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Hunter Class
"An entertaining follow up, involving both espionage and action" Aspects of History
July 1943
Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily is underway.
Lieutenant Daniel Nichols has been recruited by Ian Fleming into 30 Commando. A specialist unit that goes in ahead of the main assault to capture top secret enemy material. However, Nichols discovers evidence of a secret which could change the course of the conflict.
Section Officer Prudence Tiverton, an expert in the analysis of German radio traffic, uses Nichol's discovery to formulate a plan that will give the Allies a decisive edge in the coming invasion of Europe. The capture of a German T52, Geheimschreiber - the teleprinter which Hitler uses to communicate with his most senior commanders.
Giacomo Moretti, a frogman in the Italian Navy's elite Decima Flottiglia, carries out daring raids on Allied shipping. After the fall of Mussolini, Moretti joins forces with Nichols to secure Italian underwater technology before it falls into German hands.
Battling to overcome the disdain of her superiors, Tiverton fails to obtain support for her enterprise - but finds an ally in Ian Fleming and 30 Commando.
With the fate of the war hanging in the balance Nichols and Moretti embark on a treasure hunt that will require all their skill and guile.
Alan Bardos studied an MA in TV Script Writing at De Montfort University. His other novels include The Assassins and The Dardanelles Conspiracy.
Praise for Alan
'Very engaging and informative’ Shaun Lewis, bestselling author of The Custom of the Trade
'Well worth it. A total fascination' Jan Needle, bestselling author of The Escape
'Written with polished panache, it kept me gripped from the first to last.' A.A. Chaudhuri, author of The Scribe
'A gripping wartime thriller with more plot twists and turns than a snake with an itch!' Damien Lewis
July 1943
Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily is underway.
Lieutenant Daniel Nichols has been recruited by Ian Fleming into 30 Commando. A specialist unit that goes in ahead of the main assault to capture top secret enemy material. However, Nichols discovers evidence of a secret which could change the course of the conflict.
Section Officer Prudence Tiverton, an expert in the analysis of German radio traffic, uses Nichol's discovery to formulate a plan that will give the Allies a decisive edge in the coming invasion of Europe. The capture of a German T52, Geheimschreiber - the teleprinter which Hitler uses to communicate with his most senior commanders.
Giacomo Moretti, a frogman in the Italian Navy's elite Decima Flottiglia, carries out daring raids on Allied shipping. After the fall of Mussolini, Moretti joins forces with Nichols to secure Italian underwater technology before it falls into German hands.
Battling to overcome the disdain of her superiors, Tiverton fails to obtain support for her enterprise - but finds an ally in Ian Fleming and 30 Commando.
With the fate of the war hanging in the balance Nichols and Moretti embark on a treasure hunt that will require all their skill and guile.
Alan Bardos studied an MA in TV Script Writing at De Montfort University. His other novels include The Assassins and The Dardanelles Conspiracy.
Praise for Alan
'Very engaging and informative’ Shaun Lewis, bestselling author of The Custom of the Trade
'Well worth it. A total fascination' Jan Needle, bestselling author of The Escape
'Written with polished panache, it kept me gripped from the first to last.' A.A. Chaudhuri, author of The Scribe
'A gripping wartime thriller with more plot twists and turns than a snake with an itch!' Damien Lewis
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2025
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About the author
Alan Bardos
12 books22 followersWriting historical fiction combines the first great love of Alan Bardos’ life, making up stories, with the second, researching historical events and characters. He currently lives in Oxfordshire with his wife… the other great love of his life.
There is still a great deal of mystery and debate surrounding many of the events of the First World War, which he explores in his Johnny Swift historical fiction series. The series starts with the pivotal event of the twentieth century, the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The second book ‘The Dardanelles Conspiracy’ is based on an attempt by Naval Intelligence to bribe Turkey out of the First World War. In the third book ‘Enemies and Allies’ Johnny is employed as a useful idiot to flush out a traitor working to undermine the Allies.
His new World War 2 series follows Daniel Nichols, a former pacifist turned crusader, as he moves from the Fleet Air Arm to Intelligence and Special Operations. The first book ‘Rising Tide’ is set against the backdrop of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; as Nichols is embroiled in a conspiracy to keep the USA bogged down in the Pacific and out of the war in Europe.
The next novel, Hunter Class, is set in 1943. Nichols has been recruited into 30 Commando by Ian Fleming and takes part in the invasion of Sicily, to collect top secret enemy material before it is destroyed. After the fall of Mussolini, Nichols joins forces with Giacomo Moretti, a combat swimmer in the Italian Navy’s elite Decima Flottiglia MAS. As the fate of the war hangs in the balance, they embark on a treasure hunt that will require all their skill and guile to ‘pinch’ a German T52 teleprinter, used by Hitler to communicate with his senior commanders.
There is still a great deal of mystery and debate surrounding many of the events of the First World War, which he explores in his Johnny Swift historical fiction series. The series starts with the pivotal event of the twentieth century, the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The second book ‘The Dardanelles Conspiracy’ is based on an attempt by Naval Intelligence to bribe Turkey out of the First World War. In the third book ‘Enemies and Allies’ Johnny is employed as a useful idiot to flush out a traitor working to undermine the Allies.
His new World War 2 series follows Daniel Nichols, a former pacifist turned crusader, as he moves from the Fleet Air Arm to Intelligence and Special Operations. The first book ‘Rising Tide’ is set against the backdrop of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; as Nichols is embroiled in a conspiracy to keep the USA bogged down in the Pacific and out of the war in Europe.
The next novel, Hunter Class, is set in 1943. Nichols has been recruited into 30 Commando by Ian Fleming and takes part in the invasion of Sicily, to collect top secret enemy material before it is destroyed. After the fall of Mussolini, Nichols joins forces with Giacomo Moretti, a combat swimmer in the Italian Navy’s elite Decima Flottiglia MAS. As the fate of the war hangs in the balance, they embark on a treasure hunt that will require all their skill and guile to ‘pinch’ a German T52 teleprinter, used by Hitler to communicate with his senior commanders.
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November 18, 2025
Hunter Class, the second novel in Alan Bardos’s Daniel Nichols trilogy, picks up eighteen months after Rising Tide and finds Nichols transformed from an accidental intelligence asset into a fully trained officer of Ian Fleming’s elite 30 Commando. Now leading a specialised unit tasked with seizing enemy intelligence ahead of advancing Allied forces, Nichols enters the Mediterranean theatre as part of the Operation Husky landings in Sicily.
His mission is to gather whatever documents and equipment the Germans might otherwise destroy, but the ultimate objective is the elusive Type 52 Geheimschreiber - a teleprinter even more valuable to British Intelligence than Enigma, thanks to its direct connection to German High Command. Nichols’s pursuit of this device propels him through a series of perilous operations from Taranto to Capri, Ischia, and finally Venice.
Bardos fills the novel with espionage, counter-espionage, and sharply drawn characters grounded in meticulous historical research. Side figures such as the troublesome Private Dicey, former Italian frogman Giacomo Moretti, and the duplicitous Livia Scarlatto enliven the narrative, while a memorable encounter with SAS legend Blair “Paddy” Mayne stands out as a highlight.
The climax delivers a tightly choreographed, cinematic finale that sustains breathless momentum. Bardos’s clear, engaging prose blends action, character, and authenticity, illuminating lesser-known aspects of the Second World War while keeping the reader fully absorbed.
As a follow-up to Rising Tide, Hunter Class proves richly detailed, expertly paced, and thoroughly entertaining - an excellent continuation of Nichols’s journey and a strong testament to Bardos’s skill as a historical novelist.
His mission is to gather whatever documents and equipment the Germans might otherwise destroy, but the ultimate objective is the elusive Type 52 Geheimschreiber - a teleprinter even more valuable to British Intelligence than Enigma, thanks to its direct connection to German High Command. Nichols’s pursuit of this device propels him through a series of perilous operations from Taranto to Capri, Ischia, and finally Venice.
Bardos fills the novel with espionage, counter-espionage, and sharply drawn characters grounded in meticulous historical research. Side figures such as the troublesome Private Dicey, former Italian frogman Giacomo Moretti, and the duplicitous Livia Scarlatto enliven the narrative, while a memorable encounter with SAS legend Blair “Paddy” Mayne stands out as a highlight.
The climax delivers a tightly choreographed, cinematic finale that sustains breathless momentum. Bardos’s clear, engaging prose blends action, character, and authenticity, illuminating lesser-known aspects of the Second World War while keeping the reader fully absorbed.
As a follow-up to Rising Tide, Hunter Class proves richly detailed, expertly paced, and thoroughly entertaining - an excellent continuation of Nichols’s journey and a strong testament to Bardos’s skill as a historical novelist.
Displaying 1 of 1 review