Winston’s Spy

Storm clouds over Europe, World War Two on the horizon. Alexi, born in Russia now living in Britain is being trained to work as a spy for England. So well written, really an intriguing story. A series to follow.

Alex Carlton is a Russian exile that came to England as a 12 year-old with his Countess mother. His father is presumed dead, a victim of the Bolshevik Revolution. Alex would be mistaken for an Englishman, he went to prep school, has great social connections and enjoys a quiet life in London living with his widowed mother. Alex Carlton had too much to drink one night, then things got really interesting! It's 1939, war is on the horizon and he gets recruited by a very secret organization sanctioned by no other then Winston Churchill You see, Alex has some very necessary skills, including the fact that he was actually born in Finland after his pregnant Mother escapes Russia, so he speaks Finnish. Then, he and his Mother moved to Sweden, so he speaks Swedish. While undergoing some interesting training at a secret location he stumbles across a situation and reacts, but there are some very upset people in several branches of the Government. Oh, and before he left for training he met and fell in love with a girl named Teddie, the sister of a school friend. In the first installment of a trilogy Alex is under scrutiny, in a hurry to marry Teddie before he ships out on assignment and determined to prove his mettle. At first I thought this would be a story of espionage, but it's more about the bloody mindedness of how the different branches of a government get in each others way, and how individuals are often cogs in the machine. The characters Alex and Teddie, along with his mother and her parents (her father is a WW1 war hero, and a TERROR) and their friends are believable and fun. I can't wait for the second book in this series to come out and learn what happens next.

This book was a great preface for the sequels to come. It lays a great foundation with the character development and the beginnings of a plot. I enjoyed and look forward to Webber's next novel.

Winston's Spy, Carlton Chronicles 1 is the first book in a new series by Robert Webber. It deals with lesser-known aspects of world war 2. From the first page, it's apparent Robert knows his stuff and has meticulously researched the topic. The story itself is intriguing and extremely interesting, with many different characters who all add different layers to the plot. An exciting read, that makes you want to read more by the author.

As Britain prepares for war in 1939, we follow the story of Alex Carlton as he is recruited, and trained to become agent/spy. The book takes you back to when Alex was born and explains why he is the perfect recruit for MI2 (focusing on Scandinavia and USSR). An agent in secret division in secret agency, a division that Winston Churchill is relying on to give information on Finland's position. History, training, romance, espionage, overall a page turner. A great set up book for more in the Carlton Series. I highly recommend Winston's Spy and am looking forward to book 2.