Official Review: Dead Man Walking by Toby Oliver

[ananya92]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dead Man Walking" by Toby Oliver.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Dead Man Walking: A Spy Amongst Us by Toby Oliver is a book in the crime/political thriller genre. This is the author’s latest thriller featuring Superintendent Luke Garvan and Major Spencer Hall.

Set in the backdrop of the World War II, this story is based in the world of espionage and politics behind the coalition government headed by Churchill. No one took Lord Oakways and his concerns about his home being bugged seriously. Everyone blamed his paranoia on his alcoholic ways. However, his murder changed that. Not only was there now evidence to suggest that he might have been bugged after all, there was also some substantial evidence to suggest that he was in contact with a Soviet spy. Not just any Soviet spy but a spy operating at the heart of the British government, a spy code-named Toniolo. A parting of ways with the Soviet Union seems inevitable after the war. Therefore, this case calls for special attention. Hence, Superintendent Garvan, a former Scotland Yard detective and Major Hall, of the MI5, are called upon to solve the murder and uncover the spy. The task before them is not easy since cunning politicians and people in the service of the British government make up the list. Will they uncover the spy before it’s too late?

The plot of the story is very well thought out and the writing is superb. The author introduces the right amount of intrigue at the right places, spiced with frequent political scandals to make this war time thriller engaging. The book is written in third person and follows the story from the eyes of multiple characters. The author introduces several plot twists which raise the anticipation level of the reader and the climax doesn’t disappoint. There are several scenes in the book which create the atmosphere of a thriller set in the middle of the twentieth century: the double agents duping the German or conversely the Allied forces, the encrypted messages send through the transmitter, etc.

The characterization is pretty good. The readers are provided two solid protagonists in Garvan and Spencer. Garvan, being slightly more ideological of the two, is a bit disappointed with the politics between the MI5 and the MI6, but he is useful since he provides an objective and unbiased view for the investigation. Spencer, being the seasoned MI5 agent here, doesn’t fail to chastise Garvan and others when they mess up. What saddened me a little was the limited role sketched for female agents. However, the assumption made about their sphere of duties isn’t wholly incorrect and thus, there is some level of genuineness in his story.

The complex web of politics, manipulation, betrayal and the to top it all, the fact that no one is above suspicion, makes the book an exciting read. Readers who like political thrillers or spy novels based in the previous century should definitely give this one a try. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

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Dead Man Walking
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[debo9967]

The timeline seems so interesting. The story seems quite gripping. Nice review.

[ananya92]

Thanks

[Jesska6029]

This book seems like it has a lot of interesting aspects. Really great review!

[ananya92]

Thanks