The Blood of Others

Another in the Spoils of War series, Graham Hurley has written a well informed and detailed fictional account of the ill fated and disastrous allied mission to Dieppe seen through the eyes of protagonists from both sides of the war.

Exciting and full of excellently depicted characters this is a well crafted story that engrosses and entertains.

Graham Hurley is a master of his craft. This novel "The Blood of Others" continues the World War 2 theme. "The Spoils of War"series.
The story starts slowly which introduces us to characters similarly disconnected . Willi Schultz a Major with the Abwehr stationed in Paris and inspecting the Northern French defences. The other main character is George Hogan a Canadian newspaper reporter and war correspondent with the Daily Express and befriended by Lord Beaverbrook.
The story centres around an operation involving the Canadian army to storm a Northern French coastal town.
The planning is poorly conceived fronted by Louis Mountbatten who's enthusiasm for the operation seems to override any caution in the escapade. George Hogan's girlfriend Annie who works for Mountbatten and his Combined Ops warns George about the peril but he is placed in a very difficult position with the interests of the MI5 becoming involved.
Wonderful crafted novel ,I enjoyed every page. The horrors of war are laid bare here which we are now becoming only to familiar with .

Great read about the disastrous landings in Dieppe during the second world war.
Fictional account from both the Canadian side via a journalist and from the german side in the form of an Abwehr intelligence officer.
Highlights how personalities and the need to succeed sometimes have disastrous consequences.
Couldn't put it down and felt drawn in to the intrigue, the battle of intelligence agencies and the lives of the participants.
Reminded me of books by Robert Harris but based on true events.

A fictionalized account of the raid of Dieppe by Allied forces (mainly Canadian) in 1942 and its horrific outcome. Written from the viewpoint of two very different men, Schultz, a canny Abwehr officer and George Hogan, an idealistic Canadian reporter working for the Daily Express. The slow build-up to the raid did not prepare me for the sheer horror of the tragic disaster. Graham Hurley has written a competent war time thriller. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Graham Hurley has given us another very fine World War II novel, this time about the ill-fated Allied invasion at Dieppe, France in August 1942.

The novel features two main characters. The first, George Hogan, is a young Canadian journalist whose talents so impress publisher (and Churchill confidante) Lord Beaverbrook that he brings George to London to report on the war. There, he meets and falls in love with Annie Wrenne, who works for Lord Louis Mountbatten, close to the Royal Family and head of ultra-secret Combined Operations, responsible for planning and carrying out the attack on Dieppe.

The second is Wilhelm Schultz, a former member of the “Brown Shirts” and current intelligence officer with Germany’s Abwehr. Assigned to Paris, he carries on a steamy affair with Odile, a queen of Parisian high society, while at the same time plotting to trick the Allies into invading at Dieppe, seemingly ill-defended by the Germans, but actually almost impregnable.

Through their eyes, we see both the English and German preparations for the Dieppe operation. We’re given a good understanding as to why the English decided to invade and especially the egos and politics behind the decision. We’re taken into the battle itself, are given glimpses of its bloody futility, and learn both the reasons and who was responsible for the mission's failure. It’s a part of the war I knew little about and I came away from the novel believing that I’d learned a good amount. I'd recommend "The Blood of Others" to anyone interested in London, Paris, and/or battles in Europe during WWII.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Graham Hurley, and publisher Head of Zeus for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

Graham Hurley, author of The Blood of Others, really makes past events come to life. There are some deeply interesting characters in this part fact, part fiction blend which has at its heart Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid as it is sometimes called. A raid in which over half of a six thousand man strong contingent that landed on French soil were cut down. Apparently it was to test the feasability of a landing, put a bit of stick about and garner some sort of understanding of the strength and position of German gun emplacements. I must say, reading between the lines in Hurley's account, it was to show the Russians that we have skin in the game. As for gathering intelligence, surely with Dieppe being popular with artists and Brits before the war, it would have been better to have tried to secure some intelligence of our own before the carnage? Which leads me back to my earlier suspicion and would it have happened at all, if not for the Canadian sacrifice? It's a novel full of intrigue and shows the pecking order is the same now, as it was then.

Graham Hurley’s latest thriller, “The Blood of Others,” is a gripping and suspenseful novel set in Northern France during World War II. The novel is part of the “Spoils of War” collection and is a thrilling blend of fact and fiction. The story follows ordinary people who are caught up in the horrors of the war, and it explores the themes of courage, betrayal, and sacrifice.

The novel opens in the summer of 1942, as the Nazi occupation of France is tightening its grip. The novel is a blend of fact and fiction, and the author does an excellent job of creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere throughout the story. The book follows Abwehr intelligence officer Wilhelm Schultz as he baits a trap to lure thousands of Allied troops to their deaths in the Summer of 1942. George Hogan, a devout young Canadian journalist who is covering the war in Europe, becomes involved in the story as he tries to uncover the truth behind Schultz’s plan. But perhaps the most important character is Louis Mountbatten – a friend of Royalty, Churchill, and foreign dignitaries. Mountbatten uses Combined Ops to mount incursions into enemy territory. Some are successful but others are catastrophic. His ego drives him to more daring missions, and the book revolves around a mission to attack Dieppe and its environs. Everybody but Mountbatten foresees the forthcoming disaster. However, nobody is prepared to tell him about the mission.

Schultz’s mission is to fortify Dieppe to repel the Allied Forces, and Schultz backstory is interesting with rival Reich departments vying for prominence. Hogan on the other hand is an aspiring journalist favoured by Lord Beaverbrook. He covers the build-up to the Dieppe raid and is aware of the forthcoming disaster. Most of the landing forces are Canadian, and he is terrified by the outcome. The raid is unsuccessful and the body count is terrible. He tries to report the incident accurately but British propaganda relays it as relatively successful Shades of Putin??

The plot is engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The historical accuracy of the novel is also impressive, with the author providing a vivid and realistic portrayal of life during the war.

Hurley’s writing is taut and suspenseful, and he does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. The novel is full of memorable scenes, and the reader is left feeling both horrified and inspired by the story. However, the novel loses momentum after the Dieppe raid, and although the ends are tied up the novel ends with a whimper after such drama.

“The Blood of Others” is a powerful and moving novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It is a must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction or thrillers.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author Graham Hurley, and the publisher, Head of Zeus, for granting me wan electronic ARC in return for my honest opinions.

The book was gripping, full of the horrors of the war and left me pondering what could have been done different. Such a horrible war with so many senseless deaths. Let's pray nothing as grim as this will ever happen again.

Recommend.

I haven’t read anything by Graham Hurley but based on this fictional account of the raid on Dieppe during the Second World War, I’ll happily seek out other titles.

The story is based on fact and I found it interesting because the narrative examines events from both sides; the Germans and the Allied forces, predominantly Canadian. Mountbatten and his ego feature as a key part of this disastrous event and there’s real substance to each and every character. After a slowish start, it builds inexorably and the actual raid scenes leap off the page. The brutality and horror is well depicted and a sensitive subject is handled well. Excellent account really well told.

A stunning brilliant war novel detailing events around the Dieppe raid using a Canadian journalist with the Daily Express as the central character. Cleverly using real characters such as Mountbatten and Lord Beaverbrook in the narrative the story never flags as the tragedy draws near. Beautifully atmospheric it acts as a lesson in history as well as a thoroughly entertaining read. Marvellous.

'A penetrating, compelling, and skilfully vivid slice of historical fiction. Fascinating yet thrilling, stimulating yet shattering, this riveting read opens a path into the very nature of humankind

Another excellent book from Graham Hurley set in WWII it is based round a failed attack on Dieppe by Canadian Forces but planned by British Combined Ops.And excellent plot is written around two main characters one a German Abwher officer and the other a young Canadian reporter withe The Daily Express. The background of life in wartime Britain is cleverly evoked as is that of Paris. This is a story of love of war and of futility. All In All an Excellent read.