Frederick Hazlitt Brennan (1901–1962)

What could be cooler than a WWII espionage novel written during World War Two when the outcome of the war, or at least the specific form the endgame would take, was still in doubt? Especially if the novel is fast-paced and the dialogue snappy?

Stephen McGibbs is a foreign correspondent in Europe during the rising tide of Nazism. Working in France during the German invasion, he is fired and therefore stripped of his protective press credentials for too fervently calling for American involvement in the war before it's too late. His bacon is saved only by the anti-Fascist underground, who smuggle him into "neutral" Portugal. There he becomes a semi-willing but not quite trusted member of this organization.

And that's where we're at as the story opens. It is a story of counter-intrigue against Nazi machinations in Lisbon, very enjoyably told.

I mean, how can you not love a spy thriller in which the would-be femme fatale tells the protagonist, "You're an irreligious and immoral man. Why won't you behave like one?"

I guess you could call this an espionage-noir. It's a period piece, certainly, but what a fascinating period!… (meer)