No Enemy But Time: A Novel of the South [Hardcover]

William C. Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2002

With his bestselling novel, Delirium of the Brave, William C. Harris, Jr. created a buzz that started in Savannah and spread across the nation. No Enemy But Time brings back beloved characters from the book in a saga that intertwines espionage, murder, Catholicism, loyalty, and ultimately, the high cost of betrayal.

Spanning from World War II to the present, the story tells of an IRA soldier-turned-Nazi spy placed on Savannah's coast during the war. Years later, he becomes a powerful force in local society and politics and a father figure to a young politician. While out diving with friends one day, the young man comes across a downed submarine. Locked deep inside its hull is the key to generations of deceit-and a secret that could destroy both men's lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Harris won accolades for his first book, Delirium of the Bones, so it's good news that he is bringing back some of his characters. Central to this tale is an IRA soldier turned Nazi spy who is now prominent in Savannah society. But his past is about to catch up with him.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

IRA member Francis Collins, in exchange for guns and money, agrees to act as a spy in America for the Germans during World War II. After being subjected to rigorous training, which includes learning to kill with his bare hands, he is taken by submarine to the Georgia coast and told to make contact with a German operative. She instructs Francis to infiltrate a shipyard that the Germans have targeted for sabotage by explosives. When things start to go seriously wrong--a group of German spies is arrested by the FBI--Francis kills his German contact and decides to disappear entirely within his assumed American identity. Decades later, his past comes back to haunt him, and his appetite for killing remains undiminished. When he finds his rhythm, Harris proves himself a mesmerizing storyteller. He has a bad habit, though, of leaving his narrative high and dry while he steps up to the lectern to hector readers with technical information about submarines and shipyards. Despite these stumbles, he tells an engrossing tale. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312269803
• ISBN-13: 978-0312269807
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FIRST-RATE SETTING AND SUSPENSE, September 23, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Enemy But Time: A Novel of the South (Hardcover)

Reprising characters from his intriguing debut novel, "Delirium of the Brave," Georgia based writer William Harris adds another star to the pantheon of reader pleasing tales set in Savannah.

Savannah....just the name evokes mystery, intrigue, and long buried secrets. Readers will find all and more in "No Enemy But Time," a story spanning World War II years to the present. Imagine Savannah's coastal region: Driftwood Beach, Back River, Uncle Moses's Cabin, Sister Mystery's Cabin and what might have occurred if a spy had been stationed there during the war.

In this finely crafted narrative Francis Collins, a member of the IRA, agrees to spy for the Nazis. Following a rigorous training regime he is transported by submarine to the borders of Savannah with orders to contact a fellow German agent. Their goal? The destruction of a shipyard. When this plan is scuttled and arrests are made, Collins decides to immerse himself in his assumed American identity and disappear.

In later years he becomes a power in the local political and social scene, and a bulwark of support for a young politician.

As chance would have it one day the young politico is out driving when he discovers a downed submarine. The sub is not just a curiosity but the repository of dark puzzles from the past which, if brought to light, could destroy.

Harris is an author who knows his setting and his suspense. He weaves a satisfying Southern spell so surely that readers may wonder, "Is this fact or fiction?"

- Gail Cooke

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB SETTING AND SUSPENSE, September 23, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Enemy But Time: A Novel of the South (Hardcover)

Reprising characters from his intriguing debut novel, "Delirium of the Brave," Georgia based writer William Harris adds another star to the pantheon of reader pleasing tales set in Savannah.

Savannah....just the name evokes mystery, intrigue, and long buried secrets. Readers will find all and more in "No Enemy But Time," a story spanning World War II years to the present. Imagine Savannah's coastal region: Driftwood Beach, Back River, Uncle Moses's Cabin, Sister Mystery's Cabin and what might have occurred if a spy had been stationed there during the war.

In this finely crafted narrative Francis Collins, a member of the IRA, agrees to spy for the Nazis. Following a rigorous training regime he is transported by submarine to the borders of Savannah with orders to contact a fellow German agent. Their goal? The destruction of a shipyard. When this plan is scuttled and arrests are made, Collins decides to immerse himself in his assumed American identity and disappear.

In later years he becomes a power in the local political and social scene, and a bulwark of support for a young politician.

As chance would have it one day the young politico is out driving when he discovers a downed submarine. The sub is not just a curiosity but the repository of dark puzzles from the past which, if brought to light, could destroy.

Harris is an author who knows his setting and his suspense. He weaves a satisfying Southern spell so surely that readers may wonder, "Is this fact or fiction?"

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning follow up to Delirium of the Brave!, September 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: No Enemy But Time: A Novel of the South (Hardcover)

Anyone who read Delirium of the Brave is no doubt delighted to find that this book is finally available--and every bit as intriguing and engrossing as Dr. Harris' first effort. The characters are intense, the story-telling first rate and the haunting romance of Savannah is brought to life in a way that only a true son of the south can do. Highly recommended.