Stratton's War

When a former silent film actress is found dead outside her window during the bombing of London, Detective Inspector Ted Stratton refuses to accept the official ruling that the actress took her own life. Pursuing his own line of investigation, Stratton turns up material that catches the attention of Colonel Forbes-James with the counterespionage branch of MI5. Stratton’s temporary transfer to Forbes-James’s authority places him in contact with one of Forbes-James’s operatives Diana Calthrop an unhappy society wife. Gangs, Fascists and espionage make up a wartime London where Stratton and Diana unwittingly find themselves attracted to each other. Atmospheric and gritty, The Innocent Spy is the first book in a series with Detective show more Inspector Ted Stratton. It blends the police procedural and espionage thriller into a compelling novel of mystery and suspense. A brief historical background note at the end of the novel outlines the link between the true characters and events of the period with the author’s fictional work. The Innocent Spy was published as Stratton’s War in Great Britain where it won the 2008 Ellis Peters Award for Best Historical Crime Novel. Laura Wilson is the crime fiction review for the Guardian in London. show less

London, June 1940. When the body of silent screen star Mabel Morgan is found impaled on railings in Fitzrovia, the coroner rules her death as suicide, but DI Ted Stratton of the CID is not convinced. Despite opposition from his superiors, he starts asking questions, and it becomes clear that Morgan's fatal fall from a high window may have been the work of one of Soho's most notorious gangsters. MI5 agent Diana Calthrop, working with senior official Sir Neville Apse, is leading a covert operation when she discovers that her boss is involved in espionage. She must tread carefully - Apse is a powerful man, and she can't risk threatening the reputation of the Secret Service. Only when Stratton's path crosses Diana's do they start to uncover show more the truth. But as they discover Morgan's connection with Apse and their mutual links to a criminal network and a secretive pro-fascist organisation, they begin to realise that the intrigues of the Secret Service are alarmingly similar to the machinations of war-torn London's underworld.

My Thoughts:

This is the firstt book in a series with the characters DI Ted Stratton and Diana Calthrop.

DI Ted Stratton is unlike detectives that we meet in other crime fiction. He isn’t a chain smoking, hard drinking, womanisng, got issues type of character, he is just a regular married guy. Diana you would think would become a love interest, like some of the female characters in crime fiction, but up to yet that hasn’t happened.

Having two separate main characters the book has two stories that do merge together to bring Ted and Diana together. This story is set in the war and LW is very good with her descriptions to authenticate the story. I did feel that the story was a little slow at times but there was enough interest to keep me going until the end.

I do have books two and three on shelf TBR so will look forward to seeing how things will progress with characters and there is enough room for them to be fleshed out some more. I just hope that the next books will have a little bit more pace. show less

This is a detective story set in London during World War II, the first of a series. The author includes lots of period detail in the book, evoking the social conditions and attitudes of that time, which I found very interesting. DI Stratton, the central character finds himself trying to solve a case involving the establishment at the same time as coping with family disputes. There is not a cut and dried resolution of all wrongs at the end of the book, but I look forward to reading more of the series. My only criticism would be that the swearing of the central character sits rather awkwardly with the general style of the book. I've no problem with the idea that people swear, but it doesn't add anything to this novel. If you enjoy crime show more novels and the social history of Britain during WWII, as I do, I think you will enjoy this book. show less

I enjoyed this book. Although it was a bit slow moving, that seems to fit the time period and place: World War II London. DI Ted Stratton and MI5 agent Diana Calthrop (inspired by real life agent Joan Miller) are embroiled in murder, espionage and blackmail with the London blitz as a constant background.
There has been some criticism of the flaws in the character of Diana. True, at times I wished I could slap some sense into her, but realistically, the upper class young women of the time truly were that naive. They went from privileged, sheltered lives into wartime jobs with little, if any, training. The rules they lived by changed and they had to find a new way to cope with the massive changes.
I recommend this to readers of British show more police procedurals, World War Two stories, and historical mysteries. It is said to be the first in a series focusing on DI Stratton. show less

I was expecting better of Stratton's War. London, 1940. The story begins in June and lasts a few months. In the middle of the book, the bombing starts, and we learn about Anderson shelters (look them up in Wiki because the author doesn't do them justice). Two storylines alternate for at least the first two-thirds, then merge. One is centered on DI Ted Stratton, a 35 year old father of two - and the two are resettled somewhere in northern England to escape the expected German attack. And so we learn a lot about wife Jenny, her sibs and in-laws and their problems, one of which gets involved in a case. The other storyline is about the gorgeous Diana Calthrop, married to an Army officer, having a fling with a spy of sorts and generally in show more over her heads with MI-5 types. I very much enjoy London WWll stories but this one left me a bit flat. It's long at 450 pages, 450 long pages. I found Stratton to be rather bland. The plot was good, an involved crime story unfurls, but it seemed unnecessarily complex and told in a rather muddled manner. The investigator's use of Defence Regulation 18B was chilling, and so close to proposed and current legislation to leave most readers most uncomfortable. The resolution was well done. There are 3 more books in the series taking us to 1945, 1949, and beyond, but I am on the fence as to whether or not I'll read more. I prefer John Lawton's series.... show less

Excellent. Great characters and plot, and humor to boot.

Atmospheric