A Gathering of Saints

by Christopher Hyde

While Hitler's Luftwaffe rains terror upon London, Scotland Yard pursues a lone psychopath who kills with methodical precision and is privy to the Allies' most closely guarded secrets. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Historical, War

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Christopher Hyde has worked as a researcher, editor, TV interviewer specialising in stories of technology, intelligence and the environment.
He also writes using the pseudonyms

A.J. Holt.
Paul Christopher.

Reviews

[Phil]

I have read several of Hyde's novels and, while quite diverse, he excels with thrillers. The setting for A Gathering of Saints consists largely of London during the WWII blitz; hard to even imagine the horror of nightly bombing raids involving hundreds of tons of explosives, incendiary bombs and all kinds of evil. Our main protagonist, detective inspector Morris Black, stumbles upon a bizarre case that just grows. Someone, who eventually gets deems 'Queer Jack', is killing people in the very places where the Germans will strike next; typically, the bodies are found the next day in the rubble.

Queer Jack possesses a unique way of killing people, but I will skip the details on that. Fairly soon, however, the various British Intelligence services take an interest in the case. How does Queer Jack know where the Germans will strike next? The background for this reminded me of Stevenson's Cryptonomicon and even involves some of the same characters; both authors really did their homework! The 'magic circle' of spooks managed to decode the infamous German 'enigma' code and know where the Germans will strike next, but this is a very closely held secret. If they tip off the Germans that they have cracked the code, they know the Germans will invent something perhaps even more tricky to decode. So, the let the bombs fall without giving any warning. Horrible dilemma, but so it goes.

The problem consists of the fact that Queer Jack somehow knows where the bombs will fall also; they assume he must either be a German agent or there is a leak. Hence, Detective Morris and his case become subsumed into the intelligence system, much to the chagrin of Morris himself! Another character quickly enters into the picture as well-- an actual German spy who has personal and professional connections with many in the English ruling elite, including the intelligence agencies. He, via his connections, also finds out about Queer Jack and Morris, and basically gets the nod from Germany to find out what is going on...

Besides the killer intrigue, cloak and dagger stuff, Hyde does a fine job breathing life into the cast, and putting personalities on many historical figures, albeit not often flattering ones! Morris, a jew, morosely works as detective as his life has lost meaning after the tragic death of his wife a few years back. An excellent detective, even he faces prejudice, though he does not even practice his faith. Who are the traitors? Many high ranking English lords and politicians want peace with Germany, and are even willing to take the knee to him. These closet fascists populate the novel and pretty soon Hyde paints a picture where trust becomes pretty hard to find anywhere. The detailed depictions of the bombs falling is harrowing. Fucking war. Hyde also does a great job with pacing and building the tension until the fine denouement. If you like WWII historical fiction, this is definitely one to check out. 4.5 flaming stars!!

[Will Semin]

This book is the only way to go! Any other book just tells you what to do, this book taeches it to you in an ENTERTAINING way.

[Pete]

A top notch page turner full of intrigue. This novel succeeds on many levels. For starters, the historical aspects that relate to England during the Blitz provide the perfect backdrop to the story. The author mixes political intrigue, horror, mystery and a crime drama into a fluidly paced adventure that is very satisfying. The characters are well defined. I'm surprised that this novel hasn't been adapted into a movie.

[Bill]

This is set in London during the German raids of Word War II.
During each raid, a serial killer strikes. This is a fascinating story at a terrifying time in history.
It has it all, suspense, intrigue, mystery. Very enjoyable.

[Gram]

A terrific World War II thriller that features British, German and American spies, a crazed serial murderer with an ingenious killing device and treasonous British politicians, plotting to appease Hitler and allow the Nazis to turn Britain into a puppet state. Ranged against them is a Scotland Yard detective, Morris Black and counter-intelligence officer Guy Liddell, along with British spymaster, Maxwell Knight (both real life characters) and a female American journalist, who also works for the newly-formed OSS. There's also a cameo part for James Bond author Ian Fleming. Throughout, the story details the worst of the Blitz on London and other parts of the country, with the serial killer - dubbed "Queer Jack" - seemingly having knowledge of when and where the Luftwaffe's bombs will fall. Meanwhile, a British doctor - a psychiatrist with many upper class clients - is revealed as a German spy, whose sessions uncover many secrets of the British ruling class. Chief among these is "Ultra" - the code-breaking system at Bletchley Park. Amid the falling bombs, Black and his allies in British and American intelligence must deal with the problem of a leak from Winston Churchill's "Magic Circle" and stop "Queer Jack" and the psychiatrist/spy, known as "The Doctor", from revealing knowledge of Ultra, allowing Nazi Germany to invade Britain. The gripping denouement of this fast-paced tale takes place in a famous landmark which was a potent symbol of London's resistance to the Blitz. Hyde's research for this fascinating tale throws up a plethora of detail about little known secrets of World War II and is a must-read for fans of history and thrillers alike.

[Elaine Cougler]

A Gathering of Saints by Christopher Hyde was quite a rewarding read giving insight into new (to me) facets of the Second World War. Things such as the role of Americans in the early 40's, especially those in England, are exemplified through Katherine Copeland and remarks about Joseph Kennedy. And the Depth of spy rings offset against the apathy and self-serving actions of the Brits often amaze. A good read.

[Tyler Arnold]

What starts as a very questionable beginning will captivate you towards the end. The plot gets darker and more convoluted the more pages you turn. There are definitely some fluff moments that could be exorcised from the book, but through and through the story in its entirety is worth a read for anybody that falls in the thriller, murder, crime solving, or spy genres.

[Carrie]

Lots of historical names - are their stories based on truth? Fast, suspenseful action until the last 20 pages were it bogged down in an overflow of details trying to wrap everything up.

[M. Sprouse]

I found this book more interesting than entertaining. As a historical thriller it works. The details about the actual "Blitz" of London and the British industrial cities like Coventry seem fairly accurate. The inclusion of actual historical characters like Guy Liddell and Maxwell Knight, seem to make this novel even more intriguing.

Sometimes the action got bogged down with details especially at both ends of this tale. My other negative relates to holes and deficiencies in character development. Detective Black is a solid and fairly sympathetic hero, but doesn't "Wow" the reader. He seems a bit like vanilla ice cream, nice but very plain. The "Number," the story's serial killer could have been developed more as a character and even with what we were given he's one Compelling serial killer. We never were privy to what happened in India that was alluded to in the earlier story.

"A Gathering of Saints," is not really for those looking for a quick, light read or for the squeamish. Overall a good thriller especially for history buffs,the patient, and more cerebral readers. It probably would have the makings of a first-rate movie.

[Vultural]

Hyde, Christopher - A Gathering Of Saints

A few months earlier, I read Max Collins’ London Blitz Murders, fact based fiction about an actual serial killer, busy during WWII.
I grabbed Hyde’s book as a “travel book,” and once I began reading I experienced a bit of deja vu.

Once again, a serial killer strikes during attacks, once again Sir Bernard Spilsbury is a key player.
Fortunately, the narrative veers in different directions.

The victims are males, perhaps closeted homosexuals. Also, after a hundred pages, Spilsbury disappears from the story. In addition, there is no participation by Agatha Christie. In the last quarter of the book, the investigative team is aided by one Ian Fleming instead.

This is a solid thriller. Multiple agencies pursue the murderer: Scotland Yard, the SIS (later to become MI5), the budding OSS (later CIA), and a clandestine Nazi agent working directly for Reinhard Heydrich.

The action is tight, characters fairly well drawn. Wasn’t keen on the resolution - felt rushed - but enjoyed the book overall.

(Being a “travel book” I finished it while on a trip and left it in Gate CE for someone else to enjoy.)

[Peter]

Not quite up to the standard of Hyde’s best fiction but still a good read of a serial killer murdering his victims during the Blitz and, apparently, deliberately selecting locations hours before they are bombed by the Luftwaffe, all the while being pursued by a dogged and persistent detective and German and American spies. A not entirely satisfying ending lessens the impact but it’s a compelling portrait of wartime London.

[Tomi]

Except for the too-detailed sex scene, this was a great read.

[Linda Chrisman]

I love the way he blinds real life people, like Johnny Kent, into the story. Makes it read more like history than fiction! Well-researched and very hard to put down.

[A.J. Blanc]

I came across an old, beat-up copy of this novel about a decade prior (2015) while casually glancing on a shelf of free books in a waiting room somewhere; the synopsis sounded interesting so I figured what the heck. Wow, what a gem! A Gathering of Saints is one of the best written books I have ever read. This book is a murder mystery, spy thriller, and history book all rolled into one. At times I had to remind myself that I was reading a fictional novel. The details were incredibly vivid (almost to a fault), the characters were well-developed, the plot was fascinating and engaging, and the pacing was spot on.

As I indicated above, this book has a good deal of actual history behind it. Due to that I feel compelled to provide a short excerpt from the novel's Author's Note section: "Although A Gathering of Saints is a work of fiction, it is based entirely on historical fact. With almost no exceptions, the characters in the book are real people, and virtually all the events took place as they have been described..." This may not sound very believable, and for a fictional novel not a big deal, but the amount of research put into this makes a huge difference that is noticeable very early on in the story.

A few minor points that I personally didn't care for, but didn't affect my overall opinion of the book much: With all the realism this book offers I had trouble buying into the MOD and SIS giving a Yard inspector highly classified information, namely about the Enigma(Ultra), even for a serial murder case with perceived connections to its decrypted transmissions. Also, there was a scene in the book where an American spy blurts out the name and title of the main character; detective inspector Morris Black, in a public place, which is simply not something she would do. Hyde writes a fantastic race against the clock between the hero, Morris, and a Nazi spy to find the main villain, but the path the spy takes seemed a lot more logical to me, and easier to boot; still nicely done though. Lastly, there were far too many characters to keep track of. A dramatis personae page would've been very helpful.

If you're a fan of murder mysteries, tales of espionage, political thrillers, WWII-era stories, English locales, well-defined characters, or all of the above than I would highly recommend adding this book and/or author to your collection. Due to the research and attention to detail alone, I will now be looking into some of Christopher Hyde's other works, many of which seem equally as interesting. This may very well be my new favorite book.

[Beverly]

Set in 1940 during the London blitz, this novel combines police procedural, serial killers, and spies. Hyde uses real life characters like Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and Joseph Kennedy. This may be distracting.

[Jak]

This book didn't do it for me. I didn't feel the suspence/thriller eliment nor felt any affection for the characters.

[Peter]

Christopher Hyde's thriller set in the Blitz during World War II as a hunt for a Jack The Ripper style killer is underway. Hyde knows how to construct thrillers. this is one of his better ones.

[George Ilsley]

A serial killer with World War II history as the background. The elements somehow did not congeal into a ... pudding? Mystery? Horror thriller? Sorry.

[Debi Robertson]

An excellent mixture of fact with this novel. Dropped all my other reading material as I got into this. A great description of the conditions not often talked about in war torn London. The internal machinations of the organizations involved in fighting the war still amaze me and I have done a lot of historical reading in that regard. Still wonder how we won. Probably had to do with the grit of the fighting men and not necessarily their leaders.

[Ian Wooder]

This book was really enjoyable to read. It's one that I would read again.

It's about an era that I am really interested in, WWII and has mystery, is a thriller and just pure enjoyable.

I had actually never read anything by Christopher Hyde before and had just picked this book up in a second hand store on a whim.

I am anxious to see and read what else he has written.