Although in many ways more exciting than his earlier book 'The Smoke', this second one is somehow less satisfying altogether.
Our cat-burglar friend Jethro is one more drawn into the world of espionage by Colonel Walsingham and Simon Bosanquet. This time the stakes are very high indeed,and involve Oswald Mosley and his gang of thugs plus the Duke of Windsor and his involvement with the Nazi's.
The story fairly whips along,albeit Broadbent rather goes berserk about two-thirds into his story and just throws everything in. Over-gilding the lily in fact.
This apart, Jethro is a great character,who I shall miss,as this seems to be his swan-song. ( )

My only regret is that these are set too late to introduce Mary Russell to Tony's cat burglar, Jethro. ( )

Sequel to The Smoke.

Jethro the Cockney cat burglar is unwillingly drawn into more counterespionage; this time, Walsingham of MI5 is "enlisting" Jethro's aid against neo-Fascist movements within the British aristocracy.

It is historical fact that the former Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, had pro-Nazi leanings. It was even claimed in 1940 by the German ambassador to The Hague that the Duke had leaked the plans for the defence of Belgium to the Germans. Certainly the Duke and his wife had extensive German contacts during that time. In exasperation over what he considered a 'defeatist' interview by the duke, Prime Minister Winston Churchill threatened the Duke with a court-martial (the Duke held military rank) if he did not leave Europe (the Duke and Duchess were living in Fascist Spain at the time) and return to British soil. They did, and Churchill promptly had them removed to the Bahamas, where the Duke was installed as governor; there Churchill felt that the Duke could do the least harm to the British war effort.

That much is fact. Broadbent for the purposes of this story has the charges and much more be true, meaning that the Duke and many of the aristocracy were traitors. There are incriminating documents--letters from the duke, photographs, lists of members in neo-Fascist movements--that Walsingham wants Jethro to steal. Neo-fascists intend to use them to discredit the government, bring down the fall of the current monarchy, and establish a Fascist type government. The struggle for Jewish independence in Palestine is also thrown into the mix. And if that isn't enough on Jethro's plate, he is caught in the struggle of two gangs for power in underworld London.

The plot is well done. Jethro continues to be a well-drawn character whose street smarts belie an underlying innocence and patriotism that blends in well with the evocation of post World War II England. At times, though, the reader can get tired of the golly-gee-whiz patriotic attitude, which may have been realistic for the era, but seems a little too strained in the novel. Jethro winds up--again--being tortured, and that definitely is one time too many, although the method is novel enough.

There is plenty to keep the reader entertained, including satanic-type sex rituals out of the Club Dumas, and a really well written escape scene.

The sequel is not as suspenseful as the first novel but is very entertaining. Highly recommended. ( )