An explosive start that immediately drags you in. It’s a well-written, realistic and engaging read that doesn’t pull any punches and maintains a vice-like grip and genuine sense of intrigue throughout its 400+ pages—an absolute must for all fans of WWII historical fiction.

I haven’t read Graham Hurley’s other books in this series, but that didn’t affect my understanding or enjoyment. I’ll certainly check out his other work.
Recommended!

My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with author through the Faraday and Winter series but this is the first book in the Spoils of War series. Although I believe the books in this series are meant to able to be read as stand alone books I feel I would have benefitted from reading the earlier books first. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Set in the last throes of WWII it explores the power struggle between the western allies and Russia as the latter closes in on Berlin. Well written and well researched it will be a good addition to the novels written about that time in our history. A book a can recommend to all those with an interest in that time

The end of WW2 is in sight and the Allies are jockeying for position, whilst the German leadership are trying to ignore the inevitable.

Katastrophe follows several protagonists, each with their own part to play in what happens next. This is the seventh book in a series, none of which I had previously read, but will look for now. The historical detail is fascinating but the story is all about the human angle, Set at a critical point in the war, it seems everyone has an ulterior motive.

Thank you to the author, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy. Katastrophe is now in general sale.

Wow! What a read. I haven’t read any Hurley books before and didn’t realise this is part of a series, but it’s a brilliant stand alone. This really brought the final months of the war to life as the reader views events through the eyes of three very different spies; German, Soviet and British. Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and his henchmen are really brought to life and it’s so well written, it feels true!

It’s a very clever and complex mix of fact and fiction. A huge cast of characters, many real and those that are fictional fictional fit easily into the plot. It’s a mix of Machiavellian intrigues as each side tries to out manoeuvre the other in their plans to win. The locations are really vivid and I found the depiction of Stalin and his hideout really compelling. It’s really well written and I had no trouble investing in the story or people. Excellent all round and I’ll be looking into the earlier books in the series on the strength of this read.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Not usually a fan of historical fiction but I enjoyed this. Kept me interested from the get go which doesn’t happen with this type of novel normally. Would definitely recommend

Katastrophe, the latest book in the author’s ‘Spoils of War’ series, is set in the final months of the Second World War. There’s a real sense of finality about the book as we witness the ruin of people and places. The terrible and lasting impact of war – physical and psychological – is reflected in the experiences of the four main characters – British MI5 operatives, Tam Moncrieff and Ursula Barton, journalist and propagandist, Werner Nehmann, and German intelligence officer, Wilhelm Schultz – some of whom make return appearances from the author’s previous two novels, Last Flight to Stalingrad and Kyiv.

There are some intense, dark and harrowing scenes involving Nehmann and Schultz, both survivors of the siege of Stalingrad, but now respectively subjected to the horror of a Soviet labour camp and brutal interrogation. Subsequently they find themselves pawns in a wider political game. For Moncrieff and Barton, their experience is one of overwhelming disillusionment and a sense of betrayal. It’s something that has left Barton ‘a frail, tormented figure’ and Moncrieff with unanswered questions about the fate of someone close to him.

The title of the series – Spoils of War – is particularly apt because in Katastophe the reader sees played out the manoeuvring even amongst supposed allies for control of territory occupied during the conflict. The co-operation that existed between Western nations and the Soviet Union in order to defeat Hitler is crumbling, replaced by suspicion, secrecy and underhand tactics. Stalin emerges as a ruthless and malevolent player in this attempted power grab. As Ursula Barton observes at one point, ‘The war’s coming to an end. Everyone knows that. The question is how, and when, and who controls which bits of our poor bloody continent when it’s over’. We also witness those formerly high up in the Third Reich, now in shattered pieces, struggling to come to terms with defeat or even in their delusion refusing to accept it.

Behind all the political manouvering the suffering inflicted on civilians on both sides is laid bare: the bombing of cities, the displacement of people, the ravages of hunger or the ruthlessness of invading forces. It’s brought vividly to life in a way that can’t help make you think of the current situation in Ukraine. Indeed, I found myself thinking of that poor country repeatedly whilst reading the book, leaving me with an overwhelming sense of sadness that we seemed to have learned nothing. As a character observes, ‘No one was ready for Hitler, not because he hadn’t warned them what was coming, but because they hadn’t listened.’ For Hitler, substitute Putin?

Katastrophe is a brilliant blend of fact and fiction that even in its darkest moments remains utterly compelling. It takes a fair degree of skill to create a sense of tension in a series of events where the outcome is already known, but the author definitely achieves it. I felt totally immersed in the lives of the characters and eager to learn their fate. None of them emerge unscathed but there are one or two glimmers of hope that demonstrate perhaps war hasn’t robbed them all of everything. If Katastrophe does mark the conclusion of the series, it’s definitely ended on a high note.

Kept me engaged from the first page. The book follows several characters throughout the final months of WWII. These characters are all involved in the intelligence service. The stories eventually intertwine and the reader gets to thoroughly enjoy the experience of these characters, whom you start to really get involved with due to the great character development by Hurley, as they start to interact with each other. The novel has thrills and surprises but the best part is that it doesn't overly rely on violence. It is refreshing to get an espionage novel that isn't just a bunch of explosions or sex. Hurley also does a great job portraying the different views of the war, and of peace, through the different characters experience. So many novels I've read focus on the Blitz, it was a good exercise for me to envision the German experience during Allied bombings. Hurley does well to focus on that and helps the reader realize the fear and danger that exists in Germany towards the end of the war.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4832019147?book_show_action=false

Katastrophe
By Graham Hurley

Another World War II novel. Filled with characters representing the whole gamut of participants in the European war, some real, some fiction. The author changes perspective from chapter to chapter to give the reader the war from multiple viewpoints as the it winds down. We see Germans, both soldiers and civilians, who have been captured, tortured and sent to gulags when the tide of war has turned in favor of Russia, only to be returned to Germany to further Stalin's agenda. We see Goebbels and Himmler jockeying for position as the Reich goes down in flames. We see members of Britain's MI5 and MI6 as they try to "stay in the game" being taken over by the Russians and the Americans. We see the various spies and counterspies interacting across Europe.

The writing here is good; the story might have been better with fewer characters. In the interest of generating back-story, the book became somewhat hard to follow. And in the end, I couldn't quite grasp what it was all about – war is hell? there are no good guys and bad guys? we are all responsible? God is the final resort? The author is ambitious and I look forward to his next book.

I have not read any of this series, but the publisher, Head of Zeus asked me to read this one. I love Historical Fiction, especially dealing with WWII.

This book was just okay to me. I had no vested interest in any of these characters, because I have not read any of these books, and this is the last one, so I didn't really care what happened. I finished the book and I think had I read the others, I would have liked it more. I plan on reading the series now, but maybe a little before I get to it.

If you have read the series, I think you need to read this one. It seems to tie stuff altogether. It comes out June 7, 2022.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Head of Zeus for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

January, 1945: The war in Europe is in its death throes. The allies are advancing on Berlin and German territory is shrinking by the day. Even Goebbels, the master of propaganda, can no longer hide the fact that Hitler's dream of the Thousand Year Reich is now in tatters.

As the Allies try to out manoeuvre each other with powerplays to achieve a peace that gets them the pick of the spoils of war, Stalin is out to stake his claim to what he feels is his by right. At the centre of his scheming are two men who thought their lives would come to an end in the rubble of Stalingrad... two men who have each spent the last two years trying separately to survive as prisoners of war in Russian hands.

Journalist Werner Nehmann has been pulled from the horror of the gulags to be sent back to Germany with a message from Stalin for his former boss Goebbels. What he doesn't know is that his old friend, German military intelligence officer Willi Schultz, who barely survived interrogation at the hands of the NKVD in Moscow, is also being sent back to Germany on a mission for Stalin - with a letter for Heimlich Himmler. Meanwhile, MI5 agent Tam Moncrieff has been set a task by his spymasters to try to discover what exactly is going on between British and American agents and a German General in Switzerland, as they try to put into action their own secret plans to gain an edge in the fall of Nazi Germany. Are they each heading for Katastrophe?

I first came across the Spoils of War books from Graham Hurley last year when I read the spectacular Kyiv, about Operation Barbarossa and the siege of Kyiv in 1941. Impressed with the way Hurley immersed me right into the compelling history of World War II, bringing to life the complex political and military events of the time through the use of excellent characterisation, and throwing in a good dollop of delicious spy shenanigans, I couldn't wait to read more.

The latest book in the series, Katastrophe, takes you into the fascinating realms of a different period of World War II - the months leading up to the surrender of Nazi Germany. The scale of this book is immense, and covers a lot of ground considering the timescale it focuses on is rather brief, starting at is does in January 1945 and ending around VE Day in May of the same year. The story follows the adventures of three main characters who will be familiar to fans of this series, Nehmann, Schultz and Moncrieff, as they go about their undercover exploits, and through them we get an intriguing glimpse of the lay of the land in a number of European locations - most importantly in Stalin's Russia, and in crumbling Nazi Germany.

I have read a little about the happenings of this time, when the Allies were vying for position, and more than one significant Nazi heavy-weight was making a play to ensure that they would survive the fall of the Third Reich - but I have never read anything that lays everything out in such an engaging way as this, turning the complicated history into a cracking page-turner of an affair that keeps you gripped throughout. Hurley touches on the significant details of the political and military events that dictated how history played out through the use of characters from the pages of the history books, and those of his own invention, and blends fact and fiction to fashion a gripping story of danger and double dealing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. His skill in concentrating on the people involved and tying you to their fate works so well, whilst conveying a wealth of history at the same time.

To go into all the themes that Hurley packs into this book would be impossible here because there are so many, but the insight he displays into how these events influence what follows once Germany falls is impressive. I was really struck by the way he explores the interplay between Britain, America and Russia, especially the fracturing of relationships, the misconceptions, and the naked ambition of Stalin that inevitably leads on to the start of the Cold War. There is a rich seam to be mined in terms of the world of espionage, and what the secret services might look like post-war, that is very thought provoking too - made extra gritty by Moncrieff's continued sparring with the yet unmasked traitor Kim Philby. I also have to say that I have rarely seen the black art and chilling effectiveness of propaganda so thoroughly laid bare in a work of fiction.

This book has everything you want from historical fiction. It's beautifully constructed, tense and completely absorbing, with the kind of characters that sweep you along and make history a living, breathing thing. As someone obsessed with Cold War fiction, I adored the way Hurley plants the seeds for what comes post-war, and I very much hope he takes up his pen to delve into where history goes next. In any case, wherever his writing adventures take him I will certainly be along for the ride.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but is so much better if you have read other books from the Spoils of War series - I am gradually working my way through them all and highly recommend you do the same if this period of history is your bag! I promise it will send you down a wealth of rabbit holes!

WWII books are widely available these days, both in novel form and as recent past history books. However, this novel provides a different slant to many fictionalized tales of the time, with German propagandists starting out as prisoners in Soviet Russia, and then being freed to give the USSR an edge on winning the hard fought war against the Germans. It was an intriguing way to see the war fought, and the high price paid by so very many.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this ebook to read and reviews; all opinions are my own.

Since they Yalta Conference, Churchill knows the days of the British Empire are over and Stalin fears the Americans want to make a separate peace with Germans. To discover what Nazis are planning, Stalin sends two German POWs , Willi Schultz, an Abwehr spy, and Werner Nehmann, propaganda writer; back to Berlin. In the meantime, the British instruct MI 5 agent Tam Mongrieff to find proof of the secret American/ German meetings.

Not a bad storyline except the plot jumps around too much, the book lacks cohesiveness. Furthermore, the characters are underdeveloped, for instance, we know that Ursula Barton, a German working at the top level of British intelligence is divorced from a British diplomat , but the author provides little else about her. How did she secure such a high level position in MI 5 ?Also, she reaches across too many areas within the agency to be believable , no one has that kind of access.
However, Moncrieff and Barton suspecting Kim Philby of being a Russian mole adds a nice twist. Nonetheless, this book is only for diehard fans of spy novels.

A well written and crafted story. Many twist and turns that will keep you guessing. I enjoyed the historical figures that play a part in this book. The store is the last few months of WW2 and how so Germans are just trying to survive the last few days. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but that might be because I read a great deal of non-fiction on WW2. I will still recommend this book and look forward to further books from this author.

History is best told through its effect on the lives of individuals and that is what this makes this a gripping read. Europe is facing Katastrophe as the Nazi regime falls apart. Stalin is not the only one deviously negotiating for extra territory. We are entertained to meetings with world leaders and renowned historical figures which show remarkable research. There is tragedy too for several of the individuals in the book. A source of interest are the references to Kim Philby who would later turn out to be a traitor. The only unfortunate and inaccurate part is the frequent references to the English as the nation at war when it was British. I recommend the book.

By January 1945 the map of the Third Reich is shrinking. An Allied victory is inevitable. Werner Nehmann’s war ended in Stalingrad two years before when, with the rest of the sixth army, he was captured and imprisoned in a Gulag. But now he is heading back home with a message for Goebbels, the man who consigned him to Stalingrad.

This story is told from an interesting viewpoint as Nehmann is a journalist, part of Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda but grouped with the other 91,000 German soldiers placed into captivity. It's written well in the style of classic spy stories. With MI5 and the Russians involved it reminds me of a Robert Harris/John LeCarre novel, and I think those books are excellent. This is one of a series of books but works well as a stand-alone novel. I found it a little heavy for my taste, a little overlong and it slowed down in the middle. It is, however, very well written and researched.

My thanks to #NetGalley, #GrahamHurley, and #HeadofZeus for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first novel by Graham Hurley and I enjoyed his sophisticated writing style. The story, unbeknown to me, is the conclusion of a series. A testament to his writing, it stands alone very well, creating a believable blend of fiction and historical characters, as WWII comes to its conclusion.

I was drawn into each of the four main characters’ stories, how they were woven into historical events and intertwined with the titans of WWII: Stalin, Churchill, Goebbels, Himmler and interestingly, Kim Philby.

His vivid descriptions of the various locations, the lapping of a Swiss lake, the taste of the air in crumbling Berlin, to mention but two, were excellent and created wonderfully detailed images in my mind

The end came a little too quickly for me but on reflection, has left me pondering how the next steps of the characters’ lives might be taken…..

I’ll be coming back to this author

A complex tale of the final days of WW11 with two German prisoners captured at Stalingrad eventually sent back to Germany seemingly on a mission to explore the chances of peace by Stalin. A similar scenario with a British agent sent to Switzerland to investigate a meeting by two allied generals with a senior SS officer again with a possible surrender of forces in Italy. At times graphically violent with scenes of torture and slave labour the clever use of historical figures on alll sides melds seamlessly into the narrative. As this is the latest in a series it would help to know a little of the individuals previous history but as a stand-alone story it still works. An impressive serious work.

Interesting take on wind down of WWII for British spies to members of the Nazi machine. Inevitability of war, effects of defeat in the offing, wastefulness of war, and fear of next war with soviets all interplay with the relationships of the characters whose lives intermingle in various ways.

A terrific blockbuster of a thriller, set in the final stages of WW2. Time is running out for the Third Reich, their end seems ineviable but how will Europe be carved up between the victors. If you are fan of of the genre, of spy thrillers, cold war espionage, you will love this. Superbly mixing fact with fiction Graham Hurley lures you in the to where lies the power in the final days of war. It is the first time that I have read anything by the author, but I will seek out other books by him.
The book was superb, I'm looking forward to what must be the inevitable streamed mini series.

“Wars..are so easy to start. And after that..they demand a constant surrender. Katastrophe indeed.”
This gem about World War II, from the perspective of a European point of view delves into espionage, national intelligence, traitors and spies. Topics of German and Russian refugees, prisoners, Stalingrad, rebuilding as it’s all being torn down and torture all make an appearance. Heavy hitters Stalin, Giebbels, Himmler, Wolff & Hitler are represented as well, and everyone’s looking out for themselves.

The main characters who drive the story are varied, from a former German intelligence enforcer, Goebbels’ propaganda and speech writer for Hitler and a government intelligence agent, all with connections to each other personally and professionally. You learn that you could trust no one in the ‘despairing resignation’ of doing what you had to do to survive.

Katastrophe is cleverly written, heady and surprisingly accurate for a historical fiction novel. It even has messages we should be heeding today. “..1939, and everything that followed, need never have happened. Not if we’d been listening properly.”

This is not your slow, easy, beach read, so saddle up when you begin. I had to read in increments just so I could process the characters, code names, events and the plot current as I combined it with WWII history, but it was in a word, magnificent. True WWII history buffs, this story is for you.