Traitor’s Game (Soldier Spy, Book #1)
By Rosemary Hayes
September 2024 / 134 pages
@HayesRosemary @cathiedunn @thecoffeepotbookclub
#HistoricalFiction #Spies #NapoleonicWars #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub
‘Right from page one you know you are in the hands of a talented storyteller… An exciting tale of espionage and adventure in the classic mould.’
~ R.N. Morris, author of The Gentle Axe
1808.
Captain Will Fraser has just returned from the Front in the Peninsular War. He is disgraced and penniless, the victim of a conspiracy led by a jealous and influential officer. Fraser has been falsely accused of insubordination and cowardice and dismissed from his regiment.
Fraser and Duncan Armstrong, his wounded Sergeant, arrive in London to seek out Will’s brother, Jack, who works for King George’s Government.
But Jack has disappeared. He vanished from his lodgings a week ago and no one has seen him since. Friends and colleagues are baffled by his disappearance as is the young woman, Clara, who claims to be his wife.
Then Will is viciously attacked, seemingly mistaken for his brother, and only just escapes with his life. When news of this reaches Jack’s colleagues in Government, Will is recruited to find his brother and he and Armstrong set out to follow a trail littered with half-truths and misinformation.
For their task is not quite what it seems.
Will closely resembles his brother and it becomes evident that he is being used as a decoy to flush out Jack’s enemies. These are enemies of the State, for Jack Fraser is a spy and his colleagues believe he has uncovered evidence which will lead to the identity of a French spymaster embedded in the British Government.
Will’s search leads him to France but in this murky world of espionage, nothing is straightforward.
The soldier turned spy must unmask a traitor, before it’s too late.
My Review
Another great story from Rosemary Hayes. I recently finished her previous book, “The Kings Command”, a story of a Huguenot family escaping persecution in France and finding refuge in England. I thoroughly enjoyed that and was looking forward to “Traitor’s Game”. I wasn’t disappointed.
A penniless Will Fraser arrives back in London after a dishonourable discharge seeking his brother, Jack, who has disappeared. The main plot concerns the search for his brother, and it turns out Will is not the only one trying to find Jack.
The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked the injured Sergeant Armstrong as Will’s sidekick. The mysterious James Montagu appears to be well-heeled and knowledgeable about Jack’s work for the government. But can Will trust him?
Hayes has clearly done a lot of research and it pays off. The settings in London, especially Seven Dials and the theatres in Drury Lane are vivid and compelling. The descriptions of the early stages of state espionage are convincing and Hayes’ historical note about the Alien Office as the forerunner of S.O.E., MI5 and MI6 is fascinating.
Overall, this was a very satisfying read. It’s quite short and I finished it in one sitting. It left me wanting to read the sequel and I hope that’s published soon.
5 Stars and Highly Recommended
Author Bio:
Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.
Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.
Rosemary has now turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by a French Huguenot family during the reign of Louis XIV.
And Traitor’s Game, the first book in the Soldier Spy trilogy, set during the Napoleonic Wars, has recently been published.
Author Links:
Website: www.rosemaryhayes.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HayesRosemary
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosemary-Hayes/e/B00NAPAPZC
Thank you so much for hosting Rosemary Hayes today, and for sharing your wonderful review of Traitor’s Game.
Take care,
Cathie x
The Coffee Pot Book Club