The Blood of Others: Volume 8 (Spoils of War)
The Blood of Others recounts the 1942 Dieppe landings from opposing perspectives. From the Allied side, George Hogan, a Canadian journalist under the wing of Lord Beaverbrook, starts to discover the plans for Dieppe through his Canadian armed forces contacts and his romantic connection with a member of Mountbatten’s combined operations group. The Axis perspective is provided by Abwehr officer Wilhelm Schultz and his plans to lure the Allies into an assault on the heavily fortified town of Dieppe. For each of the protagonists Hurley provides a rich background setting. Hogan, starting out as a talented young reporter in Canada, moves to the East End of London and establishes himself with the Daily Express. Simultaneously, Schultz is moving in occupied Paris society as an intelligence officer plotting and scheming against the Allies and his rival S.S. organisation.
The narrative maintains a steady pace throughout, culminating in the description of the brutal beach engagement and reactions in the immediate aftermath. I wondered initially how the two characters related to each other but was drawn in as the book progressed and the storylines converged. It’s a compelling retelling of an Allied disaster and makes for a gripping read.
