I was really sad when I started this book, and I was really sad when I finished it. Oh, I hear you say, was it that bad? Oh no, no, no, not at all, quite the contrary. I was sad because this is the final part of the Section W trilogy. I read the first two books, The Grand Illusion, and The Great Deception after attending two talks by Syd Moore at my local independent bookshop, where she also signed my copies. The talks were brilliant. I knew there would be a third volume in the series, and I was hoping, no, I was expecting Syd to do a talk to accompany this book. I’m sure she would have done but for one significant little detail - the bookshop has closed down – my town no longer has a bookshop, and I am bereft. So, I knew when I began this book that there would be no local talk for me to attend which I’m sad about. I was also sad when I finished the book, too, because I’ve absolutely loved this series. I’ve rooted for Daphne, gone on this journey with her - from the New Forest to Iceland and to Germany - and I’m sad it’s over.
I wrote about the first two books on my blog. Here are the links.
https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-grand-illusion-syd-moore.html
https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-great-deception-syd-moore.html
This book was absolutely fabulous. Probably my favourite. The tension was palpable and sustained throughout the whole book. But do you need to have read the first two to enjoy this one? I won’t deny it would help; however, I do believe you can enjoy the book as a standalone. Most of the salient details are reinforced in this book.
There’s no mucking about here. No preamble. Daphne and her colleague Jack are heading for enemy territory. Germany. As she crosses into that territory, Daphne transports an Icelandic Grimoire—a century-old volume containing mystical knowledge and spells. Disguised as a rare-book dealer, she plans to deliver it to an antiquarian and use its notes to set events in motion which will set the Nazis on a course of action. This is war. Betrayal lurks around every corner, and danger shadows every mission. Sometimes no one is who they seem. Daphne must decide who to trust and who to be suspicious of. She also must summon every ounce of strength, mental and physical, and her training to survive what lies ahead for her.
Not just an historical novel, but a full-blown, action-packed thriller. The writing is superb. The research that Syd Moore undertakes so thoroughly is put to good use here; you can feel, smell, hear everything that she’s describing. It’s as if you are there with Daphne at Wewelsburg Castle, and, believe me you don’t want to be! It’s harrowing in some places. You don’t actually need reminding that although this is fiction it’s also history and it happened. History happens. It’s happening all the time. But we generally only get to hear about the significant events. If we’re particularly interested in a period of history, we might delve deeper but often the work that an historical fiction author does is to bring into a wider consciousness things that we might not know about. I didn’t know about the Comet Line. The story has brought that into my consciousness. I had not heard of Andree de Jongh - the character Didi is based on her – but I have now, and I am so grateful. And I always think the mark of good historical fiction is if it sends the reader scuttling off to find out more, research further which I have done.
The whole section W series has emphasised the role of women during war time represented by the indomitable Daphne Devine. And whilst you can simply enjoy the whole series as some entertaining and exciting stories, you can also consider the wider implications and the roles that people played to enable us the freedom that we have now.
I’m still sad that I have finished the series, but I’m also feeling enriched by the experience. I pre-ordered this book from Waterstones with a discount code that Syd Moore offered on social media, and it looks as if I received it before the publication date. Somehow that makes me feel very smug.