Cathy Marsden #1
Often when I read a book set during WWII, I imagine myself as the heroine of an exciting yet dangerous espionage operation, looking glamorous while I take it on. Nickson offers readers a different take – ordinary Cathy Marsden, seconded from the Leeds police department to serve in the SIB or Special Operations Bureau. SIB was part of the military police. As the book opens, Cathy’s unit is joined by her brother Dan, presently working in London in the XX Committee, a part of MI5. XX tried to turn German spies in England into counter agents, feeding disinformation back to Germany.
As part of the XX unit there’s plenty Dan cannot share with Cathy’s unit, but what he can share is that there’s a spy who escaped and it believed to be in Leeds. The man, Henry Minuit, had been such a smooth operator he was able to fool the Brits interviewing him, and catching him before he causes some kind of damage is now a top priority. Dan has been chosen for this operation because he’s from Leeds and knows the town, making finding Minuit more likely.
The SIB unit in Leeds is made up of former police, like Cathy, and they behave very much like police though their remit may be different. Their interrogation methods are more thorough. The consequences of being a traitor during wartime: death. The squad is operating on a razor’s edge, with only minimal discernible help from Dan.
The book is made memorable both by Cathy’s ordinariness, as she worries about foods and other things going “on the ration,” and lives with her parents, frequently spending nights with them in their backyard air raid shelter. She dresses comfortably, not fashionably, and because she was a beat cop, she knows Leeds like the back of her hand, something that comes in handy.
It’s also memorable because the enigmatic Dan and the phlegmatic Cathy are not entirely comfortable with one another. They learn through the book to work together and to reach an understanding, but it feels real – it’s not a fairytale change in their relationship, it’s a realistic one. Their parents are delighted to have Dan home though he’s rarely there and their mother is a born worrier.
This book also illustrates the knife’s edge of worry most women operated under during the war: where were their husbands, sweethearts, brothers and sons? Not only did most not know the answer, they also didn’t know how safe their loved ones were. Communication was by letter and not always reliable. And it was always slow.
I have read many, many books set during the war and this book took on the more day to day aspects of war. It’s not set in London, but in Leeds, a place not blitzed as London was but bombed all the same. Part of Cathy’s duties are serving as an air raid warden one night a week. I liked all this detail.
The book meanders a bit as the search for Henry Minuit intensifies. I liked the book for a different take on the war, one I think that showed what it was like for many all over Britain, but the narrative could have been a bit more rocket powered. However, I thought Cathy was a wonderful character and I’m glad I met her. — Robin Agnew