A new and different challenge for Investigator Kalisz.

"Blood Vengeance" opens on Christmas Eve 1943, with the death of SOE operative Krystina Kowolska , in Arisaig, Scotland. Since she was a Polish operative, with an illustrious record, Winston Churchill is anxious to learn more about her death before it jeopardises Britain's relationship with Poland. And who better to ask than renowned Polish investigator Jan Kalisz? In record time he is secretly transported from Warsaw to the SOE training facilities in the wilds of Scotland, where he begins his investigation.

Kalisz is soon knee-deep in a mystery which rapidly grows in scope, as he uncovers conspiracies and secrets among the various SOE teams, none of whom want him interfering in their operations. He also learns that Krystina was a far more complex character than he thought.

Fans of the first two books in Douglas Jackson's Warsaw Quartet will immediately recognise that Kalisz, uprooted from his beloved Warsaw, is in uncharted territory - literally. He is a stranger in a strange land - relying purely on his skills as a detective. This works well - removing the pressures of living under the Nazi occupation, operating as a double agent, and seeing what is happening to his homeland - frees Kalisz to do what he does best, and so this book is more akin to a police procedural than either of the two preceding books. With the help of a female liaison officer, he questions suspects, follows clues and uncovers plots, despite the barriers he faces at every turn. He also quickly realises that those in charge will stop at nothing to achieve their aims, whatever the cost.

The author has cleverly woven in real-life characters such as Major Sykes and Major Maxwell (inventors of the famous commando knife) and actual events such as the ill-fated Operation Foxley. And, of course, the real-life locations around Arisaig, which were used to train SOE agents before they were deployed in Europe are painted in their full and wild glory. Several set-pieces involving the antics of those living in Arisaig are both chilling and entertaining.

A sub-plot, which follows Kalisz' wife and son, as they continue to help the resistance movement in Poland, keep alive the spirit of the previous books, and the final pages of the book promise a rousing conclusion to the series in book four. Some fans of the series might not be happy with the new setting but rest assured, this is another first-rate thriller. Highly recommended.

Looking for something a little different from the normal reading matter, I settled on this one, not sure what to expect, but I was presently surprised.
On another day, I might have read so much and put it to one side, but I was happy to keep going and was given an enjoyable read, that kept the who did it aspect ongoing until the end.
Recommended.

Really good! I always read the author's thrillers avidly! Like the others, this one has hooked me from page one up to the very end. The fact that it takes place in Scotland where spies are trained, has enabled tension to swell up: all men and women are trained to kill and one of them is a murderer..... Very interesting as well, the plot was thrilling, and not one moment was boring. I like the main character very much and do fear for him and his family back in Poland. The conclusion was satisfying, though I would have liked to know more about what was going on with his family in Poland... I can't wait for the next book in the series!
I have received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

After reading Jackson’s two prior books from the Warsaw Quartet, I was looking forward to diving headfirst into the third book of this series. However, unlike the previous books, Blood Vengeance takes place in Scotland, when Polish Investigator Jan Kalisz is whisked off to investigate the murder of a beautiful Polish espionage agent, Krystina Kowolska. Making matters more complicated, the crime scene is located in the remote area of Arisaig, where Britain trains men and women for specialized operations involving sabotage, subversion, and the art of killing in enemy-occupied countries. As if that were not enough, while Kowolska had a reputation as a heroic and highly-effective underground agent in Nazi-occupied France, Kalisz uncovers accusations that she may have actually been a traitor, as well as a very troubled individual.

Giving this historical novel an even a stronger feel for a world at war in the early 1940s, Jackson deftly combined Kalisz’s investigation with his wife’s deadly interactions with the Gestapo in Poland, as well as taking a closer look at Kowolska’s role behind enemy lines. Even so, much of the book felt like a police procedural in a unusually dangerous setting, where Kalisz was forced to match wits with an endless number of highly trained killers. Indeed, Kalisz’s methodical analysis in piecing together the minute clues and assorted evidence reminded me of the all-time classic investigator, Sherlock Holmes.

Although Jackson’s work is definitely reminiscent of the masterful Philip Kerr, I didn’t feel that this novel measured up to the first two books in the series. For that matter, along with trying to recall all the names of the many suspects Kalisz encountered, I felt that the novel would have been much better if it had been edited down by 50-or so pages. Also, unlike the high action quotient in his previous novels, the much slower pace of this book was slightly disappointing. Even so, I would definitely recommend this third installment of the Blood Quartet to anyone who enjoys historical fiction featuring WWII.

My thanks to Net Galley and Canelo Action for an eARC in exchange for honest feedback.