Secret Ministry
February 14, 2017
Dead Man Falling
February 16, 2017
This Traitor Death
T O KILL … She was known as "Le Rossignol" - The Nightingale - Hitler's most beautiful and ruthless spy. With access to millions in unrecovered German gold, she's the only person who could lead a successful return to Nazi power. And that’s exactly what British Intelligence believes she’s doing.
… OR BE KILLED … Johnny Fedora is something of a legend in his own right. He had fought the Nazis throughout the war and no man knows their treacherous methods better than he. That’s why British Intelligence gave him a new face, a new name, and a single order: crush the Nightingale! He’s not the first to try. But he has to be the first to succeed.
Two years before Ian Fleming saw his first James Bond novel published, a fictional secret agent called Johnny Fedora was already being sent by British Intelligence on secret missions. The critics described Fedora as the “thinking man's James Bond” who spends his life “dealing with the cold-blooded bastards on this earth.” Welcome to the world of British Intelligence’s first licence to kill assassin. Published for the first time on Kindle.
“A really outstanding novel, remarkable not only for its ingenuity (though there is plenty of that), but also for the high intelligence and literary skill with which its essentially commonplace materials are handled.”
The Sunday Times 1975
I T IS TRUE THAT CORY has a propensity to describe the physical attributes of many female characters in notable detail (like many other espionage authors) but from the early Fedora novels right through to the last assignments in the 60s and 70s, the main female characters are developed in some detail, and play an important role in the plots. Many of these women may on the surface be portrayed as sultry and provocative, but underneath they are far more complex. Their role also varies a great deal from novel to novel. In This Traitor, Death (1952), the reader is introduced to Le Rossignol (The Nightingale), Hitler’s most beautiful and ruthless spy. In most espionage novels, few (if any) get the upper hand over the main protagonist, whether it is Bond or Matt Helm (America’s version of Bond). Not so with Desmond Cory novels, and ultimately it is another female character who has to rescue Fedora from Le Rossignol.
Richard McCarthy - Before James Bond Came Johnny Fedora
What makes this book remarkable is even after the Second World War has been over almost 70 years, this book of the post war era can still attract readers to the time of spies and tension within and across borders. While James Bond is more recognizable internationally in the 21st century, Johnny Fedora is able to hold his own in this novel, even with beautiful, deadly spies like The Nightingale. With a new face to conceal his identity along with his experience, wit, and skills, Johnny will find who and what he seeks.
This book is ideal for fans of spy novels, 20th century Europe, or a suspenseful page-turner full of twists and interesting characters. If you have read all of the others, it's time to read up on This Traitor Death and others by Desmond Cory.
