Review of Trust No One
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Goodness Richman
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Review of Trust No One
[Following is a volunteer review of "Trust No One" by Glenn Dyer.]
Trust No One is a historical fiction by Glenn Dyer. It opens in the tense political atmosphere of 1943 Algiers, when the Allies are suspected of assassinating the high-ranking French Admiral Darlan. The fallout is so serious that the Allied Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, says he'll resign his command if the Allies’ complicity is proven. This is very dangerous because his resignation would shatter their war efforts. To prevent this impending disaster, Conor Thorn, who is a disgraced OSS agent, and his wife, Emily Bright, who is a recently dismissed MI6 operative, are secretly recruited by Eisenhower's aide for the crucial mission of retrieving the conspirators' missing archive, which is said to contain the truth of the assassination, within a ten-day ultimatum.
As they set out, they discover that they're not the only ones in search of this archive. The son of an imprisoned businessman is also after the archive, as advised by his father, in a bid to use it to bargain with the Nazis for his mother's freedom. On the mission, they course from Algiers, across the Mediterranean, and into Lyon, a major center of the French Resistance. Their path is lined with betrayals from double agents and the constant threat of the Gestapo while they navigate the complex networks of the French Resistance, which have been dangerously infiltrated by traitors and double agents working for the Germans. The mission becomes personal when Conor learns his own sister, an agent on a secret assignment, was captured and killed in Lyon by the Gestapo. The couple must race against time to complete their mission, lest they fail, the archive falls into the wrong hands, and the Allied cause will become fractured.
I like many aspects of this book. One is how this fictional narrative was related to historical context. The narrative was very cohesive, and therefore, easy to follow. The characters are well developed. Each character has enough background development to make their roles in the narrative meaningful. An example is the main center of the narrative, which is the couple who had issues in their various professions: Conor is a disgraced OSS operative, and his wife, Emily, has just been dismissed from MI6. Along their mission, their drives deepen as Conor learns that his sister was murdered by the Gestapo in Lyon. Another highlight is the world-building. Though being a fictional narrative, the world-building closely mirrors the historical context. That is, from the tense political atmosphere of Algiers after Operation Torch to the divisions within occupied France, combined with the bureaucratic rivalry between Allied intelligence agencies (the OSS and SOE) and also between German forces (the Gestapo and the Abwehr), hence making the narrative very tense, realistic, and engaging.
I also appreciate the author's choice of words. The conversations flowed smoothly without much of a hitch, each character with their unique tone of conversation. The thematic element is another highlight. The themes of betrayals by double agents, not one, not two, made the whole narrative more realistic, as is what is obtainable in such war plot scenarios. Other themes like the moral ambiguity of missions in wartime and the personal cost of espionage add to the contemporary relevance of the narrative. I noticed only a few errors while reading this book, which shows that it was professionally edited. I don't dislike any aspect of this book.
For all the reasons I explained above, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy World War II espionage thrillers and also readers who enjoy well-researched historical fiction.
******
Trust No One
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Trust No One is a historical fiction by Glenn Dyer. It opens in the tense political atmosphere of 1943 Algiers, when the Allies are suspected of assassinating the high-ranking French Admiral Darlan. The fallout is so serious that the Allied Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, says he'll resign his command if the Allies’ complicity is proven. This is very dangerous because his resignation would shatter their war efforts. To prevent this impending disaster, Conor Thorn, who is a disgraced OSS agent, and his wife, Emily Bright, who is a recently dismissed MI6 operative, are secretly recruited by Eisenhower's aide for the crucial mission of retrieving the conspirators' missing archive, which is said to contain the truth of the assassination, within a ten-day ultimatum.
As they set out, they discover that they're not the only ones in search of this archive. The son of an imprisoned businessman is also after the archive, as advised by his father, in a bid to use it to bargain with the Nazis for his mother's freedom. On the mission, they course from Algiers, across the Mediterranean, and into Lyon, a major center of the French Resistance. Their path is lined with betrayals from double agents and the constant threat of the Gestapo while they navigate the complex networks of the French Resistance, which have been dangerously infiltrated by traitors and double agents working for the Germans. The mission becomes personal when Conor learns his own sister, an agent on a secret assignment, was captured and killed in Lyon by the Gestapo. The couple must race against time to complete their mission, lest they fail, the archive falls into the wrong hands, and the Allied cause will become fractured.
I like many aspects of this book. One is how this fictional narrative was related to historical context. The narrative was very cohesive, and therefore, easy to follow. The characters are well developed. Each character has enough background development to make their roles in the narrative meaningful. An example is the main center of the narrative, which is the couple who had issues in their various professions: Conor is a disgraced OSS operative, and his wife, Emily, has just been dismissed from MI6. Along their mission, their drives deepen as Conor learns that his sister was murdered by the Gestapo in Lyon. Another highlight is the world-building. Though being a fictional narrative, the world-building closely mirrors the historical context. That is, from the tense political atmosphere of Algiers after Operation Torch to the divisions within occupied France, combined with the bureaucratic rivalry between Allied intelligence agencies (the OSS and SOE) and also between German forces (the Gestapo and the Abwehr), hence making the narrative very tense, realistic, and engaging.
I also appreciate the author's choice of words. The conversations flowed smoothly without much of a hitch, each character with their unique tone of conversation. The thematic element is another highlight. The themes of betrayals by double agents, not one, not two, made the whole narrative more realistic, as is what is obtainable in such war plot scenarios. Other themes like the moral ambiguity of missions in wartime and the personal cost of espionage add to the contemporary relevance of the narrative. I noticed only a few errors while reading this book, which shows that it was professionally edited. I don't dislike any aspect of this book.
For all the reasons I explained above, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy World War II espionage thrillers and also readers who enjoy well-researched historical fiction.
******
Trust No One
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Queen's, Weird. by MK Baker
