London, 1917. The body of an unknown man is found inside a locked closet in a highly secret area of Naval Intelligence, with a telegram in his pocket that could wreak havoc if it fell into the wrong hands. Agent Peter Gallagher sees there are a lot of players to this puzzle, so he invites them all out to his family’s country estate for a shooting party, so he can question them and find out who is the spy discretely, knowing that one of them may be the master spy known as The Dreamer. Can he find out whodunnit in time?

R L Graham is the name of a husband and wife writing team, who were also historians with a love of WW1 and the Belle Epoque. They previously wrote Death on the Lusitania, which also featured Gallagher, though you don’t have to have read that book to read this one. One of the writers, Marilyn, sadly died in 2023, so this book was finished by her husband without her.

The cover art of this book reminds me a bit of a beautiful old dolls house, I love it. (The previous book also had a stunning cover). The book takes place mostly in Kent in January, and it gives the book a very cold feeling. The house itself is draughty and inhospitable, too, adding to this.

Initially I was reminded of some of Agatha Christie’s early novels. There were a couple about spies and stolen plans that were written during the war, and that also took place at out of the way homes. Very British. But this book is, while a mystery, more of a spy and a war book. It’s not a cozy mystery at all. I liked that it got going in the opening chapters, and didn’t needlessly waste time or space, keeping things moving along. It’s got a few twists and turns up it’s sleeves, and because the authors have such a strong grip on the time period and historical detail, the book feels very immersive and factual. 1917 was a fascinating time period and one that’s not as popular recently, so it was a nice setting for the story.

The book does feel a little dry at times. Our two leads, both Gallagher and a woman called Jonquil Vane, who is in the same business as him, are suffering from loss and grief. Some of the other characters, a boor called Lansing and Gallaghers mother, for example, are truly hardened and slimey individuals. There’s no humour or lightness here. No children, no teens were invited to the house. There’s no bon mots or banter, no patriotism or hope. Even the house itself, which probably would be beautiful, is always cold, no one likes being there and the food is awful. In other words, the book has no charm. It’s history and it’s sadness. That doesn’t mean that the book is bad or dull, but just that it’s all rain and no flowers. In Shakespeare, for example, the tragedies always have moments of humour and warmth. And in his comedies, there’s always moments of gravitas or heart. In this book, our two leads are, in their own words, just waiting for death. I know spy novels can be a bit cynical, I like Le Carre too, but this is a historical novel set in 1917. (I don’t mean to be too harsh here, I do think quite a few books are like this lately)

I liked the ending, I think it plays out well and was intriguing. I didn’t guess what was going to happen, so I was entertained. Overall, this was a pretty solid and interesting read.

Read It If: you like spy stories and historical fiction. This is rich in research and detail, though it can be a sad and cold book at times too.

Thank you to PGC Books for the copy of this book for review.