Tag: NetGalley

The Englishman by David Gilman #BookReview @HoZ_Books @amberachoudhary

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EcD3Ae0XYAApocBI’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for The Englishman by David Gilman, published today by Head of Zeus. Thanks to Amber at Midas PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Head of Zeus for my review copy. You can read my review below.

9781838931391About the Book

A clandestine war on the desert border of Mali and Algeria; murder and kidnap on the suburban streets of West London; a Moscow CID police inspector investigating the assassination of four of her fellow officers by the Russian mafia; a young MI6 officer facing the possibility that a long-running operation has been fatally compromised: connecting them all is the Englishman – Dan Raglan, outsider, exile, one-time member of the French Foreign Legion, fully trained killer.

Raglan’s quest for answers will become a quest for vengeance. It will lead him to the winter-ravaged wasteland of the Sverdlovskaya Oblast and Penal Colony #74, a place that holds Russia’s most brutal murderers. A place of death and retribution.

How will he get in? More importantly, how will he get out?

Format: Hardcover (480 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 9th July 2020 Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller

Find The Englishman (Raglan Book 1) on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

I was first introduced to the books of David Gilman when I read Masters of War the first in the series of the same name set in the 14th century and featuring the adventures of archer Thomas Blackstone. The author took a break from that series to write Night Flight to Paris, set in WW2 occupied France, a book I absolutely loved. In The Englishman, he moves from historical fiction into the world of the contemporary thriller and what an adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride it is.

The book’s protagonist, Dan Raglan – the Englishman of the title – is a bit of a man of mystery. Although taken in by a couple when he was orphaned, his real ‘family’ are his former comrades in the French Foreign Legion. Although a trained killer and a loner by nature, he’s not the cold figure you might expect. The things he’s seen, endured – and done – have left traumatic memories that occasionally rise to the surface; only his incredible willpower keeps the nightmares at bay. Raglan’s own life experiences also mean he has instinctive empathy for those who suffer loss at an early age. Oh, and I’ll confess even this happily married lady got a bit hot under the collar at the thought of Raglan’s lean, muscular physique and other attributes. However, I suspect I would have a formidable rival for his affections.

Moving from a dramatic opening in a remote part of Russia, to Mali in West Africa, to the streets of London and then back to Russia again, The Englishman has everything you would expect – and want – from a contemporary thriller. There are plenty of bone-crunching action scenes, the bad guys are really bad, the plot is satisfyingly intricate and there are twists, turns and surprises aplenty. The author is pretty ruthless when it comes to his characters; don’t expect all of them to make it to the end. In the first part of the book especially, the author makes good use of his own military experience in detailed descriptions of equipment, weaponry and tactics.

If you’re looking for a compelling, well-told story incorporating topical issues such as international terrorism, money laundering, covert military operations and state-sponsored organized crime, then The Englishman is the book for you. All that’s missing for it to be a complete picture of the world we’re living in now is a global pandemic but perhaps Raglan will be called on to grapple with that in a future book.

The Englishman promises to be the start of a terrific new series and I for one can’t wait to see what Raglan gets up to next.

In three words: Gripping, action-packed, pacy

Try something similar: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

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DAVIDAbout the Author

David Gilman is an award-winning author and screenwriter. David enjoyed many careers – including firefighter, paratrooper and photographer – before turning to writing full time in 1986.  He has written many radio and television scripts including several years of A Touch of Frost. In 2007 his Danger Zone trilogy for YA was sold in 15 countries.

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The Traitor by V. S. Alexander #BookReview

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The Traitor by V.S. AlexanderAbout the Book

“Someone had to make a start’”, Sophie Scholl, leader of the White Rose, 21 February 1943 at her trial in Munich.

Munich, 1942. As war rages across Europe, a series of anonymous leaflets, criticizing the brutal Nazi regime, appear on the streets of Germany. Their message, written in secret, is a daring act of defiance.

Natalya Petrovich, a student, knows more than she should. As a member of the secret resistance group, the White Rose, Natalya is risking everything. But even among those she trusts most, there is no guarantee of safety. The Gestapo are everywhere and Natalya knows that falling into the hands of the secret police means torture – and almost certain death.

A page-turning and heart-breaking historical novel about the daring White Rose group who stood up to the Nazis … and paid the ultimate price.

Format: ebook (400 pages)                 Publisher: One More Chapter
Publication date: 12th March 2020 Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Find The Traitor on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

The Traitor is set during a dark period of Germany’s history. It shows, through the characters of Natalya and her friends, that not all Germans were Nazis and that some, like her, had the courage to resist despite the risk to them and their families. Those risks become all too evident as the book progresses as well as the desperately difficult moral choices they face.

The book’s title raises the question who exactly is the “traitor”? Is it Natalya and her companions, as the German State would have it, for challenging the word of the Fuhrer? Is it those who inform on others, even if only to save themselves? Is it those in authority who participate in show trials, knowingly compromising their integrity? Is it those who profess allegiance to the Reich whilst in their hearts believing something else?

Personally I would have liked a little more information about the White Rose group, knowing nothing about it before starting the book. For example, how many members it had and how wide was its reach. Having said that, there are more details in the informative Author’s Note, as well as suggestions for further reading and an example of a White Rose leaflet.

I confess I found it hard to understand Natalya’s attraction to the character with whom she gets involved and who becomes a recurring – and influential – presence in her life. He seemed to me to have few redeeming qualities even at the beginning. The opposite applies to Natalya who throughout demonstrates remarkable courage and resilience, even during the darkest of times.

The Traitor vividly conveys the oppressive atmosphere of the time, the constant fear of informers, the brutal treatment meted out to those who dared to defy the Reich and the courage of those who aided the resistance groups.

My thanks to One More Chapter for my review copy via NetGalley.

In three words: Dramatic, emotional, chilling

Try something similar: People Like Us by Louise Fein

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About the Author

V. S. Alexander (the pen name of Michael Meeske) is the author of The Traitor, The Magdalen Girls, Her Hidden Life, and The Irishman’s Daughter. He is an ardent student of history with a strong interest in music and the visual arts. Some of V.S.’s writing influences include Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, or any work by the exquisite Bronte sisters.

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