Raid 42 (4) (Spoils of War)

Hurley is an outstanding writer at the top of his game. He makes WW II history come alive with authentic characters, rampant duplicity, and atmospheric depictions of wartime Berlin, London and Lisbon.

Author’s fourth book in his impressive Wars Within series is set in the spring of 1941 after Nazi Germany has conquered most of Europe while in a non-aggression pact with Soviet Russia. The Luftwaffe is bombing London but Hitler knows that it has failed to gain air superiority over the British Royal Air Force, hence ruling out an invasion of Britain. In a brave but reckless feat, Rudoff Hess flies to Scotland to meet with members of the English establishment who are thought to support entering into a peace pact with Germany which would lead to the ouster of Churchill as Prime Minister. Hess’s plane runs out of fuel and he is forced to land by parachute in the Scottish countryside.

Raid 42 is the code name that the British Secret Service assigns to Hess after he has been arrested and incarcerated. Both the German and British governments officially claim that Hess is “mad”. But he steadfastly maintains that his purpose in coming to Britain was to present the proposed terms of a peace treaty to the King and certain members of the British elite. This fact is suppressed by MI5 and Churchill. Kim Philby, then with MI6, also was involved in undercutting Hess’s mission.

Raid 42 highlights Hess’s mission, the rivalry between Britain’s MI5 and MI6, the role played by some of the senior members of the Nazi hierarchy, and the exploits of two of Germany’s ace fighter pilots. As is the case with all of the author’s novels, the relationships between the key characters are treated masterfully.

The fifth novel in Hurley’s Wars Within series, Blood of the Wolf, is scheduled for publication in June of 2020.