A pacy espionage thriller sent in wartime France that brings home the many faces of resistance and throws light on the ruthlessness of the communist resistance groups and how firmly they were directed from Moscow. Clearly, there is at least one sequel otherwise the ending is both abrupt and unsatisfactory. Dare I say that the plot and structure is somewhat formulaic and so there are few real surprises. Great episodes such as driving the ancient truck loaded with machine guns from Marseilles to Paris with the inevitable run-in with the Milice. As spy thrillers go, it is very believable but has the feel of being just one unit on a production line. But then so are le Carre’s ‘Smiley’ novels and O’Brien’s Aubrey/Maturin stories. The dilemma for the reader is whether to seek to read them all or to read some, sure in the knowledge that by not reading others, one hasn’t really missed anything of crucial importance.
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