This is the second book I’ve read by Deborah Swift and I enjoyed it just as much. The research is impeccable, the viewpoint of war-time Britain is very descriptive and whilst I always enjoy historical fiction, I really enjoyed learning more about The Shadow Network and it’s pivotal role in the war. The characters in this story were full of life and intriguing and I did feel like I needed to keep reading to know what was going to happen! Whilst this is the second book in Deborah Swift’s WWII series, this certainly could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to @hqstories for letting me read this ahead of its publish date.

A wonderful plotted book and wartime drama that has you enthralled from the beginning.Iwould thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in a good book to read, many thanks.

I really enjoyed this historically-based novel and learnt some new things, such as the internment of ethnic Germans in World War Two - even if some of them were fleeing persecution in Nazi Germany - and the collaboration between Germany and the IRA. A gripping story and very readable!

I really enjoyed reading this, it was a different take on war drama/romance. It was slow and subtle but quite heart warming to read. There was a good range of characters and they were believable.
Really good relaxing read, I loved it.

As with The Silk Code by the same author I also really enjoyed this. I am loving reading historical novels at the moment especially this era. Really interesting reading how German refugees were treated in England as I didn't realise this was the case. Can't wait for the next book!

This is the second book in the WW2 secret agent series. Lilli Bergen is a half Jewish German woman living in Berlin with her widowed German father. During the terrible events on the ‘Night of broken glass’ Lillie’s father is captured and sent to a camp. She fears she may never see him again. Lilli herself manages to escape and flees to London to stay with a friend. She soon settles in and finds a job she loves as a night club singer. To her horror one evening she is rounded up along with other Jewish refugees and transported to the Isle of Man and confined as a prisoner. Lilli attracts the attention of the Political Warfare Executive who have a secret radio station broadcasting propaganda to German soldiers and sailors. They need a talented singer and Lilli fits the bill. She is only too happy to show her allegiance to the British and quickly becomes part of the team. One of the team is Neil Callaghan who we were first introduced to in The Silk Code. His sister Nancy being the main character. Lilli is now enjoying her life until one day a new member joins the team. He is Bren Murphy an ex boyfriend of hers in Berlin. Lilli was sure he had betrayed her father leading to his arrest. He’s now using another name alerting Lillie’s suspicions as to his intentions although he appears to be helping the Allies. She needs to be sure of his allegiances before confiding in her colleagues. And so, the intrigue develops into a riveting tale of romance, war, drama and suspense. I must say I found myself holding my breath more than once. The author has meticulously researched history for both The Silk Code and The Shadow Network both of which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Although a series they work excellently as stand alone reads. I look forward to number 3! My thanks to HQ, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Lilli Bergen's life is turned upside down when her Father is captured by the Nazi's.

His crime?

Having been married to Lill's Mother, who was a Jew. Lilli herself being half Jewish is told to flee and hide by her Father before he is captured.

She doesn't want to leave him, but eventually see common sense, and flees to a neighbouring apartment. She soon learns that it was her Irish ex-boyfriend who has betrayed the family, and see vows to steer well clear of him.

Lilli soon finds herself in England, working as a singer in nightclub, before she is made to flee again, this time to the Isle of Man. It is here that she is recruited (for her voice) by the Political War Executive as part of a secretive mission to foil the Nazi's.

Lilli may be German, but she has no loyalty to the country or political party that cost her her Father. She wants to help in anyway that she can. If that means she has to pose as a singer for a fictional radio station, then so be it.

Lilli's new world is shattered when a new 'recruit' appears at the station. Her ex-boyfriend, Bren.

She doesn't understand what he is doing there, as she is certain that he would never betray the Nazi's, as he holds so many of their views himself. She pretends not to know who he is, so she can find out what he is doing, and who for.

She doesn't realise until it is too late that she has put herself in grave danger.

Can she save herself, and those around her before it's too late?

The Shadow Network is another brilliant WW2 novel from Deborah Swift, and I can't wait for the next.

This follows on from her first Book `The Silk Code' this one brings to life the Radio Aspidistra campaign which used a Sussex-based, high-powered, mainly underground transmitter (nicknamed Aspidistra after a popular song by Gracie Fields) to send out ‘fake news’ radio station broadcasts to unsuspecting Germans. It's as gripping as the first book & brings lots of un-taught history from WW11 to life as our Hero's & Heroine battle the Bad people . It keeps you gripped from start to finish #NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram,# Amazon.co.uk, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

In this excellent historical fiction novel, Deborah Swift draws readers’ attention to the world of black propaganda and the treatment of German refugees by the British government during World War II. Following protagonist Lilli Bergen, daughter of a radio engineer and half-Jewish, readers explore life in British detention camps for German refugees in the first years of the war and the subjectivity of their usefulness and threat to the British war effort. Lilli, a singer with a knack for engineering, becomes a part of one of the German black propaganda broadcasts, singing over radio broadcasts to German to send misleading information and propaganda to German civilians. However, Lilli runs into Bren Murphy, her Irish ex-boyfriend whom she thinks denounced her father to the Nazis, at the Political Warfare Executive under a new name -- and something doesn’t feel right about him being here. Swift’s characters are fascinatingly lifelike and incredibly complex, and readers are sure to enjoy Lilli’s experiences with the PWE and the world of radio in the war effort. The locations, while critical, serve as a fantastic background to this dynamic, enigmatic, and morally questionable cast of character. Swift has brought the uncertainty and tension of the black propaganda war effort to the front of this novel in a way that readers are sure to enjoy.

Excellent story. Engaging throughout with some great characters.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Second in the series but I read it as a standalone book and really enjoyed it.

What a great book this was to read. Great characters you got into from the start and a storyline that really leaves you hooked that you want to read on and finish the book! All the signs of a great book for me and I highly recommend this one!

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion

This is the second in a series but it’s possible to read it as a stand-alone book and enjoy it.

It is well researched and well written and delves into the lives of ‘alien’ interns and spying in WW2 .

I found it slow to start but once I got into it it was a joy to read ( in the way that any book about war could be perceived as a joy)

I enjoyed this World War Two offering and found it very well written with developed characters. However, I did struggle to get into the story and think I was a good way into the novel before I felt truly invested in the narrative.

The story opens with the terrible Night of Glass in Berlin where Lilli Bergen is separated from her father, knowing that the chances of seeing him again are incredibly small. She is traumatised by the thought of her father’s fate, encouraging her to flee Germany and move to London. Despite being a working refugee, she is arrested late at night, considered an “alien” to the country and sent to the settlement camps on the Isle of Man. Miserable and alone, events turn to Lilli’s favour as she is given an opportunity to use her background to transmit propaganda and fake news to the enemy.

Shifting the story to Woburn, this is near to the famous Bletchley Park, although it is never referenced in the story. Lilli works on a team of POWs and engineers, broadcasting fake radio programs and interviews that the Germans will pick up on, hoping to reduce moral and trust in Hitler. It’s the long game with little evidence of their broadcasts having an impact, but it makes Lilli feel she is doing something for the war effort… and hopes her father might be out there, somewhere, hearing her voice.

When a figure from her past joins the radio team, this is when I thought the story became more interested. I was fascinated by Bren’s actions and how he would fit in with Lilli’s team, as well as his constant conflict with Neil. Bren’s behaviours had my heart in my mouth and I wanted him to be discovered for his true intentions. But, as true to history, it takes a lot of investigating before any concrete evidence confirms fears about Bren’s true intentions.

I liked this spy element and found I was learning about other ways that the war effort worked to try and salvage German operations. I could understand character frustrations because they do not see how much of an impact their work is having, coupled with having to work alongside the enemy because of the prisoners’ language skills. It was a tough time but Lilli, for the most part, remains positive and determined. This made her more likable as a character. Furthermore, the fact that this is a story about Germans on British soil made the narrative more refreshing, as most stories have been about surviving in occupied France.

Although this is part of a series, I certainly did not notice. This was a relief, as this is the first book I have read by this author! I enjoyed learning about another element of history, despite this being fiction, and thought it was evident that Swift has researched this period in depth. I liked seeing Lilli survive from being uprooted from her German home to becoming respected in England, showing grit and determination along the way.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow Network is the second book of The Secret Agents series. We are introduced to Lilli a refugee, Jewish from Berlin who managed to escape after her father was taken. All Lilli wants to do is her part to help the Allies win so she can see her father again. Incarcerated on the Isle Of Man by the English for being German until she has her chance working on the radio. It was an interesting read to learn about the campaign to sabotage the German forces. The book is filled with suspense and a slow building love story, jealousy and bravery. I have often read historical WW2 novels that involve Allies secret agents, to read and learn of an enemy agent was also interesting. A little slow to start and the ending felt unfinished. It can be read as a standalone. Lilli is a young strong independent woman the male characters that surround her complement her character.
I would like to thank HQ, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheShadowNetwork #NetGalley.

The Shadow Network was a fun way to learn about what might have happened in WW2. There was enough truth within the story that I knew I would be digging deeper into the Shadow Network. I use historical fiction books to guide me in researching and this story is my new best friend.

I use historical fiction to picture what it might have been like for my relatives in England during WW2. I use historical fiction to learn of some of the struggles. Stories like this one humanize the War.

The Shadow Network is full of action and suspense. The story centers around a radio station that sends false information to Germany. Total brilliance. They used German POWs and enemy aliens to broadcast and entertain.

When a spy works his way into the Shadow Network things get very interesting. There is a man he was supposed to kill. There is a woman he has a past with. He is an IRA member answering the Nazi sympathizers. The question is will he get caught and how?

So many twists. So much unexpected. So many Oh Wow moments. All of this made for a very interesting read.

A gripping tale of wartime subterfuge, spies, saboteurs and black propaganda, The Shadow Network certainly does not disappoint!
Well-written, rounded characters tell the story of British propaganda during WW2 detailing the use of subterfuge German radio stations purportedly reporting from Occupied France, but actually run by the British Political Warfare Executive. This story shines a light on a little known part of our WW2 history and the author's detailed research really shines through in the writing.
I loved the way in which the characters come to life, their frailties, hopes and dreams all bringing depth and believability to their story. And this is a story both fascinating and thrilling, detailing just some of the hidden antics which actually took place during this time period. I found myself willing them to take action and win through! A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read especially for anyone interested in this time period. I especially enjoyed the author's notes at the end of the book detailing the real historic facts.

Brilliant! Loved this novel about the input made by the Political Warfare Executive to WW2. The characters seemed so real and true. I almost felt as if I was amongst the Allies as they were broadcasting across the airwaves, both with song and false news and propaganda. Deborah Swift so obviously thoroughly researched her subject which is based upon both the PWE and SOE activities. An extremely interesting part of our history which is has lain dormant under the Official Secrets Act until now.

Exciting, absorbing and a great page turner of commitment, dedication, treason and love.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HQ Digital for this advance copy.

A great WW2 thriller from the author. Lilli is a very likeable character and the story is good. Recommended read if you like a bit of spying and a good thrilling story with great characters and a baddy.

A sequel to ‘The Silk Code’ this novel would also stand alone. Lilli is a half Jewish German girl who flees Germany for England after Kristallnacht when her father is arrested. Interned as an enemy alien she is found to be a singer at the very time the propaganda dept are looking for native Germans to record radio broadcasts to send to Germany giving false propaganda. She is getting on well when the person who was responsible for her father’s arrest turns up as a new recruit. Convinced that something is going on when he gives a different name to the one she knows him by Lilli starts to dig into his motives. A great story and one that kept me reading long past bed time in order to finish. Thanks to netgalley and HQ for the opportunity to read in exchange for this personal review.

A fine follow-up to The Silk code.

"The Shadow Network" opens in pre-war Germany, where Hitler's Nazi party has begun its purge of undesirables. Lilliana Bergen, a half-Jewish college student, is forced to flee the country after her father is taken by the Brownshirts. She arrives in England but after a short interlude there, is interred at a camp on the Isle of Man. Soon fate steps in when it is discovered she can sing, and she is recruited to work for a particular radio network which broadcasts false information and propaganda to the Germans troops.

The story then beings to pick up pace, as Lilli finds her place in the team, and is soon working hard to undermine the Nazi war effort. Complications with her feelings for a colleague, her desire to use her skills as a radio expert to further the work, and her discovery of a possible Nazi conspiracy all add up to a racy tale.

The book reads very much like to previous one - characters are sufficiently fleshed out, the era is expertly drawn, and the research is impeccable. The mood of Britain and how many people viewed the German refugees is harrowing, plus the Political Warfare Executive and the work they carried out are all real. Some of the characters in the book actually worked there. Both topics are starkly hard-hitting in current times.

There are several sub-plots woven into the story which work well to explain the motives and exploits of various factions at play during WW2, both in Europe and Britain. Lili has some hard choices to make as she picks apart the mystery she has uncovered.

This is Deborah Swift's second book in her WW2 spy series, but can be read on its own. Heartily recommended for fans of espionage, wartime thriller and spy books.