Any novel set in the Second World War presents the writer with a seemingly unending list of books to read, but it is worth mentioning the most useful ones here. On the Venlo Incident there are accounts by Sigismund Payne Best (The Venlo Incident) and Walter Schellenberg (The Schellenberg Memoirs). Both were spies, and hence professional liars, and both had reputations to protect. The two sources conflict, and while trying to reconcile them I realized that it was possible not only that one was right and one was wrong, but that they could both be incorrect. This was an important lesson for all sources on this subject. Dieter von Hertenberg’s diary entries are based on General Guderian’s account of the Blitzkrieg in Panzer Leader. The patrons of the Russian Tea Rooms and other dodgy pro-Nazis are described in Patriotism Perverted by Richard Griffiths. The intricacies of French and German war plans are untangled in Ernest May’s Strange Victory. The precarious position of the British government in May 1940 is the subject of John Lukacs’s book Five Days in London, and is thoroughly addressed in Andrew Roberts’s biography of Lord Halifax, The Holy Fox. Philip Ziegler’s King Edward VIII provides a sober antidote to Martin Allen’s Hidden Agenda, and Sol Bloomenkranz’s e-book Charles Bedaux – Deciphering an Enigma comes close to doing just that.
I have tried to tamper with historical events as little as possible, but in the interests of novelistic clarity, I have made some minor manipulation to dates. For example General Guderian was given the order to take up a new command on 29 May 1940, not 28 May, and the duke fled Paris for Biarritz a little later than 22 May. Also I have simplified the tangle of security organizations which reported to Heydrich – the Sicherheitsdienst, the RHSA and so on – to ‘the Gestapo’.
Finally I would like to thank a number of people for their help: Robin Reames, Hilma Roest, Lisa van de Bunt, Theo Kes, Kate Howles, Sander Verheijen, Richenda Todd, my agent Oli Munson, and Nic Cheetham and his colleagues at Head of Zeus. I also need to thank my wife and children for putting up with a husband and father who has spent much of the last couple of years hiding from the twenty-first century in his own little phoney war in Holland and France seventy-five years ago.
About Shadows of War
October, 1939: War has been declared, but until the armies massed on either side of the French/German border engage, all is quiet on the Western Front.
But just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean that it’s not deadly.
There are those who believe the war no one wants to fight should be brought to a swift conclusion, even if it means treachery.
A year ago, Conrad de Lancey came within seconds of assassinating Hitler. Now the British Secret Service want him to go back into Europe and make contact with a group of German officers they believe are plotting a coup.
But this is the Shadow War. And the shadows are multiplying. And it’s not only disaffected Germans who are prepared to betray their country to save it...
Reviews
‘Brilliant... the writing is typical top-calibre Ridpath, the pace relentless, the research impeccable, the characters compelling and beautifully crafted. Every page is a gem.’
Craig Russell
‘Ridpath has the read-on factor that sets bestsellers apart.’
Guardian
‘It takes rare skill to inject so much suspense into a story with an outcome we thought we knew, but Ridpath’s mix of wonderfully skilled plotting, fast paced narrative and atmospheric period detail combine to make this a compelling and hugely satisfying read.’
Chris Ewan
‘Taut, strongly plotted… Ridpath provides a rush of blood to the head and stings your page-turning fingertips.’
Independent
‘A fascinating story, compellingly told.’
Simon Brett
‘Ridpath’s thrillers are remarkable.’
Mail On Sunday
‘A Frederick Forsyth of our time.’
John Lawton
‘Michael Ridpath is on the war path... This is international thriller writing at its best. Page-turning suspense.’
Peter James
‘Ridpath’s novel carries all the hallmarks of his previous books, with the tension building ever-tighter.’
Daily Mail
‘A page-turning stylist of genuine skill and élan.’
Barry Forshaw
‘Riveting reading.’
The Times
‘Excellent.’
New York Times
‘Wonderful.’
Washington Post
About Michael Ridpath
MICHAEL RIDPATH spent eight years as a bond trader in the City before giving up his job to write full-time. He lives in north London with his wife and three children. Visit his website at www.michaelridpath.com.
About this Series
1 – Traitor’s Gate
On the eve of World War Two, a secret conflict is ignited that could end it all before it has begun.
In Berlin, 1938, Himmler’s black-shirted troops march in the streets, the Swastika flies from every building, but not every heart belongs to Hitler.
A few brave men are determined to stop the march towards a war they know they cannot win.
They are united by a single ambition: to free the fatherland from the Führer.
Traitor’s Gate is available here.
2 – Shadows of War
October, 1939: War has been declared, but until the armies massed on either side of the French/German border engage, all is quiet on the Western Front.
But just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean that it’s not deadly.
There are those who believe the war no one wants to fight should be brought to a swift conclusion, even if it means treachery.
A year ago, Conrad de Lancey came within seconds of assassinating Hitler. Now the British Secret Service want him to go back into Europe and make contact with a group of German officers they believe are plotting a coup.
But this is the Shadow War. And the shadows are multiplying. And it’s not only disaffected Germans who are prepared to betray their country to save it...
Also by Michael Ridpath
FINANCIAL THRILLERS
Free to Trade
Trading Reality
The Marketmaker
Final Venture
The Predator
Fatal Error
ALEX CALDER
On the Edge
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FIRE & ICE
Where The Shadows Lie
66° North
Edge of Nowhere (ebook only)
Meltwater
A Letter from the Publisher
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HeadofZeusBooks
The story starts here.
First published in the UK in 2015 by Head of Zeus Ltd.
Copyright © Michael Ridpath, 2015
The moral right of Michael Ridpath to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Li
brary.
ISBN (E) 9781781853344
ISBN (HB) 9781781853313
ISBN (XTPB) 9781781853320
Head of Zeus Ltd
Clerkenwell House
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Contents
Cover
Welcome Page
Dedication
Epigraph
The Western Front: 1939–1940
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Part 2
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Part 3
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Part 4
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Epilogue
Author’s Note
About Shadows of War
Reviews
About Michael Ridpath
About this Series
Also by Michael Ridpath
An Invitation from the Publisher
Copyright