FICTION

One Man's Flag

by David Downing
Soho Crime. Nov. 2015. 384p. ISBN 9781616952709. $27.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616952716. F
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Jack McColl returns in Downing's second volume in his World War I espionage series (after Jack of Spies). Previously a volunteer, he is now an official spy for England. Although the war is raging in 1915, unrest in India over British rule is growing and McColl is sent to thwart Bengali terrorists and their German allies. In England, Caitlin Hanley, journalist and feminist, seeks stories about both a possible Irish uprising and the war in Europe as she recovers from the betrayal that resulted in her IRA-connected brother's execution. Hanley and McColl pursue their separate agendas but, as time passes, they realize that the relationship they once forged cannot be broken by war or politics.
VERDICT Downing exhibits his knowledge of world history in a wide-ranging story that takes place in India, Ireland, and Belgium. His details about how countries in the British empire were affected by the Great War are quite absorbing; however, the history lessons sometimes overshadow the slowly paced story. Not an action-packed thriller but recommended for those who enjoy their romance mixed with world events.
Reviewed by Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY , Oct 01, 2015
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