One man at the heart of American power must undertake a crucial wartime spy mission that will take him into enemy territory before he even leaves US soil.
Washington DC, 1941.
Quincy Kane, hero of the Boston Police Department and scourge of organised crime, is now a Secret Service agent. His meteoric rise means he's trusted to guard the most important man in the country: President Roosevelt.
Then Imperial Japan attacks the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.
For Kane, American entry to World War II means the most crucial mission of his career: a complex scheme of bribery and subterfuge that will see him cross the Atlantic. He could change the course of the conflict and save thousands of Allied lives.
First, though, he will have to survive a return to the world of organised crime via the City of Angels itself: Los Angeles, where every gangster has Quincy Kane in their crosshairs.
From award-winning author Graham Hurley, Kane is a thrilling part of the Spoils of War Collection, a non-chronological series set during World War II and featuring some of the most momentous stories and figures of the era.
I'm delighted to be sharing my review of Kane today. My sincere apologies to Graham Hurley, Head of Zeus and Ransom PR for the delay; my daughter was unexpectedly admitted to hospital, she's fine now but it meant my plans had to change for a few days. Many thanks for the invitation to the blog tour and for sending me a copy of this outstanding novel.
I've had the pleasure of reading a few of the titles in Graham Hurley's non-chronological Spoils of War series now and there's a reason why I keep coming back for more. Unlike most series, there is no central character or characters for readers to have become invested in and choose to follow; instead it is purely down to the strength of the story and the immersive worlds Graham Hurley depicts which always leaves me eagerly awaiting his next novel. Kane is the tenth book in the series and takes the action to the USA. I think it might be my favourite to date.
The first part of the book is a masterclass in characterisation and scene-setting. From the opening page, Quincy Kane is somebody we want to know more about and it quickly becomes apparent there is much to discover. He is a former police officer who is now a Secret Service agent and bodyguard to none other than President Roosevelt. The close relationship he has with FDR is fascinating and Graham Hurley's melding of known facts with artistic licence is impeccable. Plans are afoot for a fire drill to ensure the polio paralysed President can be kept safe. Kane also has to read the insulting and vitriolic missives sent to Roosevelt and ensure each letter is traced to an address, with details passed on to the FBI's General Intelligence Division, before deciding whether the local cops also need to pay a visit. At a time when social media allows us instant access to many of our politicians, it's intriguing to consider just how potentially disturbing the act of actually putting pen to paper before sending an abusive letter through the post is.
Soon, however, the President and Kane himself have even bigger issues to contend with. The novel is set in 1941 and so, of course, on 7th December, America and the world are stunned when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Just four days later, the country's policy of isolationism was forcibly halted after Germany declared war and the USA entered World War II. Meanwhile, Kane has his own personal issues to contend with and the scenes featuring his family in Boston and his passionate on-off relationship with Lou Mahoney allow us to see yet more sides of this multifaceted man.
Mahoney is a reporter and a fabulous character who leaps from the page every time she appears, and even though her dogged pursuit of a story risks Kane's career, his admiration for her persists. Her interviews with and articles about Eleanor Roosevelt are a reminder of the former First Lady's appeals for calm and her statements that those of Japanese ancestry shouldn't cease to be Americans. These small interludes aren't necessarily a major plot point but give such historical depth to the novel – likewise the scenes featuring a petty and demanding Winston Churchill who takes over the Lincoln Suite at the White House.
Just as Kane realises the extent of his feelings for Mahoney, his world changes again and he becomes embroiled in a complex bribery scheme involving a Vichy admiral, a million dollars and a skilled counterfeiter whom Kane helped to put away years previously. He is sent to Los Angeles where he and another Secret Service agent, Gus Leaman attempt to put the audacious plot into action. Gus is an old friend of Kane's who is fluent in five languages and lives above a shop called Hollywood Reptiles with a rhinoceros viper named Parsifal who enjoys listening to Wagner. Gus apparently 'has a brain the size of a planet and takes a raw pleasure from the madness of Southern California.'
Its appeal doesn't rub off on Kane, not least because Mahoney is close by but as she concentrates on training for a revenge boxing match against the woman who beat her last time, he discovers she has come to the attention of local gangster, José Cuesta. Hollywood's thin veneer is quickly exposed here and Kane soon realises the entertainment industry is run by organised crime and awash with corruption. Although he persists with his counterfeiting mission, he is drawn into an even deadlier game and makes a powerful, dangerous enemy who has already left a trail of mutilated bodies behind him.
Kane is an intricately plotted rollercoaster of a historical thriller and the dramatic denouement is particularly breathtaking. The tension engendered is almost unbearable; Graham Hurley cleverly evokes a sense of personal urgency which persists even above the madness of a city and country finding itself at war. It is an outstanding book and I'd go so far to argue that it goes beyond WWII thriller into state of the nation territory with its raw, authentic exploration of social and political upheaval as isolationism came to its abrupt end, and its sharp portrayal of racism, misogyny and profiteering. Kane is a compulsive, intelligently bittersweet triumph – I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Kane is published by Head of Zeus and can be purchased here. It is also available from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones, Kobo, Amazon and independent bookshops.
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About the Author
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Graham Hurley is a documentary maker and a novelist. For the last two decades he's written full-time, penning nearly fifty books. Two made the short list for the Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year, while Finisterre – the first in the Spoils of War collection – was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. Graham lives in East Devon with his lovely wife, Lin.
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