Compulsively enjoyable

A tense phoney-war thriller, as evocative in its period representations as it is compelling in its denouement

With its meticulous period detail and its dissection of the English class system at work, this new novel from the author of the highly accomplished Derby Day proves that good historical fiction does not have to take place in a past that actually happened

It is much harder to show historical change occurring through incremental creep rather than sudden swerves of direction. That DJ Taylor’s novel achieves this so well makes in an unusually smart and subtle addition to the genre… Gripping entertainment

A splendid “what if” thriller… Terrific

This galloping, might-have-been thriller… Taylor cleverly uses genuine historical details to make the nightmare horribly convincing

A highly successful literary thriller with one eye on a shocking chapter in the nation’s genuine history and another on the potential for authorial invention

Offers a chilling alternative view of the direction the Second World War might have taken had the man who later became the Duke of Windsor…remained on the British throne

A crafty and pitch-perfect novel of Nazi sympathizers and secret agents in wartime London

It is Taylor’s achievement to have written a tense, page-turning thriller, enriched by acute social observation, within which unfolds a subtle meditation upon where the quest for peace ends and the path to treason begins

A highly successful thriller

The novel is much more than an intriguing exercise in alternative history… This is as skilful and enjoyable a novel as you can ask for, the work of a master-craftsman

A fascinating foray into the 'what if?'… Ingenious and extremely plausible

A gripping and highly convincing novel… Here are intrigue and clever parallel narratives… One emerges from immersion in this tantalizing creation admiring both Taylor’s art and the cleverness of his imagination

This is a gripping tale of intrigue

A splendidly disrespectful counterfactual history that questions the perceived patriotism of King Edward VIII and his notoriously pro-Hitler views

A witty, meticulous detailed alternative version of the second world war

While readers will delight in the excitement and adventure of this story, they will also learn about the poverty and difficulties faced by many children throughout the world and about the consequences of corruption in government

The chase leads them throughout the city, exposing the great disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots," and the huge injustice this represents. They face moral dilemmas throughout and, ultimately, make good decisions. Their intelligence and characters make the condition in which they live seem even more unfair

An exciting read full of suspense. This will appeal to boys and to girls, and could act as a stimulus to classroom discussion of poverty, child workers, recycling in third world countries and the misuse of economic and political power