First published in England in 1940 and in the U.S. in 1941, this novel introduced series character Tommy Hambledon but the center stage is occupied by a young British spy whose adventrues were based on the life of one of the two collaborators, Cyril Coles, who was the youngest intelligence officer in the history of the British Secret Service. It's a grim, realistic spy story set during World War I framed within an inverted detective story. Coles, along with Eric Ambler, is credited with creating the modern espionage novel.
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First published in England in 1940 and in the U.S. in 1941, this novel introduced series character Tommy Hambledon but the center stage is occupied by a young British spy whose adventrues were based on the life of one of the two collaborators, Cyril Coles, who was the youngest intelligence officer in the history of the British Secret Service. It's a grim, realistic spy story set during World War I framed within an inverted detective story. Coles, along with Eric Ambler, is credited with creating the modern espionage novel.
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I first read this book many years ago, in my twenties. I've reread it several times since, and will continue to reread it until I pop my clogs and depart to that great Intelligence Bureau in the sky.
The book gets off to a slow start, making one feel somewhat impatient. But bear with it--it is SO worth the wait, and you'll realize that the background is essential to understanding the story as it unfolds.
In a way this can be viewed as a coming-of-age story, set against the background of a brutal war. We focus too much on World War II. Horrible as it was--and I'm not disputing that at all--World War I was equally so. If you don't believe that, try visiting the town of Ieper, or the Passchendale Museum in Belgium. (To this day there are squads that deal with World War I lethal armaments still unearthed by farmers there.) This story brings horror of that war to life.
This was the first book in a series of Tommy Hambledon novels and like the others, it is both witty and well told. It's a pleasure to read, and I recommend it and its sequel, A Toast to Tomorrow, highly.
