[Book Review]: The Last Line by Stephen Ronson (The John Cook Series Book 1)

About the Book

Genre: Historical Thriller, World War II Historical Noir

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton 

Release Date: 16th November 2023

May 1940.

With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow.

In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen.

But even as the foreign threat looms, it’s rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A twelve-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she’s just the tip of the iceberg – countless evacuees haven’t made it to their host families.

As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society. He will do whatever it takes to make the culprits pay. There are some lines you just don’t cross.

About the Author

Stephen Ronson grew up in Sussex, and spent a large part of his childhood exploring the woods and fields around Uckfield, many of which were still dotted with reminders of World War II – pill boxes, tank traps, Nissen huts, and graffiti left by soldiers awaiting D-Day.

He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units – groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted Nazi invasion and lead the fight back, he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done.

Website: https://stephenronson.com/

Twitter: @Stephen_Ronson

My review

4* stars

The first book in Stephen Ronson’s fast-paced, hard-boiled historical thriller series is set in the early days of World War II, bringing a reader to the small village of Uckfield in rural Sussex.

John Cook is a Great War veteran and a special forces soldier, who spent a few years after the war fighting in the farthest corners of the Empire – from Afghanistan to Hong Kong. Now, he lives a quiet life as a farmer. His mother, elderly uncle who both live with him on the farm, and his childhood friend Doc (Doctor Graham) are the only people close to Cook.   

When the Nazi occupy most of Europe and the full-scale invasion looms, Cook feels like it’s the right time to put his skills into action again, but his superiors and circumstances have different plans for him. Cook’s is tasked with preparing a resistance unit when England is invaded. However, he soon finds out that he’s the only suspect of the horrific murder. Now, Cook is on the mission to find the real culprit and clean his name. His investigation brings him into the dark underbelly of the criminal world where some faces looks painfully familiar…

This book kept me on the edge from the start to finish. There’re no end of twists, turns, fights, conspiracies involving high society, and tension in the plot. I’m a huge fan of World War II history, so I thoroughly enjoyed the rich worldbuilding and the historical facts which help the author to create the atmosphere of the time period, making it vivid and immersive. However, there’re a few scenes that feel too graphic, including violence, sex trafficking, child abuse.

The characters are engaging and believable, and the book’s language (although a bit choppy for my taste) suits them perfectly.

Many World War II novels are set in London during the Blitz, etc. So I was glad to read about a different, more rural setting where the danger is already on the horizon, but the horrors of the war haven’t reached it yet. It gives the book an electrifying, “the calm before the storm”-feeling.

I gave the book 4 stars because of a slightly slow start. Although the novel starts with a bang i.e. a killing of a German pilot, there’s not much of plot’s development going on in the next few chapters. The romantic subplot, on the other hand, feels too rushed, taking into consideration Lady Margaret’s (Cook’s sidekick) social status.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed The Last Line and learned a lot about this period in British history. I recommend this entertaining read for everybody who’s interested in World War II history and enjoys cleverly written, action-packed murder mysteries.    

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