2024 the best series of all times review

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(as of Nov 13, 2024 05:29:41 UTC - Details)

Ranked #41 on Spycast's list of the Top 50 Best Spy Novels, as voted for by real-life intelligence operatives.

The Allies have landed, the liberation of Europe has begun.

In the Pas de Calais, Nathalie Mercier, a young British Special Operations Executive secret agent working with the French Resistance, disappears.

In London, her husband Owen Quinn, an officer with Royal Navy Intelligence, discovers the truth about her role in the Allies' sophisticated deception at the heart of D-Day.

Appalled but determined, Quinn sets off on a perilous hunt through France in search of his wife. Aided by the Resistance in his search, he makes good progress. But, caught up by the bitterness of the war and its insatiable appetite for revenge, he risks total destruction.

Based on real events of the Second World War, this is a thrilling tale of international intrigue, love, deception and espionage, perfect for fans of Robert Harris, John le Carré and Len Deighton.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082XS1P9N
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Action (March 2, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 2, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3505 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 545 pages
Reviewer: James Ellsworth
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This Story 'Grabbed' Me
Review: What I love most about this book is the stark depiction of amorality that can accompany clandestine activities. Alex Gerlis writes this line very well. Owen Quinn, a young Royal Navy Officer gives his country everything he can (and almost his life.) They repay him by setting him up as a stooge in a deception operation. They push 'Magpie', a known German agent, at him while he is recovering from his war wounds in a hospital, knowing that she will make it her business for them to get married. Owen is genuinely in love with her...and she comes to care very much for him. More than Owen, she is caught up in World War II and cannot escape the duty she finds herself trapped in. The plotting that follows this premise is very good indeed. It is convoluted but is generally as believable as it needs to be (for me.) I can agree with other reviewers that it does press the boundaries of credulity from time to time: it is a story about love in time of war as much as it is about espionage and deceptions built to conceal the actual source of the D-Day landing. I never found the plotting or the characterizations in this story to be 'trite'.

Reviewer: David Island
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This Is a Good Story
Review: “The Best of Our Spies” by Alex Gerlis is an excellent story of WWII espionage and spycraft. The major character is a female double agent who fakes a marriage to a young British Naval Officer, so as to infiltrate the decision-making about the precise points in France where the D-Day landings will take place. Their marriage and how it all works out is a major part of the novel. This book meets most of the criteria for a novel, rather than just a spy story, but it’s not as good as “All the Light We Cannot See.”From time to time the story is too detailed, a bit too hard to take at face value with a need to suspend disbelief, and too filled with too much angst and torture. But on the whole, it’s a good read, even thrilling in a few places. A few of the numerous characters are shallow stick figures, but the major characters are well-developed and rich in personality. There actually is spying going on and a few realistic combat scenes involving the French Resistance doing its risky resistance. Scenes involving German soldiers and officials are predictably gruesome.One good thing: the British Intelligence folks are presented in a far from gentle perspective; instead they are realistic and ruthless, most likely as they really were.There is an actual denouement toward the end as competing forces converge on the 2 major characters. The actual end is sad. The end of the book provides the reader with several pages of “where-are-they-now” wrap-up, following each major character through the remainder of their lives.I give it a 4.40, rounded down to a 4.0. If you like WWII espionage, this book is for you. It rivals Alan Furst and other classic writers of this genre and is the best Alex Gerlis book I’ve read so far.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good book dealing with D-Day and all the spies involved.
Review: I really like this book and the author has a way of writing that made me feel like I was there. Every night when I go to bed, I read and that is about the only time I have to do this. So, it was like I couldn't wait to get to bed the following night so I could continue on with this story. The story involves British intelligence services using spies and counter spies to fool the Nazi war machine where the invasion of France will take place. The deception that was used is the basis for this story and it was well thought out, although the final outcome was achieved, it took a toll on the intelligence operatives used. Anyone that likes spy novels will surely love this book as much as I did.

Reviewer: nonplussed
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: For Spy Enthusiasts Who Have Known Love
Review: I have just finished "The Best of Our Spies", one of the best fictional novels I have read in the last decade. I have often said that how one feels during and after a book is a critical factor in its enjoyment....leave it to others to skeleton the plot and reveal critical events meant to be discovered by the reader. My five-star reviews are often described as "page-turners" or "can't-put-down" stories. But now I've discovered another feeling, that is the after-glow one has from a great read....like a great meal, movie or romance. Alex Gerlis is no sentimentalist; he carves his characters sharply and distinctly and with a clear human touch. He has taken the outlines of true events and filled them with very human characters who flesh out and elevate his story to a level of greatness. This story includes all the emotions we all recognize in our lives: love, hate, pain,anger, loss and emptiness. This book left me with an unmistakable sense of bitter-sweet...sadness coupled with a vague completeness. For those who like spy novels, there are plenty of unexpected convolutions, yet the author reveals these always in a very human context. Here is a book you must read! (It would made an unforgettable movie.)

Reviewer: PamC
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This was an immensely enjoyable and well written book.The Author created such realistic and compelling images of life during WW2.the plot was detailed but not overly so , making it easy to follow and remember characters and names without having to constantly refer back .Loved the book. Will now be reading the other book in the series.

Reviewer: Kieran Cullen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Well this was a very absorbing read.Another slant on the deception that helped pave the way for the success of the Normandy Landings.Lots of historically accurate detail and a nod to the bravery of individuals standing up to the murderous Nazi war machine.

Reviewer: Nick Ransdale
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The Best of Our Spies may well be the best of the series. Once again Gerlis weaves fiction into the fabric of WW2 history with great skill. This story does rather morph into a romantic novel, and for once one can guess the outcome to an extent. But this doesn't detract from the brilliance of the plot and the narrative. Wonderful work, thoroughly recommended.

Reviewer: Antonino Clementi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ottimo libro storico per chi ama, come me, quel periodo che ha visto la nascita di tanti eroi quotidiani i quali hanno contribuito a cambiare la nostra vita.

Reviewer: Cliente Amazon james.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Brilliant, really enjoyed it, what a read very well written and researched.can't wait to read another book in this series.