Prince of Spies

The Richard Prince Thrillers, Book 1

By: Alex Gerlis

Narrated by: Rupert Bush

Find the truth; risk everything. A gripping WWII spy novel full of intrigue and peril from a modern master.

1942: a German spy comes ashore on a desolate stretch of Lincolnshire beach. But he is hunted down by a young detective, Richard Prince. The secret services have need of a man like him....

In occupied Europe, Denmark is a hotbed of problems for British intelligence. Rumours of a war-ending weapon being developed by the Germans are rife. Sent to Copenhagen, Prince is soon caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Dodging Gestapo agents, SS muscle and the danger of betrayal, his survival - and the war effort - hangs in the balance.

Gripping and intense, Prince of Spies is the first in a new espionage series that will delight fans of Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and John le Carré.

©2020 Alex Gerlis (P)2021 W F Howes

Good spy story

I’ve listened to several of this author’s books and they’ve all been excellent. The previous series, The Best of our Spies, and now with the Prince series.

The plots are original, complex and interesting. Plus the narration has been top flight.

The one quibble I have with this book, which other commenters have mentioned, is the ending - or lack of one. Think of the Perils of Pauline where an episode ends with the heroine hanging from a cliff by her fingernails. So just be aware of that.

Samples at end of book

EXTREME DISLIKE OF SAMPLES AT END OF BOOK THAT I HAVE FOUND NO WAY TO STOP!!!

Most story ok to excellent, but plot simply does not end at end of book

If you are prepared to see this as part 1 of 4 of a very thick book, then this is quite a nice story about a spy in WW2. The plot has mostly reliable twists and turns, albeit that some elements require the reader to be “somewhat helpful” to stay in the storyline. Some elements, meant as cliffhangers, unexpectedly turned out to be”hang on” at the end, basically making this an unfinished book.
I am interested enough to continue, in fact, but the reader should know this, as effectively you’re starting a 2000-page book covered in 4 volumes.
Two things that truly stood out are the excellent performance of the reader and the tension that the author knows to “pass on” to the reader. Most historic elements from WW2 and spy life in there are accurate and believable, and the main character displays sufficient complexity to be interesting, although there are, for those aware where to look, some obvious unrealistic elements. But alas, that is inherent to almost all interesting fiction :-) -> performance 5 stars, story 4 stars.

great intrigued

loved the descriptive writing could sé the places as they were told withing even gave the sense of urgency the desperation of the characters apparel they were in.

Great WWII spy thriller!

Good plot line, interesting historical fiction. Some things a bit predictable, but overall well-written story.