Author: John Anthony Miller
Pub Date: 17-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars
All the King’s Soldiers is set in 1940 Lisbon shortly after the German invasion of France. There is a large network of spies, of multiple nationalities, in and around Lisbon, given that Portugal has decided to remain neutral.
The story opens with the murder of Taylor Hartridge, a British spy, in a small town just outside of Lisbon. It is thought he was killed for the contents of his safe. It is believed the safe contained the German invasion plans for Great Britain, a very valuable commodity and definitely one to kill for.
British Intelligence thinks the killer maybe the Chameleon, an elusive German spy, that can change his or her appearance like a set of clothes, hence the name. To further complicate the situation, it is suspected there is a double agent at work in the Lisbon Embassy, making it difficult to determine who can and cannot be trusted within the organization.
Simon Cole has been working for a short period of time as an analyst in the London Intelligence office. He is somewhat of a recluse, enjoying his historical research for his next book and collecting vintage stamps. Hardly the person to be involved in the world of espionage. Therefore, he is shocked when he is sent to Lisbon to discover who murdered Hartridge.
Once Simon arrives in Lisbon it becomes abundantly clear just how ill-equipped he is for this job. Nevertheless he slowly and methodically starts to piece together what happened. Meanwhile he is drawn to Maria, a beautiful and intriguing women, also working at the Embassy. Just one problem, Maria is one of the suspects in Hartridge’s murder. Maybe she is the Chameleon or the double agent. Simon needs to figure it out before he too pays the ultimate price.
Hats off to Mr. Miller for once again delivering a splendid spy novel, this one in a murder mystery wrapping. He skillfully weaves a complex tale of murder and depict. The clues are doled out perfectly and just when you think you have everything figured out something surprises you. I also really liked how all the lives of the various characters become intertwined and seemingly small things had great impact on others. A really great story. I am already looking forward to Miller’s next novel. I wonder if we will hear more about Simon.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.