Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Author Gianluca Barneschi published the book “An Englishman Abroad: SOE agent Dick Mallaby’s Italian missions, 1943–45” in 2019.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The story is set primarily in 1943-45 Italy.

The book tells the story of British SOE agent Dick Mallaby. While the book does give details of his early life and his post-war life, it focuses on his war service. He spoke fluent Italian and was familiar with their culture as he had grown up in Italy. He trained as a radio operator and served in North Africa while awaiting his mission. After a long wait and many false starts, he was flown to Italy.

Mallaby was the first British SOE sent into Italy. He parachuted in, landing in Lake Como. Unfortunately, he was almost immediately captured. The British were unaware that Italian Intelligence had compromised the group he was to meet. He underwent questioning and torture but was able to use his skills to survive. In fact, he became a key player in the armistice negations with Italy. He aided the escape of Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio and King Victor Emmanuel III to Allied lines.

Late in the war, he returned to northern Italy with the SOE. This time it was the Germans who captured him. He faced interrogation again but this time by the SS. Instead of the death sentence, he was expecting he found himself saved. This time he helped negotiate the surrender of 800,000 Germans at the close of WWII. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Military Cross.

While enjoyed the 6+ hours I spent reading this 260-page WWII history and biography. This is one of those true stories that is almost unbelievable. Mallaby went on two missions into Italy. He utterly failed in the missions of both. He was lucky, or perhaps skilled enough, to achieve success in other ways. He was the trained radio operator that needed for negations. He should have faced a firing squad twice. He ended up making significant contributions to the Allied cause. I had never heard of Mallaby before I read this book. For a history book, this was very readable. The cover art is a little plain but does reflect on the story. I give this novel a 4.3 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

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"Based on 20 years of research, Gianluca Barneschi has uncovered the true story of a real-life James Bond."

I found this to be one of those fascinating finds that you come across now and then that are a pleasure to read. This one is about Richard 'Dick' Mallaby, who was raised in Italy after being born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and tragically losing his mother the following year to complications during her second pregnancy.. His father then moved with him to Italy where he grew up until the outbreak of the war, when they both traveled to England where the younger Mallaby enlisted to fight with the Allies. He figured he could use his ability to speak Italian and a couple of other languages to best effect if he were perhaps used as a spy in Italy.

His suggestion wasn’t taken at first, and he was just doing normal things. But eventually they realized his value and began training him for a bigger role. He was put to work an agent for SOE (Special Operations Executive,) a secret organization whose existence was only officially acknowledged in the 1980s. They carried out a broad range of activities, like sabotage, terrorism, and support for clandestine movements, all prohibited by international conventions, wherever local circumstances would allow. Their life expectancy while on a mission was quantified in terms of weeks, rather than years partly because of the fact that according to international convention, execution was legitimized in event of capture in enemy territory without uniform.

He trained and was set up for a secret mission to be parachuted into Italy behind enemy lines by parachute during the night by plane, the first Briton to do so. He even had some gadgets with him that surprised me for the time. His first mission went all wrong when he landed and was caught right away, with no opportunity to ditch much of his gear. But later he managed to avoid being executed, and circumstances happen for him to be released and able to play a larger role than just a prisoner. He played a key part in securing Italy's unconditional surrender. Mallaby goes on to have another mission with similar astounding results.

I enjoyed this story very much and recommend it for those who like WWII stories, and stories about spying and WWII. It held my interest well. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Gianluca Barneschi, and the publisher.