The Traitor: A Novel [Paperback]

Guy Walters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2005

There was something powerful about it, something magnetic. He had witnessed the effect of such uniforms in the newsreels; now he was about to wear one. But this SS uniform -- the uniform proudly worn by so many maniacs and murderers -- bore a Union Jack...It was an insult to King and Country.

In November 1943 the Nazis capture British secret agent John Lockhart while he is on a Resistance mission to German-occupied Crete. They give him a stark choice: betray his country or die.

In a decision some might consider treason and moral folly, Lockhart acts out of love and strikes a bargain with his captors: in return for his wife, who is interned in a concentration camp, he will change sides. But he is stunned to learn that his mission is to lead the British Free Corps, a clandestine unit of the SS composed of British fascists and renegades culled from POW camps. Aware that he, like them, will be branded a traitor, Lockhart seeks to redeem himself by destroying a terrifying secret weapon that threatens to change the course of history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A British secret agent bargains his honor for his wife's life in this well-done WWII suspense tale. Captured and tortured by the Germans on Crete in 1943 after leading a failed partisan raid, Capt. John Lockhart agrees to spy on the Greeks, but only if the SS will secure the safety of his wife, trapped in a Belgian concentration camp. The Germans, meanwhile, are recruiting disaffected British POWs for a special unit, the British Free Corps, to fight the Russians; Lockhart agrees to command it. At every point, however, Lockhart has plans of his own. While he trains his motley collection of British fascists, cowards and opportunists, fully intending to double-cross the Germans, the SS schemes to double-cross Lockhart, and even his own men cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, even as a Russian agent subverts a pivotal SS officer, London thinks Lockhart is a traitor, and Lockhart isn't sure his wife is still alive. Walters delivers a fast-paced, exciting story filled with action, intricate plot twists, deception and betrayal. Best of all is his gripping rendering of the fine line Lockhart must walk in order to keep his life and his honor. (Aug.)
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Review

"A classic page-turner. If your perfect thriller combines adventure and political intrigue, then Guy Walters's debut is well worth the wait."

-- The Times (London)

"Masterfully crafted and genuinely frightening."

-- The Daily Express

"Extremely well written...quite a find."

-- Sarah Broadhurst, The Bookseller

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (July 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743270150
• ISBN-13: 978-0743270151
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #711,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2 1/2 Stars -- Too Slow-Moving And Not Enough Action!, March 21, 2008

By 

bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Traitor: A Novel (Paperback)

The Traitor has an interesting plot -- A British secret agent is captured by the Nazis and, in a decision some considered to be treason, acts out of love and strikes a bargain with his captors. The deal is that in return for his wife who is interned in a concentration camp, the agent agrees to lead a clandestine unit of the SS called the British Free Corps. However, while the author has created an interesting premise and credible characters, the plot didn't move along at a brisk enough pace and the amount of action was somewhat limited for my taste. Further, Walters got too bogged down in describing the motivations for what seemed like every move and thought of the main character. All in all, I'd rate The Traitor as "fair." It is not a bad book; it's just not a book I'd recommend that you rush out to read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Exciting WW II based on little known fact novel, October 1, 2005

By 

CD Chamberlin "CD Chamberlin" (Parsonsfield, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Traitor: A Novel (Paperback)

I enjoyed this novel about the little known British Free Corps, so much I eagerly looked up the BFC on the internet. For those who enjoy fact based WW II novels, I suggest that you read this.
The story is very plausible. The only problem I have with this novel (which kept me from giving it a much higher rating) is the absolutely abysmal editing. There are way too many grammatical errors which ruin the natural flow of the story. A good editor would have caught the errors and corrected them--I never thought a Briton would so skewer the King's language!!!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and entertaining read!, October 2, 2005

By 

Rory Morty "Rory Morty" (Giessen, Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Traitor: A Novel (Paperback)

This is the fascinating story of a British secret agent, Captain Joch Lockhardt, who was captured by the German forces during an unsuccessful operation on the island of Crete, in Greece. Lockhardt is manipulated into working for the Third Reich because they claim to have his wife in custody in a concentration camp. Lockhardt is set the task of establishing the British Free Corps, a small force of British "volunteers" currently held in custody in prisoner-of-war camps, and recruited into the service of the Reich. A central theme in the book is: were these men, Lockhardt in particular, traitors? The British Frei Corps did indeed exist, and its members were actively recruited from prisoner-of-war camps. I suspect that the actual recruiting of these members probably proceeded along very similar lines to what Walters describes in this book. We learn that Lockhardt indeed had his own agenda, and was planning to use his position in the service of the Reich to destroy stockpiles of sarin nerve gas kept at Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp near Nordhausen in modern-day Germany. The story deviates somewhat from what happened at Mittelbau-Dora, which was indeed a V2 rocket production, but never produced any sarin. Otherwise, the story is very well crafted, and I believe that the characters are well developed, as are the relationships between them. The portrayal of a wartime German whorehouse I feel is particularly good. From me, three-and-a-half stars.