Codename: 61

A Jim Tate Thriller #1

by Alex Shaw

The war ended in 1945, but for some, the killing never stopped.

1940

A bomb drops destroying everything London railwayman Jim Tate holds dear. Fuelled by a desperate desire for vengeance, Tate passes selection for the elite Special Operations Executive (SOE), transforming into a deadly, German-speaking commando tasked with wreaking havoc in Nazi-occupied France.

1961

Tate has traded the shadowy world of espionage for a quiet civilian life as a railway engineer in Kenya. But his hard-won peace is shattered when fellow SOE operative, Adrian Snow – ‘Cloak’ to his ‘Dagger’ – arrives out of the dust with news that will drag Tate back to one chilling day in 1942.

Targeted by assassins and forced to operate outside the law, Tate and Snow must resurrect their old partnership to stop a madman, in a lethal game of cat-and-mouse that takes them from the sun-scorched plains of Kenya to the frosty streets of Vienna.

Packed with explosive action and shifting loyalties, CODENAME 61 is Alex Shaw’s new pulse-pounding historical espionage thriller. Perfect for fans of Ken Follett’s Edge of Eternity and Charles Beaumont’s Oxford Spy Ring series.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 9, 2026

About the author

ALEX SHAW B.A.(Hons), P.G.C.E. spent the second half of the 1990s in Kyiv, Ukraine, teaching Drama and running his own business consultancy before being head-hunted for a division of Siemens. The next few years saw him doing business for the company across the former USSR, the Middle East, and Africa.
Alex is an active member of the ITW (The International Thriller Writers organisation) and the CWA (the Crime Writers Association). He is the author of the #1 International Kindle Bestselling 'Aidan Snow SAS thrillers' HETMAN & COLD BLACK and the new DELTA FORCE VAMPIRE series of books. His writing has also been published in the thriller anthologies DEATH TOLL, DEATH TOLL 2 and ACTION PULSE POUNDING TALES 2 alongside International Bestselling authors Stephen Leather and Matt Hilton. DANGEROUS, DEADLY, ELITE - The third Aidan Snow Thriller will be available in October 2014.

COLD BLACK is commercially published by ENDEAVOUR PRESS.

Alex, his wife and their two sons divide their time between homes in Kyiv, Ukraine and Worthing, England. Alex can be contacted via his website www.alexwshaw.com You can also follow Alex on twitter: @alexshawhetman

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favourite writers. When I pick up one of Alex Shaw's books, I know I'm in for an exciting read. This book is the first one in a new series. Unlike Shaw's previous series, this has an historical setting. Alternating between 1942 and 1961, the actions of a group of SOEs during the second world war in France, have unexpected repercussions in the early 60s.
As with all Shaw's books, the action is fast paced and gripping. The characters are engaging and the background detail well presented. This is a highly recommended read and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series in the future.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.