violence on the streets and equally unable to feed the dwindling number of city residents despite widespread looting and authorised confiscation of goods. As bad as things were they became much worse when the head of the new Soviet Secret Police in Petrograd was assassinated and, days later, Lenin himself was shot and almost killed. Responding with the utmost ferocity to an attack on the heart of the Revolution itself the true terror of the Bolshevik response would shock the world. In the middle of it all were the foreign diplomats, businessmen, medical staff, spies, journalists, well-wishes and even tourists (who wanted to see the Revolution at first hand) who experienced the events of 1917 in all its majesty, chaos and terror at first hand.

Told from the outside looking in this was a fascinating account of the Russian Revolution as experienced by the men and women – largely French, British and American – who stayed behind (for a whole host of reasons) or who simply couldn’t leave (ditto). Using diaries, letters home (both published and unpublished) and archive material from the government’s involved the author weaves an amazing narrative of often extraordinary people living through a very extraordinary time and set of circumstances. I am, by and large, reasonably familiar with the circumstances around the 1917 Revolution but this perspective gave me new insights into the week by week playing out of events. The chaos and random acts of violence (and other random acts of kindness) are pretty astonishing looking back 100 years. What they really must have been like to the people having to deal with them is barely comprehensible. Petrograd in 1917 must have been one of the most dangerous places on Earth at the time and that’s saying a lot considering that there was still more than a year of World War still to run. It’s pretty amazing that any of the people profiled here made it out in one piece – although more than a few left with nothing more than the shirts or dresses on their backs. One case did jump out at me though – one of the British nurses trapped in 1917 had previously survived the sinking of Titanic. I couldn’t make up my mind if she was extremely lucky or equally cursed. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in these extraordinary events.         

Just Finished Reading: The Traitor by Sydney Horler (FP: 1936)

It was the mistake that defined his life and almost cost him everything. On his return to the Western Front in August 1918 Captain Alan Clinton took the opportunity to meet his French lover in Paris before delivering his Secret dispatch to his commanding officer. Unknown to Alan, however, his ‘French’ lover was in fact a German secret agent who had arranged for his wine to be drugged and his dispatch copied. Once decrypted the message allowed the German forces to prepare for an Allied assault with disastrous consequences. Managing to cover up his part in the debacle Alan joined the British Secret Service in an attempt to assuage his guilt and to protect the country he had inadvertently betrayed. Seventeen years pass. Alan’s son, now a newly minted officer in the Tank Corps, is determined to ‘do something’ as his country heads to war with the old adversary. Hearing that a new caterpillar track is being demonstrated in the German capital he travels without official permission and becomes entrapped in an enemy Secret Service plot aimed at his country and his father. When he is discovered by the British and charged with treason who will come to his defence – especially if the cost is his father’s reputation and career.

After enjoying a few of the British Crime Classics that seem to be flooding the market these days I couldn’t really resist picking this up and one other (not by this author) cheaply in my favourite ‘remainder’ bookshop. The author is hailed as something of an institution from the 1920’s onwards and produced works at a prolific rate throughout his life (needless to say I had never heard of him until I saw this book for sale). Although the bones of the story were strong enough to carry the narrative – and actually there *is* a good story in there – the 30’s writing style really didn’t translate at all to the early 21st century. The story was rather overly contrived, the characters were, by and large, less than believable and their motivation questionable at best – although I did think that at least some of their motivations – honour, public face, class – probably meant much more in 1936 than it does in 2020. Some of the characters (actually both of the lead females) were almost believable and were definitely more nuanced than their male counterparts. Overall however this book had dated very badly in the 80+ years since its publication. An interesting enough read in places but not recommended for its general entertainment value.