The Occupation (Hardcover)

His first, The Traitor, was a work of fiction based around the true story of the formation of a British branch of the SS and his second novel, The Leader, went further into the 'what if' imagination as he describes life under an Oswald Mosley-led Fascist state in Britain.

This third one is based again on a true historical fact - the German occupation of the Channel Islands - and it uses this as the basis for a pacy, highly-credible work of fiction about an evil plan of the Nazis to use the islands to make one last assault on the mainland by building one of Hitler's 'secret weapons'.

Well researched and entirely believable, the story moves along at a cracking pace and gives an excellent insight into life during the occupation. In a welcome change from some such thrillers, not all the 'baddies' are bad (although some of them are very nasty!) and not all the 'goodies' (i.e. us, the Brits) are good either so you get plenty of deception, double dealing , political and personal infighting and intrigue and even a bit of German-British romance to keep the pot boiling.

This would have been a five star book for me but the book intersperses the modern day story of searching out the truth behind the story with the actual story itself and at times I got irritated to be taken from the absorbing scenario of the late 1940s to the year 2004 - although there is a very good reason why the author does this as becomes clear at the end.

So, a book I would thoroughly recommend for those, like me, who enjoy well-written, intelligent and unpredictable World War Two political thrillers.

Keep it up Guy.

That means that there is the usual mix of intrigue, heroic action, murder and betrayal in a story that rushes along at a fair pace. At times brutal and not afraid to upset the reader, the story is, as usual with Walters, one of heroism in the face of overwhelming odds and probable death. Set on the Channel Islands in the latter days of the War it revolves around an attempt by Nazi Germany to build a crude nuclear weapon with which to bombard London and the disparate group who fight the occupying forces in an attempt to prevent its completion. Like both The Traitor & The Leader it mixes recognised fact, suposition and fiction to create a compelling plot that keeps the reader hooked.

The only significant flaw with the book is Walter's decision to use the same framing device he employed for The Traitor; namely that of a contemporary individual uncovering the story that is retold in the rest of the book. Unlike with the Traitor however, he expands this section to include a thriller plot that brings some much delayed justice for those who suffered back in the 1940's. Unfortunately the framing device is not only unecessary but it draws attention away from the far more interesting central story and is both implausible and not very well handled. It feels rushed, contains too many plot holes and adds nothing to the book.

Fortunately it is not enough to ruin an otherwise excellent novel. I look forward to Walters' next one, although with the hope that one day he finally decides to give his readers an unambiguous and truly satisfying happy ending.