Your support helps us to tell the story
In my reporting on women's reproductive rights, I've witnessed the critical role that independent journalism plays in protecting freedoms and informing the public.
Your support allows us to keep these vital issues in the spotlight. Without your help, we wouldn't be able to fight for truth and justice.
Every contribution ensures that we can continue to report on the stories that impact lives
Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
This 1939 novel, a clear precursor of Fleming and Forsyth, is much more than a first-class thriller. As Robert Macfarlane's preface argues, it is a "stone-cold classic".
Our hero, a hunting toff, has almost assassinated the (unnamed) Hitler. After torture, his flight from the (unnamed) Gestapo takes him back to England, and deepest Dorset, mystically evoked.
His dry stoicism hides trauma. Nail-biting, boldly plotted, the pursuit reveals it. A mesmeric climax anticipates post-war existential fiction. By any standards: a masterpiece.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments