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A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II
The untold story of four special operations officers who fought together behind enemy lines across multiple theaters of World War II, and then continued to serve, officially and unofficially, for decades after in the hottest parts of the Cold War
There have always been special warriors; Achilles and his Myrmidons are the obvious classical examples. What we now think of as “special operations,” however, were born in World War II, and one of the earliest and most exciting units formed was Britain's SOE. In the early years of the war, when Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill put them on a mission to “set Europe ablaze”: to foment local revolt, to gather intelligence, to blow up bridges, and to do anything that could help to disrupt the Axis cause. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men follows four SOE officers who distinguished themselves in this the Spanish Civil War veteran Peter Kemp, the demolitions expert David Smiley, the born guerrilla leader Billy McLean, and the political natural Julian Amery.
With new and extensive research, including unprecedented access to private family papers that reveal the men's unbreakable bonds and vibrant personalities, Shannon Monaghan has uncovered a story of war in the twentieth century that, due to the secretive nature of the SOE’s work, has remained largely unknown. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is a thrilling and inspiring story of four remarkable men who, through sheer determination and daring, as well as unwavering friendship and loyalty, fought for a better world.
There have always been special warriors; Achilles and his Myrmidons are the obvious classical examples. What we now think of as “special operations,” however, were born in World War II, and one of the earliest and most exciting units formed was Britain's SOE. In the early years of the war, when Britain stood alone against the Nazis, Winston Churchill put them on a mission to “set Europe ablaze”: to foment local revolt, to gather intelligence, to blow up bridges, and to do anything that could help to disrupt the Axis cause. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men follows four SOE officers who distinguished themselves in this the Spanish Civil War veteran Peter Kemp, the demolitions expert David Smiley, the born guerrilla leader Billy McLean, and the political natural Julian Amery.
With new and extensive research, including unprecedented access to private family papers that reveal the men's unbreakable bonds and vibrant personalities, Shannon Monaghan has uncovered a story of war in the twentieth century that, due to the secretive nature of the SOE’s work, has remained largely unknown. A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is a thrilling and inspiring story of four remarkable men who, through sheer determination and daring, as well as unwavering friendship and loyalty, fought for a better world.
- GenresNonfictionWorld War II
400 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 11, 2024
Shannon Monaghan's A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men is an example of good writing undone by an unwieldy scope. In this case, Monaghan chooses to follow four British special operatives through World War II and the Cold War afterwards. Does that sound like a lot? Because it is too much.
It is a crying shame, though. Monaghan clearly has an affection for these characters and has done her research. This is not a "bad" book by any stretch of the imagination, but the fatal flaw is a big one. The problem is that in order to do tell each story, she needs to introduce dozens of other characters while often doubling back in time to catch the reader up. This results in a strange habit of Monaghan telling stories backwards, such as when one character was in jail. The author states he just got out and then goes back in time to explain what happened. This temporal whiplash happens often and does not let anyone's story truly resonate.
The best example is Julian Amery's brother, Jack. Without giving too much away, he was demonstrably different from Julian and his ultimate fate suggests a fascinating backstory. Unfortunately, Monaghan has to condense much of the story into a few pages, when this could probably be its own book. Often, we get told what people are like instead of seeing what they are like through their actions.
However, there is a lot to learn from the book, especially the overall conditions within Albania and the surrounding area in World War II. This area is often overlooked and I learned quite a bit even if it felt a bit superficial. Ultimately, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this book, but I would suggest that you may not get the full story you are hoping for.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Viking Books.)
It is a crying shame, though. Monaghan clearly has an affection for these characters and has done her research. This is not a "bad" book by any stretch of the imagination, but the fatal flaw is a big one. The problem is that in order to do tell each story, she needs to introduce dozens of other characters while often doubling back in time to catch the reader up. This results in a strange habit of Monaghan telling stories backwards, such as when one character was in jail. The author states he just got out and then goes back in time to explain what happened. This temporal whiplash happens often and does not let anyone's story truly resonate.
The best example is Julian Amery's brother, Jack. Without giving too much away, he was demonstrably different from Julian and his ultimate fate suggests a fascinating backstory. Unfortunately, Monaghan has to condense much of the story into a few pages, when this could probably be its own book. Often, we get told what people are like instead of seeing what they are like through their actions.
However, there is a lot to learn from the book, especially the overall conditions within Albania and the surrounding area in World War II. This area is often overlooked and I learned quite a bit even if it felt a bit superficial. Ultimately, I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this book, but I would suggest that you may not get the full story you are hoping for.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Viking Books.)
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August 20, 2024**I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.**
September 2, 2024
My ex-intelligence agency husband LOVED this book : Churchill had a great idea!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews