This is the second of four books in the Double Agents series. I always look forward to reading an Alex Gerlis book and this one was just as riveting as the previous books. Set in 1939 and 1940, the story follows the planned invasion of Great Britain by Hitler's armed forces. As it follows on closely from the first book in the series, I would recommend reading that before embarking on this one. The plot is quite complex with a very large cast of characters, so it's good to have the list of characters at the beginning of the book to help clarify who's who. The book is extremely well written and very easy to read. The pace is good and there is plenty of action with the ending leading on to the books to follow. I'm looking forward to continuing with this excellent series.

I am a fan of Mr. Gerlis, and have read all of his "espionage" books. I found The Second Traitor to be quite different (mostly in construction). Rather than one story, this book introduces mulitple characters. Each chapter is an introductio, or further detail and progress of a character. The common thread is early Worls War II and it's impact on the decision-making of each. The book is centered on various apects of espionage, competing loyalties, and their results. Initially, I found the book, and the constuction, to be interesting and entertaining; however, though the book is not necesarily long, it began to seem tediuos and became a labor to finish. It is well-written, and the author certainly knows his history and WW II geography. One I had finished, I could only conclude that it is recommended for the hardened fan of competing espionage during that era.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and names I needed to keep track of. I kept forgetting who was who and I had to focus so much it made the reading not as fun. I could not finish the book.

Alex Gerlis' best series yet is hotting up nicely.

"The Second Traitor" opens in September 1940, some twelve months after the events of the first book in Alex Gerlis' Double Agent series. The search for the traitor in MI6, known as Archie, continues. But news of Hitler's planned invasion of Great Britain is now being taken seriously, and the newly-formed Invasion Warning Sub-Committee is working flat out to uncover the exact date it will take place. Furthermore, the organisation known as The Group – a collection of British and Irish Nazi collaborators – is working to pave the way for the takeover. However, The Annexe has been shut down, and ironically, Charles Cooper has been recruited to help capture the fifth-columnists.

These and several other threads from the first book all combine to make "The Second Traitor" a complex, but fast-moving story. As usual the author cleverly takes real-life events and people and weaves them into the narrative. Characters we met previously are slowly filling out, and new characters are introduced to add further layers of deception and confusion. The backdrop to "Second Traitor" is the real-life Operation Sea Lion which Hitler formulated having decided Britain offered a bigger threat than the Soviet Union. The story nicely questions just how taken with this plan Hitler's commanders were, while other intriguing subplots include the methods employed by the Nazis to embed spies throughout England and the IRA's plans to assist with the invasion in order to hasten the reunification of Ireland.

The story also takes a big leap forward, as MI6 begins to suspect the existence of a second traitor, Bertie. This promises more intrigue and deception in book three.

This four-book series clearly expects the reader to be invested in the long term - you can't read this book without having read the first one. Plots and subplots are still being laid; characters and motives are still being teased (and there's a large cast of characters to keep track of) and flashbacks, while offering insights into how current events came to be, invite further speculation into the identity of Archie. Clearly some characters will come and go quickly across the books, but others will span the series, as their lives as double, even triple, agents become more dangerous and complex.

Fans of Alex Gerlis' books are going to be equally fascinated and frustrated by "The Second Traitor" but either way will be further drawn in to this complex and engaging book. Highly recommended.