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The Silent War
EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS SECRETS--SOME ARE WORTH KILLING FOR.
As the head of Swedish Intelligence in Brussels, Bente Jensen has many enemies, even among those who ought to be her allies--such as Jonathan Green of MI6. In a city heaving with competing espionage agencies, he is the person she fears and distrusts most. She has good reason. They share a past.
Green has been part of an MI6 conspiracy to hold, interrogate, torture, and kill its political prisoners in a safe house in Syria. This explosive information has been leaked to Bente by a conscience-stricken British operative. When it is clear she can expose this operation, MI6 uses its full arsenal of dirty tricks to shame her, disgrace her, destroy her relationships, and remove her from active service.
But Green's private life has more in common with Bente's than he cares to admit. He is far from fireproof himself. Both spies will find themselves targets of the UK establishment's precisely calculated revenge.
Like its highly acclaimed predecessor Into A Raging Blaze, Andreas Norman's new novel is a morally and politically complex international thriller. Its nail-biting plot and sympathetic characters show the tragic human consequences of private and public treachery.
As the head of Swedish Intelligence in Brussels, Bente Jensen has many enemies, even among those who ought to be her allies--such as Jonathan Green of MI6. In a city heaving with competing espionage agencies, he is the person she fears and distrusts most. She has good reason. They share a past.
Green has been part of an MI6 conspiracy to hold, interrogate, torture, and kill its political prisoners in a safe house in Syria. This explosive information has been leaked to Bente by a conscience-stricken British operative. When it is clear she can expose this operation, MI6 uses its full arsenal of dirty tricks to shame her, disgrace her, destroy her relationships, and remove her from active service.
But Green's private life has more in common with Bente's than he cares to admit. He is far from fireproof himself. Both spies will find themselves targets of the UK establishment's precisely calculated revenge.
Like its highly acclaimed predecessor Into A Raging Blaze, Andreas Norman's new novel is a morally and politically complex international thriller. Its nail-biting plot and sympathetic characters show the tragic human consequences of private and public treachery.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 17, 2020
Bette Jensen is the head of the Swedish Intelligence in Brussels. The story started when a mysterious man dropped Jensen some very sensitive evidence documenting an MI6 project that uses torture as an interrogation method in Syria. Shortly after, the man was found dead in his apartment and it was deemed a suicide: a cleanup job Jonathan Green took care of as a key player of the MI6 conspiracy. With his partner Robert, Green is endeavoured to find a kidnapped taxi driver coded “Pathfinder,” who they believe will provide them with the information they need to bring down the prominent terrorist group in the Middle East.
A large part of the book was dedicated to the domestic affairs of the two agents. Jensen’s youngest boy is troubled and confused the way sometimes children growing up are. The trust in Jensen’s marriage is also tested when she discovered her husband is cheating with another woman. Meanwhile, Green is having an affair with Robert’s wife, whom he also becomes infatuated with.
The story picks up almost instantaneously when
The final bit was the fast-paced statecraft action I was looking for in a spy story.
The premise of the story is simple, yet engaging.
The author touches upon the issue of keeping the family together and happy when work is very demanding. The affairs that took a huge chunk in the middle was uninteresting to me. Work life balance affect spys as well.
However, I enjoyed the way torture is casted as a method of interrogation in this novel. Green is a reluctant participant when it comes to the activities of the House, and yet he goes along with it believing it will yield results. The result was emotional and telling of the effectiveness of the technique, contrary to what some people would like to believe. It’s a fictional story and the results could have turned out differently, and I’m glad the author choose this path.
The ending was nothing short of explosive, and that’s the way I like it.
A large part of the book was dedicated to the domestic affairs of the two agents. Jensen’s youngest boy is troubled and confused the way sometimes children growing up are. The trust in Jensen’s marriage is also tested when she discovered her husband is cheating with another woman. Meanwhile, Green is having an affair with Robert’s wife, whom he also becomes infatuated with.
The story picks up almost instantaneously when
The final bit was the fast-paced statecraft action I was looking for in a spy story.
The premise of the story is simple, yet engaging.
The author touches upon the issue of keeping the family together and happy when work is very demanding. The affairs that took a huge chunk in the middle was uninteresting to me. Work life balance affect spys as well.
However, I enjoyed the way torture is casted as a method of interrogation in this novel. Green is a reluctant participant when it comes to the activities of the House, and yet he goes along with it believing it will yield results. The result was emotional and telling of the effectiveness of the technique, contrary to what some people would like to believe. It’s a fictional story and the results could have turned out differently, and I’m glad the author choose this path.
The ending was nothing short of explosive, and that’s the way I like it.
April 22, 2019
An excellent spy verus spy novel set in Brussels. The two powers involved are Sweden and England. The action moves along at a good pace so the reader does not have time to get bored. By the events referenced the reader knows the story is taking place at this time and not in the past or future. Also the bad guys in the story will be a surprise for most readers. This was a very enjoyable book which I read in two sittings.
I have rated this book 4.5 stars and would recommend it to anyone else who enjoys a good espionage tale.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
Thank you Frank for the Review.
I have rated this book 4.5 stars and would recommend it to anyone else who enjoys a good espionage tale.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
Thank you Frank for the Review.
July 31, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. This is the first time I've read any book by Andreas Norman and I'm quite glad that I requested the book. I really liked the way the character Bente Jensen was created. And the personal issues that Bente has to deal with along with the professional life troubles makes her seem much more human and not a hardcore literary spy. I really liked that in the book. But the character of Jonathan Green was not a very likeable character even though he had his own demons to fight. Overall a quite enjoyable book and one that I'll not hesitate to recommend. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books, Riverrun for giving me this ARC in exchange of my honest review.
August 8, 2019
The story was very addictive. I liked how the story was based on action and violence. I believe that i will read anything this author write. I gave this story a 3.75/5 star rating. I just have one objective about this story. i feel like the plot was not explain very well. (The reading was too fast to adjust).
January 23, 2020
Enjoyable espionage read. A bit too technical too much unnecessary details that maybe didn't have to be in it, but still a good read.
March 26, 2020
Boring. Writing over-edited and lacking style. Not horrible in terms of technical ability, but there's a balancing act to writing, and word-wise you need some variety to break it up. This book was so pared-down and monotonous (maybe trying to imbue mystery) that I didn't know what was happening until a few chapters in. That made it hard to get into and connect with. I also felt like the author held back and was afraid to take risks with their writing. Which doesn’t make sense when politically the book isn’t a safe or easy plot. Honestly though, when it seems like the author didn't have much fun writing it, I don't have much fun reading it. The present tense didn't do it any favors either.
September 11, 2019
Great contemporary spy novel, fast-paced, interesting characters. M16 and their Swedish counterparts engage in a cat-and-mouse game involving human rights, the Middle East and war crimes. The personal lives of the agents become entangled with their assignments, putting their families in danger. Do you fight for your family or the agency you work for? This novel is an engaging and quick read, I'm hoping the characters continue on in further novels by this author.
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
September 25, 2019
My first book by this author and hopefully it won't be the last. An excellent spy versus spy thriller and I loved the complex character of Bente Jensen.
Excellent characterisations and a deep knowledge of tradecraft made this an exhilarating read.
Excellent characterisations and a deep knowledge of tradecraft made this an exhilarating read.
February 23, 2020
Recommended with reservations.
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
July 20, 2020
❤❤ Love it. Couldn't put it down. Bente was amazing and am glad she had a friend whom she could trust especially in her field of work. A must read..
November 21, 2019
I first came across Andreas Norman, the author of this Swedish spy thriller, back in 2014 when I read his debut novel, Into a Raging Blaze. Norman, a former Swedish diplomat, had written a prescient novel at a time when Edward Snowden’s revelations of mass NSA surveillance were rocking the world. In Into a Raging Blaze, his protagonist, Bente Jenson, the head of Swedish Intelligence’s station in Brussels, had to contend with a devious MI6 and the impact of mass surveillance. I gave the book three stars – there was a little too much detail of the workings of the EU for my liking – but thought it strong enough to want to read anything else the author went on to write.
Fast forward to 2019 and finally, there’s a sequel, The Silent War. Featuring many of the same characters from the previous title, not least protagonist Bente Jenson and calculatingly sinister antagonist, MI6 man Jonathan Green, this is yet another topical thriller. This time the plot surrounds the torture of terror suspects - ISIS members being tortured in an MI6 safe house just across the border from Syria in Turkey - and how reliable the intelligence gleaned from them can be.
Bente has a war to fight on two fronts in this novel. On the domestic front, she has suspicions concerning her husband’s fidelity, while her son is playing up at school and has anger issues. On the professional front, she has been passed a USB drive exposing MI6’s involvement in torture in Syria, and when she passes it up the line to her superiors it is unwelcome. Sweden relies on intelligence from MI6 and thus does not want to rock the boat. Jonathan Green, for MI6’s part, wants the information back and is willing to countenance anything to get it.
Whereas the author’s debut, Into a Raging Blaze, was a solid and worthy, albeit plodding affair, The Silent War is a much more assured effort. This is a much better novel than the first in the series; it’s gripping yet cerebral, a page-turner, yet one that maturely grapples with important issues that face the intelligence services and their masters to this day. It’s a cliché when writing a review of a spy thriller to compare the author to John Le Carré, but with his background in diplomacy and security matters which shines through in his research and the narrative of his novel, in this case, the comparison seems apt.
The Silent War is a brilliant novel that really holds its own in the annals of the modern espionage thriller. The author has really come into his own with this novel and it will be interesting to see what he does next. Without divulging spoilers, the novel ends on a note that could see the end of Bente Jenson’s journey (and that of MI6 man Jonathan Green) or might lead to a third outing for the characters. Either way, whether the author writes a third in the series or something new, on the strength of this outstanding novel I’ll be reading it.
5 out of 5 stars
Fast forward to 2019 and finally, there’s a sequel, The Silent War. Featuring many of the same characters from the previous title, not least protagonist Bente Jenson and calculatingly sinister antagonist, MI6 man Jonathan Green, this is yet another topical thriller. This time the plot surrounds the torture of terror suspects - ISIS members being tortured in an MI6 safe house just across the border from Syria in Turkey - and how reliable the intelligence gleaned from them can be.
Bente has a war to fight on two fronts in this novel. On the domestic front, she has suspicions concerning her husband’s fidelity, while her son is playing up at school and has anger issues. On the professional front, she has been passed a USB drive exposing MI6’s involvement in torture in Syria, and when she passes it up the line to her superiors it is unwelcome. Sweden relies on intelligence from MI6 and thus does not want to rock the boat. Jonathan Green, for MI6’s part, wants the information back and is willing to countenance anything to get it.
Whereas the author’s debut, Into a Raging Blaze, was a solid and worthy, albeit plodding affair, The Silent War is a much more assured effort. This is a much better novel than the first in the series; it’s gripping yet cerebral, a page-turner, yet one that maturely grapples with important issues that face the intelligence services and their masters to this day. It’s a cliché when writing a review of a spy thriller to compare the author to John Le Carré, but with his background in diplomacy and security matters which shines through in his research and the narrative of his novel, in this case, the comparison seems apt.
The Silent War is a brilliant novel that really holds its own in the annals of the modern espionage thriller. The author has really come into his own with this novel and it will be interesting to see what he does next. Without divulging spoilers, the novel ends on a note that could see the end of Bente Jenson’s journey (and that of MI6 man Jonathan Green) or might lead to a third outing for the characters. Either way, whether the author writes a third in the series or something new, on the strength of this outstanding novel I’ll be reading it.
5 out of 5 stars
July 31, 2019
I really enjoyed this book and the one thing I liked very much was the character of Bente I felt the way she dealt with her life especially when dealing with one of her son’s Rasmus was written in a very thoughtful way, the way she coped and took what life was throwing at her while trying to run her section in Brussels was so well written. This is a story of espionage and is a well crafted read dealing with a lot of issues and although the story is complex it’s never difficult to follow, fast moving and mainly set in Brussels it also focuses on the UK and Syria. Although this is a spy story I felt it was much more than that and it made for an excellent read that I can highly recommend and I look forward to reading more from Andreas Norman in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books, Riverrun for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books, Riverrun for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Want to Read
July 31, 2019I absolutely loved this book. This is the first time I've read any book by Andreas Norman and I'm quite glad that I requested the book. I really liked the way the character Bente Jensen was created. And the personal issues that Bente has to deal with along with the professional life troubles makes her seem much more human and not a hardcore literary spy. I really liked that in the book. But the character of Jonathan Green was not a very likeable character even though he had his own demons to fight. Overall a quite enjoyable book and one that I'll not hesitate to recommend. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books, Riverrun for giving me this ARC in exchange of my honest review.
September 3, 2019
It's well written but i couldn't connect to the characters and the book fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews