Ungentlemanly Warfare
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By Howard Linskey
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1 review
A soldier and a spy, an officer but not quite a gentleman… Captain Harry Walsh is SOE’s secret weapon.
Loathed by his own commanding officer, haunted by the death of his closest friend and trapped in a loveless marriage, Harry Walsh is close to burn out when he is ordered to assassinate the man behind the ME 163 Komet, Hitler’s miracle jet fighter. If Walsh fails, there is no prospect of allied victory in Europe. Harry Walsh is ruthless, unorthodox and ungentlemanly. He is about to wreak havoc. TweetReviews
I’d never heard of the British author, Howard Linskey. It was the title, and sub-title, of this book that caught my eye: ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare - A soldier and a spy... An officer but not quite a gentleman.’
Set in World War II, before the Allies invaded Normandy, it’s the story of a British secret agent called Harry Walsh. He’s tasked by the Special Operations Executive to go to France and kill the German scientist who’s developing the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet - a rocket powered fighter plane with a flying speed in excess of 600mph.
Harry isn’t quite the ‘right sort’. The son of a commercial traveller, he’s not considered officer material. But his senior officers have never been able to deny his fighting skills, bravery, or his ability to win against almost impossible odds. And of course, not being the ‘right sort’ he’s considered dispensable.
He sets off to France as the leader of one of the first ‘Jedburgh Teams’ - small groups of agents dropped behind enemy lines to link with the French Resistance and cause havoc for the Germans. Harry’s team comprises a Frenchman, an American, and a young English woman. They join forces with a group of resistance fighters led by Philippe Montueil.
If this sounds like a simple story, it isn’t. Harry’s Deputy Head of Section in SOE is a man called Price, who can’t stick Harry and will do anything he can to subvert the operation. There’s political infighting between SOE and MI6 which also impacts the planning and execution of the mission. And of course, the odds against it ever succeeding are huge. Against this backdrop the story that unfolds is extremely tense and exciting.
When I chose this book I didn’t know if I’d enjoy it. But the story hooks you in before you know what’s happening. Walsh is a terrific hero. Clever, brave, resourceful, and utterly ruthless. And I found him completely believable. The other characters aren’t, perhaps, so strongly drawn. But this doesn’t detract from anything because the story is so good, and so well told.
I loved Ungentlemanly Warfare. Having finished it I went straight to the Fantastic Fiction website to find out if there are any more Harry Walsh stories. Sadly, there aren’t and it doesn’t even look as if any are in the pipeline. Very disappointing. Linskey has, however, written a series about a gangster called David Blake, and a crime series featuring DC David Bradshaw. I might give these a try. As for Ungentlemanly Warfare I give it 5-Stars.
Review by: Cornish Eskimo
