Book Review – Prey by Graham Hurley #20BOS26 @HoZ_Books @Seasidepicture

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About the Book

1943. The war is turning against the Third Reich but the Luftwaffe are eagerly exploiting a lethal blind spot in the RAF’s Lancaster bombers with their innovative upward-firing cannon.

MI5’s Tam Moncrieff lobbies ceaselessly for a solution in the face of officials’ indifference. His quest sees him accompanying a bombing raid deep into Nazi Germany that will change the course of the war.

The target is the Nazis’ flagship city of Nuremberg. With bright moonlight and clear visibility, the conditions are perfect… for the enemy. The Luftwaffe are jubilant as they take out plane after plane.

With so many men dead or captured, can RAF Bomber Command overcome their darkest hour, when the predators have become the prey?

Format: Hardcover (400 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 2nd July 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

Prey is the eleventh book in the ‘Spoils of War’ collection. The books are designed to be read in any order or as standalones, although some characters appear in more than one book. Each book focuses on a particular aspect of the Spanish Civil War or Second World War – a time, a place, a campaign – weaving a fictional story around historical facts.

Like previous books, events unfold from the point of view of two main characters. In this case it’s Luftwaffe pilot Dieter Merz and MI5 officer Tam Montcrieff. (They first appeared together in Estocada, book three of the series.) Merz is one of the pilots who have perfected a tactic the Luftwaffe have named Schräge Musik which targets a blind spot on the Lancaster bombers that are carrying out devastating raids on German cities. The design flaw is not unknown to Bomber Command but they have dismissed making modifications that might counter it, even as air crew losses increase. Moncrieff becomes involved in attempts to overcome this, placing himself at risk in the process.

A secondary plot line involves Montcrieff investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a soldier, Jimmy Anderson, during the chaos of the retreat to Dunkirk. Ex-Royal Marine Tam, who carries a Beretta, is revealed as a bit of a ladies’ man. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Sean Connery, the original cinematic embodiment of James Bond, was known in his teens as ‘Big Tam’. Having said that, Montcrieff is more of a pie and a pint man than a caviar and vodka martini one. However, he’s definitely shaken and stirred by some of his encounters during his investigation.

Graham Hurley can be relied upon to deliver thrillingly realistic and dramatic scenes. This time they include a dizzying flight through a narrow mountain pass and a night flight aboard a Lancaster bomber. There are sombre moments as well such as when Merz’s wife Beata witnesses firsthand the utter ruthlessness of the German war machine. Merz is no fanatical Nazi either. Surveying the ruined city of Augsburg he observes the change in its citizens from people with ‘heavy-bellied Bavarian swagger’ to people ‘shrunken and pale’ in thin winter coats. ‘These folk have been betrayed, Merz thought. By the regime, by Hitler’s reckless promises, by us.’ Other scenes that stick in my mind are Montcrieff’s gentle questioning of a soldier who has suffered a severe brain injury and the very personal motivation for a daring aerobatics display.

What I enjoy about this series is not just the exciting storylines but how much I learn about the history of the period along the way. I also love it when an author includes a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ gift to the observant reader. There’s one in this book (at least it was in my ARC) – the name of an estate agent.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley. Prey is book 1 of my 20 Books of Summer 2026.

In three words: Compelling, dramatic, authentic
Try something similar: V2 by Robert Harris

About the Author

Graham Hurley is a documentary maker and a novelist. For the last two decades he’s written full-time, penning nearly fifty books. Two made the shortlist for the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year, while Finisterre – the first in the Spoils of War collection – was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. Graham lives in East Devon with his lovely wife, Lin.

Connect with Graham
Website | Instagram | X

#WWWWednesday – 3rd June 2026

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Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

What I’m Currently Reading

Dwell by Rue Baldry (ARC, Northodox Press)

For a while they are within a painting, both openly staring, with the only movement the glittering of dust motes. Light halos the marble-white figure on the floor, burnishing his hair, sharpening his features with shadows… 

January 1919. A new gardener at a snowbound boys’ boarding school catches everyone’s attention. There is a rumour that he is a war hero.

Nineteen-year-old Albert is haunted by his experiences in The Great War, and fighting the temptation of one particular prefect. What they want is illegal. Being caught would ruin them both. 

When Albert’s past catches up to him, their quest for a place where love can safely dwell comes under even greater threat. 

Dwell uncovers those experiences of ordinary gay men in the early twentieth century which had to be kept secret in their lifetimes. It is a tender, evocative coming-of-age love story exploring themes of privilege and oppression, healing from trauma, redemption, belonging, and hope.

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo  (Chatto & Windus)

1843. Ishmaelle is born in a small village on the stormy Kent coast where she grows up swimming with dolphins. After her parents and infant sister die, her brother, Joseph, leaves to find work as a sailor. Abandoned and desperate for a life at sea, Ishmaelle disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York.

As the American Civil War breaks out in 1861, Ishmaelle boards the Nimrod, a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors in Polynesian harpooner, Kauri, and Taoist monk, Muzi, whose readings of the I-Ching guide their quest.

Through the bloody male violence of whaling, and the unveiling of her feminine identity, Ishmaelle realises there is a mysterious bond between herself and the mythical white whale, Moby Dick.

What I’ve Just Read

Prey by Graham Hurley (Head of Zeus)

1943. The war is turning against the Third Reich, but the Luftwaffe are eagerly exploiting a lethal blind spot in the RAF’s Lancaster bombers with their innovative upward-firing cannon.

MI5’s Tam Moncrieff lobbies ceaselessly for a solution in the face of officials’ indifference. His quest sees him accompanying a bombing raid deep into Nazi Germany that will change the course of the war.

The target is the Nazis’ flagship city of Nuremberg. With bright moonlight and clear visibility, the conditions are perfect. for the enemy. The Luftwaffe are jubilant as they take out plane after plane.

With so many men dead or captured, can RAF Bomber Command overcome their darkest hour, when the predators have become the prey? (Review to follow)

What I’ll Be Reading Next

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (Harper Audio)

Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his “counting house” when he suffered an agonizing and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals.

Yet, it was the incident in the parlour that confirmed Miss Marple’s suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme….