The Spy Masters Thrillers

Journey behind enemy lines in Second World War Europe with the The Spy Masters Thrillers. Includes all four books in the series; The Best of Our Spies, The Swiss Spy, Vienna Spies and The Berlin Spies.

The Best of Our Spies: In the Pas de Calais, Nathalie Mercier, a young British Special Operations Executive secret agent working with the French Resistance, disappears. In London, her husband Owen Quinn, an officer with Royal Navy Intelligence, discovers the truth about her role in the Allies’ sophisticated deception at the heart of D-Day. Appalled but determined, Quinn sets off on a perilous hunt through France in search of his wife. Aided by the Resistance in his search, he makes good progress. But, caught up by the bitterness of the war and its insatiable appetite for revenge, he risks total destruction…

The Swiss Spy: All spies have secrets, but Henry Hunter has more than most. After he is stopped by British Intelligence at Croydon airport on the eve of the Second World War, he discovers one more devastating than any before. From Switzerland he embarks on a series of increasingly perilous missions into Nazi Germany. In March, 1941, in Berlin, haunted by a dark episode from his past, he makes a fateful decision, resulting in a dramatic journey to the Swiss frontier and a shocking encounter…

Vienna Spies: With the end of the Second World War in sight, the Allies begin to divide up the spoils and it proves to be a dangerous game. The British have become aware that, contrary to prior agreements, the Soviet Union is intent on controlling Austria once the war ends. Major Edgar is tasked with the job of establishing an espionage unit in Vienna to monitor the situation. He sends in two agents – Rolf Eder and Katharina Hoch – to track down Austria's most respected politician and bring him over to the British cause. But the feared Soviet spy Viktor Krasotkin is already in the war-torn city, embarking on exactly the same mission…

The Berlin Spies: Berlin, 1945. SS recruits gather east of the city for an audacious yet ill-fated mission to bring about a Fourth Reich. Three decades later, a young British diplomat in East Berlin is compromised after falling into a honey-trap. He contacts Major Edgar, a veteran British spymaster, who is drawn into an unlikely alliance with his old adversary, Viktor Krasotkin. Soon they are plunged into a world of Nazi war criminals and double agents. With nobody to trust, they must rely on each other. But as Cold War tensions rise, the cracks begin to show.

A masterclass in espionage fiction, these tense, tightly plotted novels are perfect for fans of John le Carré, Len Deighton and Jack Higgins.

Praise for Alex Gerlis

‘A classic spy story, with twists and turns that keep you engrossed. Excellent.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

‘Brilliant… you cannot put it down. Spy thriller lovers must read this incredible story.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

‘The sense of time and place is second to none, and the characters are well drawn and very believable. A hugely satisfying and entertaining venture into the spy fiction genre.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

‘I couldn't put this down it grabbed my attention so well. Great attention to detail – like the Phillip Kerr or John Le Carre novels.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

‘Gerlis is always a superb read. He never fails to deliver a well researched spellbinder.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review