The Volunteers

This book features the men and women of the Royal Navy Special Operations units who carried out lightning raids on enemy held coasts, each were hand-picked for their individual skills and courage. These raids were often little more than pinpricks to the enemy but helped bolster morale back at home when successful operations were generally scarce.

This book centres around four missions featuring the same three men, who decided to volunteer for a special marine service group that used MTB and MGB boats on missions or raids upon enemy occupied territory at various locations around Europe and reads almost like four interlinked short stories. One is a Canadian from the Atlantic convoys (Frazer), one is an English bomb disposal man (Allenby), show more and the last an East End policeman (Ives).

In many respects this is typical Reeman. Our heroes are war damaged men struggling with their own demons, there is the obligatory love interests in the shape of two Wrens and there are some great action scenes as the fast patrol boats confront the enemy in particular. This is undemanding reading that will thrill Reeman's fans but do little to change the views of his detractors. show less