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Peter Lamb #1
The Black Jackals
The start of a brand new WWII series from Iain Gale, author of Alamein. A masterly portrayal of World War Two heroism, with vivid action and stirring personal journeys. A small team of soldiers, left behind to cover the British retreat, are ordered to blow the bridge as late as possible to stem the German tank pursuit. Although successful, the operation kills desperate refugees fleeing the scene. Who will be made to face the the men carrying out the orders or their commanding officer? This is only the first of many dilemmas that Peter Lamb and his troop must face during the chaotic first months of World War Two. After becoming cut off from the rest of their regiment, and assigned a mission that takes them deep into France behind the fast-moving enemy lines, the cracks begin to appear. In these unexpected, tense circumstances, Lamb's men face internal struggles, taking their focus off both their French allies and the German enemy. Black Jackals shows how men react to the challenges of war, and gives a fresh and fascinating picture of the frontlines.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2011
14 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Iain Gale
44 books41 followersIain Gale has always had a passion for military history. He is the Editor of the National Trust for Scotland magazine and Art critic for Scotland on Sunday. He lives outside Edinburgh with his wife and children. His first novel, Four Days in June, is a stand-alone military adventure set on the battlefields of Waterloo.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
He is also the writer of eleven non-fiction books.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 30, 2021
Read this book in 2011, and its the 1st of a two-part mini-series about the "Black Jackals" during WWII.
This book portraits in a wonderful fashion a team of soldiers who were left behind to cover the British retreat from France.
Leader of that team of soldiers is Lt Peter Lamb, and he and his team will successfully blow up a bridge in an effort the give the British forces some more time to retreat from the German tank pursuit, but this same operation will kill refugees fleeing that scene.
When they are finally cut off from the rest of their regiment and assigned on a mission that takes them deep into France, they must fend for themselves during the chaos of WWII, and face the consequences when cracks begin to appear.
What will follow is a fascinating story showing us a tense time with internal struggles within Peter Lamb's men, but if they want to keep their focus on both the French allies and the German enemy they will need to react decisively in order to overcome these deadly challenges of war and so live for another day.
Very much recommended, for this is a very satisfying start of a truly promising series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Interesting Black Jackals Begin"!
This book portraits in a wonderful fashion a team of soldiers who were left behind to cover the British retreat from France.
Leader of that team of soldiers is Lt Peter Lamb, and he and his team will successfully blow up a bridge in an effort the give the British forces some more time to retreat from the German tank pursuit, but this same operation will kill refugees fleeing that scene.
When they are finally cut off from the rest of their regiment and assigned on a mission that takes them deep into France, they must fend for themselves during the chaos of WWII, and face the consequences when cracks begin to appear.
What will follow is a fascinating story showing us a tense time with internal struggles within Peter Lamb's men, but if they want to keep their focus on both the French allies and the German enemy they will need to react decisively in order to overcome these deadly challenges of war and so live for another day.
Very much recommended, for this is a very satisfying start of a truly promising series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Interesting Black Jackals Begin"!
January 2, 2024
Ir 1940.gads un Nacistiskā Vācija vien nesen ir sākusi savu atriebības karagājienu par pārestībām pēc Pirmā pasaules kara, vien nesen Hitlers ir uzsācis savu zibenskara plānu, lai pierādītu āriešu rases pārākumu pār citām. Tā sērijas galvenais varonis Peter Lamb un citi viņa britu pavalstniecības tautieši atrod sevi Francijā cīnāmies pret jau agrāk kaujas laukā sastaptu ienaidnieku.
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June 4, 2017
Competent, but not inspired, WWII historical fiction set around the events of the expulsion of the BEF from Normandy in 1940.
Another reviewer commented that the characters are not superheroes. But in fact that was one problem I had with the book; Lieutenant Peter Lamb seems to know just the right thing to do in every situation, and is constantly being told he is a "remarkable man" by his peers, and senior officers. This starts from the outside when he stops a German attack single-handedly with a pistol and a few hand grenades.
I found the writing pretty repetitive; the author spends a lot of time telling us how the protagonist and his group turn left here, head west there, pass a line of trees, cross a field, etc etc. And no line of dialogue seems to pass without someone first smiling or shaking their head.
There is an odd foray at a few points into the viewpoint of a couple of German officers, but these are sporadic and fleeting, and seem to convey nothing but one dimensional representations of the enemy as complete bastards.
Apart from these weaknesses, no doubt the author has done sufficient research that the book ties in with major events of the actual historical campaign.
Another reviewer commented that the characters are not superheroes. But in fact that was one problem I had with the book; Lieutenant Peter Lamb seems to know just the right thing to do in every situation, and is constantly being told he is a "remarkable man" by his peers, and senior officers. This starts from the outside when he stops a German attack single-handedly with a pistol and a few hand grenades.
I found the writing pretty repetitive; the author spends a lot of time telling us how the protagonist and his group turn left here, head west there, pass a line of trees, cross a field, etc etc. And no line of dialogue seems to pass without someone first smiling or shaking their head.
There is an odd foray at a few points into the viewpoint of a couple of German officers, but these are sporadic and fleeting, and seem to convey nothing but one dimensional representations of the enemy as complete bastards.
Apart from these weaknesses, no doubt the author has done sufficient research that the book ties in with major events of the actual historical campaign.
November 13, 2018
My first Iain Gale, not the last. If you like audio, you'll love this narrator. He could make 'The Exorcist' sound like your long, lost grandpa's bedtime story.
In 1940, the British were run out of France by the relentless Bosch, only to return a year or so later. After the French were completely demoralized, the Brits returned with the assistance of the Allies, namely, the good ole USofA. One thing is certain of the Nazi's, they were consistently brutal and literally showed no quarter for those of a non-Aryan decent.
In 1940, the British were run out of France by the relentless Bosch, only to return a year or so later. After the French were completely demoralized, the Brits returned with the assistance of the Allies, namely, the good ole USofA. One thing is certain of the Nazi's, they were consistently brutal and literally showed no quarter for those of a non-Aryan decent.
September 29, 2023
The war in France has collapsed, with the majority of the BEF getting ready to be evacuated at Dunkirk; some British units are deployed to slow down the German seemingly unstoppable advance. Lieutenant Peter Lamb, a Territorial Army solider is commanding his men of the Black Jackals to stop a bridge being taken by oncoming German tanks, against the tide of refugees and retreating British and French troops. Blowing the bridge, and falling back to their lines, Lamb is given a message by a mysterious Colonel ‘R’ to deliver a message to General Fortune, commanding the 51st Highland division, left behind to hold off the Germans for as long as possible, before they are completely surrounded.
Lamb and his men, fight toward their goal, they are thwarted all along the way, dragged into battles and held up by refugee columns and incompetent officers, Lamb needs to deliver his message not only to save his men but the stranded British army.
This book feels like a British war film from like the 60s and 70s. Not that that's a bad thing, the feel of the story, characters and dialogue just feels very much like that, like imitating those films rather than how people actually spoke and acted at that time. It just seems a bit dated, added with a mix of stiff upper lip officers, some stick stereotype working class privates and corporals, and Lamb’s steely resolve, double down on this. While it's not a deal breaker on the book being bad, it can make some parts seem a bit stilted and dated. It isn’t like this all the way through, but when it does can seem a bit out of place compared to the rest of the book.
The book has more than its fair share of action. There large battles and small skirmishes throughout. These capture the action really well, and don't shy away from the bloodier situations of war. Which can sit uneasy with some of the more dated dialogue. The history of this early part of the war, is well researched and mixing the story with actual historic events works well. The writing is fine, keeping a high level of action and excitement. It only stumbles in a few places, where I found it hard to be sure what was happening and where. But I think this was down to the authors little passion of giving directions and place names, and having Lamb going back and forth repeatedly, with the reader a bit lost on where stiff war happening or the importance of constantly referring to it.
The characters suit the story, even if they come across as stereotypes common, like I said in those 1960sls/70s British war films. From stoic, courageous middle-class officers like Lamb, rough and common soldiers in his unit like Sgt. Bennet and the eccentric, stiff upper lip officers. All seemingly out of the British army in World War 2 stereotype box. Add in the sweet, farmers daughter, French woman and cruel German officer it’s close to the full set. Like I said, none are bad or crash the story, it's just they lack a bit of originality.
Overall, a decent read, with what it lacked on originality or suspense, succeeded in good action and enjoyable characters. Easy and quick to read, you could do a lot worse.
Lamb and his men, fight toward their goal, they are thwarted all along the way, dragged into battles and held up by refugee columns and incompetent officers, Lamb needs to deliver his message not only to save his men but the stranded British army.
This book feels like a British war film from like the 60s and 70s. Not that that's a bad thing, the feel of the story, characters and dialogue just feels very much like that, like imitating those films rather than how people actually spoke and acted at that time. It just seems a bit dated, added with a mix of stiff upper lip officers, some stick stereotype working class privates and corporals, and Lamb’s steely resolve, double down on this. While it's not a deal breaker on the book being bad, it can make some parts seem a bit stilted and dated. It isn’t like this all the way through, but when it does can seem a bit out of place compared to the rest of the book.
The book has more than its fair share of action. There large battles and small skirmishes throughout. These capture the action really well, and don't shy away from the bloodier situations of war. Which can sit uneasy with some of the more dated dialogue. The history of this early part of the war, is well researched and mixing the story with actual historic events works well. The writing is fine, keeping a high level of action and excitement. It only stumbles in a few places, where I found it hard to be sure what was happening and where. But I think this was down to the authors little passion of giving directions and place names, and having Lamb going back and forth repeatedly, with the reader a bit lost on where stiff war happening or the importance of constantly referring to it.
The characters suit the story, even if they come across as stereotypes common, like I said in those 1960sls/70s British war films. From stoic, courageous middle-class officers like Lamb, rough and common soldiers in his unit like Sgt. Bennet and the eccentric, stiff upper lip officers. All seemingly out of the British army in World War 2 stereotype box. Add in the sweet, farmers daughter, French woman and cruel German officer it’s close to the full set. Like I said, none are bad or crash the story, it's just they lack a bit of originality.
Overall, a decent read, with what it lacked on originality or suspense, succeeded in good action and enjoyable characters. Easy and quick to read, you could do a lot worse.
November 13, 2017
Having recently got around to reading an Iain Gale book (Jack Steele - Man of honour) and thoroughly enjoying it, I was looking forward to reading this one, particularly as only a few weeks ago I had read another book set during WW2 and had surprised myself by really enjoying that.
That said I've got to be honest and say that whilst this was not a bad book, it was nowhere near as enjoyable as the Jack Steele novel. I've spent a bit of time trying to work out what it was that I didn't like and I think it just comes back to the characters - Jack Steele and his sidekick sergeant, Jacob Slaughter are believable, well-developed and you care for them, Lieutenant Lamb and his sergeant, Bennett, just didn't have the same chemistry for me. Some of the dialogue didn't hold true for me either.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it - if I don't like a book I quit and move on - and I finished this one, it's just that I didn't find it as gripping or interesting as Jack Steele. It's not going to stop me moving on to his next novel though.
That said I've got to be honest and say that whilst this was not a bad book, it was nowhere near as enjoyable as the Jack Steele novel. I've spent a bit of time trying to work out what it was that I didn't like and I think it just comes back to the characters - Jack Steele and his sidekick sergeant, Jacob Slaughter are believable, well-developed and you care for them, Lieutenant Lamb and his sergeant, Bennett, just didn't have the same chemistry for me. Some of the dialogue didn't hold true for me either.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it - if I don't like a book I quit and move on - and I finished this one, it's just that I didn't find it as gripping or interesting as Jack Steele. It's not going to stop me moving on to his next novel though.
April 15, 2019
The chaos of the retreating British Expeditionary Force during the Nazi's blitzkrieg invasion of France in 1940 is well depicted here. Of course Dunkirk is the best known outcome for the British during this melee; this novel focuses on the much less well-known (and smaller) seaborne rescue of BEF troops that took place after Dunkirk in Normandy. Lieutenant Peter Lamb and his entourage race against time to get to the British troops being surrounded to the south. Panzers, shooting up an airport, requisitioning vehicles, and generally giving Jerry hell, feature large. I found, however, that some of the action and dialogue in the book stretches credibility. The historical notes at the back of the novel are really good.
July 9, 2019
More of a 3.5 star book. Lieutenant Peter Lamb guides his platoon through a number of battles and adventures as they withdraw from Belgium through France towards evacuation from Le Havre. For the most part it seemed fairly authentic except for the minor romantic parts which felt contrived and unbelievable.
September 19, 2020
If you're looking for a fun easy read about a British soldier during WW2, then this might be for you. Very much a Gary Stu affair and not the best writing. Don't expect realism or depth.
December 28, 2020
Brilliant book plenty of action and excitement
August 3, 2015
10/08 - This was a fictional account of a real WWII battle. When I first started reading I was under the impression that other than WWII and the British, French and German armies fighting each other nothing was historically accurate. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the historical note that pretty much every thing except Lamb and his men and their mission were taken from accurate historical accounts, instead of Gale's imagination as I had originally assumed. I was a little suspicious of the likelihood of the British Army taking a female civilian along with them, retreating backwards from the frontline, moving house to house. Maybe there are reports of civilians being rescued in this way, I don't know I haven't done any research, but it seemed to me that it might be a plot device to provide an extra bit of tension and personality to Lamb, instead of a realistic account. It turns out this is the start of a series featuring Lieutenant Peter Lamb and I'm interested to go on reading about his experiences through the rest of WWII.
September 10, 2011
Excellent WWII novel. The action moves along nicely, the characters are not superheroes (which is refreshing) and the realism is present and correct. I would definitely read the next Peter Lamb novel from Iain Gale. I already have Alamein to read and will try and get to that soon-ish.
June 12, 2012
An enjoyable tale set in the retreat through France in 1940. A bit of a page turner although I found it a bit predictable towards the end. Despite that I am looking forward to reading the next Peter Lamb adventure
February 28, 2012
i enjoyed the book, a bit of a page turner but a bit unbelievable too
September 26, 2015
Jolly good show old bean, a rip roaring yarn of the old Dunkirk spirit and British stiff upper lip during the early years of WW2. Bloody marvelous
November 29, 2016
Promising and apparently realistic WW2 military fiction
November 7, 2014
Rip roaring read exploring human nature in war.
October 21, 2014
Good book from World War2. Detailed.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews