Estocada

Description

'Historical fiction of a high order' The Times 1937. Flying for the infamous Condor Legion over the battlefields of Spain's civil war, Merz has been able to unleash the fearsome potential of the Luftwaffe's newest weapon against his opponents. In Dieter's hands, the Messerschmitt Bf-109 is as graceful as a matador's killing strike: la estocada. Scotsman and ex-marine Tam Moncrieff is recruited by a nameless intelligence agency in London to go to Germany and sound out Hitler's resolve. Does he really intend to invade Czechoslovakia? Do his generals support him? Can the march to war be stopped? As duty collides with conscience, fate will bring both men together. In a world wedded to violence and ambition, desperate steps must be taken. To avoid war a killing strike is needed. The question is, who is the matador, who is the bull? Estocada is part of the SPOILS OF WAR Collection, a thrilling, beguiling blend of fact and fiction born of some of the most tragic, suspenseful, and action-packed events of World War II. From the mind of highly acclaimed thriller author GRAHAM HURLEY, this blockbuster non-chronological collection allows the reader to explore Hurley's masterful storytelling in any order, with compelling recurring characters whose fragmented lives mirror the war that shattered the globe.

Graham Hurley is the author of the acclaimed Faraday and Winter crime novels and an award-winning TV documentary maker. Two of the critically lauded series have been shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Best Crime Novel. His thriller Finisterre, set in 1944, was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. grahamhurley.co.uk

Liked this. Went someway to plugging the ginormous hole that Philip Kerr's sad passing has left in my life -- Dermot O'Leary Graham Hurley is one of Britain's most under-appreciated thriller writers... [Estocada is] an engrossing read' * Crime Time * Beautifully constructed, the result is compelling and richly entertaining * Daily Mail * Hurley brings an almost noirlike sensibility to the surprising finale * Booklist * Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted, this thoughtful thriller weaves it all together * Sunday Times * Hurley weaves fact and fiction seamlessly together in another excellent work of suspense and intrigue * Soldier Magazine * With a strong plot, the author brings alive this period of intense political and social drama. The main characters are well-written, with the use of actual historical characters - Ribbentrop, Hitler, Churchill, etc., giving structure and support * Historical Novel Society *