Howard Linskey http://www.howardlinskey.co.uk/ is the author of more than a dozen novels. Ungentlemanly Warfare was published in 2020. This was the 103rd book I completed in 2022.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R.

It is 1943, and the war is definitely taking a turn against the Nazis. One of their Wunderwaffe or ‘wonder weapons’ is the rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet interceptor. It is nearly ready for production, but stability issues still plague it.

German scientist Professor Gaerte has been assigned to quickly correct the flaw. If the plane is made functional and put into production, the impact on Allied bombers will be dire. This could even endanger the Normandy invasion. Fortunately, British Intelligence has discovered Gaerte’s mission.

An SOE Jedburg team is sent into France to assassinate Gaerte and put Me 163 completion behind schedule. The British put one of their best men on the team, Captain Harry Walsh. He can be ruthless and unorthodox at times, but he completes his missions.

Once in France, the team meets with another SOE agent, Emma Stirling. She is experienced, having worked in France before. Her presence complicates things as she was once Walsh’s lover. Plans go awry when the Maquis group they are working with is raided by the Germans after being betrayed.

Will they be able to evade the Germans? Can their mission still be completed?

I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 228-page WWII-era thriller. The plot takes a few turns and is full of action and intrigue. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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Howard Linskey's Ungentlemanly Warfare was a fabulous read. I am going to this story five plus stars.

This book was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was fast paced. Thrilling. Exciting. Everything you look for in a book. A gripping war story for any fan

“Ungentlemanly War” by Howard Linskey was a delightful book and one that struck me as a precursor to some of the James Bond books. The main character, Harry Walsh, is a British “spy” turned into a jack-of-all-trades concerning infiltration behind German lines in France. He has a daring-do that leads people to follow him. It also creates some problems with those who are in the “right” circles of English gentlemen; Harry is definitely not. As such he is considered expendable and is often sent on what might be termed suicide missions. So far he has survived and proven himself up to the challenge.

The man storyline of this book is one that is way beyond all others and leads to lots of adventures, scrapes, loss of lives, and using others to accomplish his tasks. The book reveals a great deal about the German occupation of France and how the collaborators and the partisans see this and each other. Lots of clandestine work on all sides. The task of Harry and his team is to take out the scientist working on the German rocket plane before it actually flies and creates havoc among the Allied airplanes. It is necessary to do this before the Invasion.

Ups and down and ins and outs, double agents and death follow the story as it probably did in real lie. The book’s ending does tell some of the “facts” behind this fictional story. All in all it was an easy read that kept the reader’s attention. Throw in a bit of a love story, dedication, and danger on every corner and this adventure plays out in a very enjoyable read. Definitely is recommended read.

This war was not a time for a gentle - man. It was kill or be killed. Good over evil. When the battle was over each man had to live with the choices he had to make. Thank you to these heroes is not enough

Exciting, well plotted, historically accurate and full of derring-do. This is a well written thriller that takes you to the heart of the SOE and its missions to devastate the Nazi war effort.

The hero, Harry Walsh is fighting on all fronts, against the Germans and his own hidebound senior officer.

I read this in one sitting and it grabbed me almost from the first page.

An excellent read.