Shortlisted for the CWA/Ian Fleming Award, The Interrogator is a masterful spy story set in the darkest days of the Second World War. The Enigma Code has been broken – but what if German High Command can read our naval signals, too? For all readers of John le Carre and Robert Harris – ‘Terrific… Robert Harris had better watch out’ Daily Mail.
Spring, 1941. The armies of the Reich are masters of Europe. Britain stands alone, dependent on her battered navy for survival, while Hitler’s submarines – his ‘grey wolves’ – prey on the Atlantic convoys that are the country’s only lifeline.
Lieutenant Douglas Lindsay is amongst just a handful of men picked up when his ship is torpedoed. Unable to free himself from the memories of that night at sea, he becomes an interrogator with naval intelligence, questioning captured U-Boat crews. He is convinced the Germans have broken British naval codes, but he’s a lone voice, a damaged outsider, and his superiors begin to wonder – can he really be trusted when so much is at stake?
As the Blitz reduces Britain’s cities to rubble and losses at sea mount, Lindsay becomes increasingly isolated and desperate. No one will believe him, not even his lover, Mary Henderson, who works at the very heart of the intelligence establishment. Lindsay decides to risk all in one last throw of the dice, setting a trap for his prize captive – and nemisis – U-Boat Commander Jürgen Mohr, the man who sent his ship to its doom.
Spring, 1941. The armies of the Reich are masters of Europe. Britain stands alone, dependent on her battered navy for survival, while Hitler’s submarines – his ‘grey wolves’ – prey on the Atlantic convoys that are the country’s only lifeline.
Lieutenant Douglas Lindsay is amongst just a handful of men picked up when his ship is torpedoed. Unable to free himself from the memories of that night at sea, he becomes an interrogator with naval intelligence, questioning captured U-Boat crews. He is convinced the Germans have broken British naval codes, but he’s a lone voice, a damaged outsider, and his superiors begin to wonder – can he really be trusted when so much is at stake?
As the Blitz reduces Britain’s cities to rubble and losses at sea mount, Lindsay becomes increasingly isolated and desperate. No one will believe him, not even his lover, Mary Henderson, who works at the very heart of the intelligence establishment. Lindsay decides to risk all in one last throw of the dice, setting a trap for his prize captive – and nemisis – U-Boat Commander Jürgen Mohr, the man who sent his ship to its doom.
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Reviews
The action in this story moves along at a good pace, and the dialogue and characters are believable
'An interesting slant on the war hero ... this is a first rate debut, highly recommended'
'Andrew Williams's debut novel The Interrogator has a flair, grasp of detail, and strong characterisation that reminds me uncannily of Robert Harris's best-seller Enigma, and there's no higher praise . . . This is a terrific first novel. Harris had better watch out'
'One of the most gripping books I have read for some time'
'The tensions within the intelligence community simmer excitingly ... his dialogue is energetic, and he is armed with a real passion for these events. Events are never absurd or melodramatic, and the characters are damaged, driven and fallible ... this is gripping stuff. Williams has put his knowledge to work, and any reader will emerge from this debut entertained and half-amazed at a terrific, mostly untold story'
'Andrew Williams' The Interrogator is an exciting, pacy Second World War novel with a clever twist...'
'Introduces tension by lingering on the rough justice meted out by German prisoners of war'
'This atmospheric first novel makes good use of different viewpoints ... maintaining the excitement and sense of mystery even though the reader knows how the story must end'
'Not only is this a gripping thriller ... but (it) is confidently researched and cheekily written enough to include a cameo role for that real life Naval Intelligence officer of the day, a certain Ian Fleming.'
'An excellent job...this 375-page hardback provides one of the best reads I have enjoyed for a long time. Worth every penny'
'An interesting slant on the war hero... this is a first-rate debut, highly recommended'
A 'ripping yarn'
'This is a terrific first novel with the best description I have ever read of the noise of the explosion that occurred when HMS Loyalty, on which I was serving, was torpedoed on 22nd August, 1944'
'A gripping thriller ... confidently researched and cheekily written'
'A gripping thriller ... confidently researched and cheekily written'
"Utterly convincing...atmospheric...He keeps this book involving, suspenseful and fascinating to the end, and it is a remarkable first novel" Review
"Utterly convincing...atmospheric...He keeps this book involving, suspenseful and fascinating to the end, and it is a remarkable first novel"
'An interesting slant on the war hero ... this is a first rate debut, highly recommended' -
'A gripping thriller ... confidently researched and cheekily written'
'This complex and well-written book offers a fascinating insight into a little-explored area of the conduct of war'
Pride of place for the best debut of the year goes to Andrew Williams for his World War II thriller......it evokes the war-time world of code-breaking and naval intelligenc ewith exceptional flair.... For a first novel, this is a stand out performance, and marks Williams out as a star of the future...'