Murder and Masquerade by Catherine McCullagh is a suspenseful, action-packed story of double agents, twisted schemes, friendship and loyalty.
Catherine McCullagh is known for her different takes on history and for creating an alternative. She uses “what if” events that quite possibly could have happened, changing the course of history.
Murder and Masquerade is set in London, 1946. A battered London is now just rising from the ashes of German occupation.
Irish policeman Brendon O’Connor, having survived an invasion and occupation, has been running the Special Investigation Unit responsible for the capture of war criminals to be brought to the war crimes trials at Nuremberg and Hamburg. A fascist plot has emerged that is threatening Britain’s precarious democracy. Brendon is now sent on another impossible mission, to locate, expose and prevent this group from success.
Brendon’s wife, Emilia, is a former translator who is now tasked with sorting through caches of German documents to form a collection and exhibition of the occupation of Britain. A work colleague is Professor Maarstrand, a former SS General who is now hiding in plain sight as an English professor.
The fascist group of like-minded patriots, who are all devoted to the resurgence of the Reich, have a plan to change the course of Britain’s future. The members are quite diverse and from all English classes.
There are complicated connections between Brendon, Emilia and Professor Maarstand, both during the occupation and now in post-war Britain. The story takes you into a world of spying and double agents, double crossings and a loyalty to a cause, either England or Germany. Brendon’s mission is complicated, with problems of who to trust; can he trust his colleagues or even members of the government?
From the prologue, with an event in 1940 during the war and to the very end of the book, you are invested in Brendon and Emelia as he races against time to prevent a return to tyranny for Britain.
Will Brendon even survive?
There are a lot of characters to follow, each playing a role, and well researched. There is a lot of action, a lot of plots to follow and certainly a lot of murder and masquerade to keep you engaged.
This is a book for lovers of action and espionage.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Murder and Masquerade by Catherine McCullaugh. You can read their comments below or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Murder and Masquerade by Catherine McCullagh ( Big Sky Publishing) is set in an alternate historical reality where the Nazis had occupied and run Britain, until the end of the war. It is a sequel to Power and Obsession where the main characters were previously introduced, but can be read as a stand alone.
England is now very much in recovery mode and Irish born policeman Brendan O’Connor, who had headed the English resistance during the war, is determined to root out any vestiges of nazism that remain.
There are still parts of British society that prefer Nazi rule, and the main drama of the novel centers around a fascist plot to overthrow the government and return Britain to a Nazi dictatorship.
Unfortunately to uncover the plotters and the extent of the plot Brendan O’Connor is forced to work with his old nemesis former SS General Oskar Voigt who has escaped his past, made an immunity deal with the new government, and created a new identity as a mild mannered academic.
What transpires is a tense and tangled story of betrayals, deception and corruption. An interesting story and would appeal to anyone interested in stories of wartime espionage.
Murder and Masquerade is an alternative history novel set in postwar London. It’s a substantial read, so be prepared to dive into a fast-paced and gripping thriller.
The story follows Brendan O’Connor, a former Irish resistance fighter who is now a Chief Superintendent in a British war crimes investigation unit. He remains determined to track down former SS General Oskar Voigt, a man with whom he shares a troubled history. However, the tables soon turn when Brendan is forced into an uneasy partnership with Voigt — who has been granted immunity by the British authorities — in order to locate and stop a fascist uprising before it can seize control of a politically unstable London.
As the city continues to recover from occupation and war, the author delivers a well-researched and immersive depiction of postwar London, capturing both the atmosphere and the lingering tensions of the era.
This is an engaging read for anyone who enjoys espionage, political intrigue, and historical fiction.
Murder and Masquerade – by Catherine McCullagh
Set in post-war London, this history thriller follows Irish policeman Brendan O’Connor as he’s thrust into a dangerous mission to uncover a fascist plot threatening Britain’s fragile democracy ,all while being forced to work alongside a former SS man he absolutely can’t stand.
The tension between him and his ally keeps you engaged and turning pages as i really wanted to find out what happens between them.
The story has some great twists and turns if you love historical thrillers then this book is worth reading .
Thankyou Beauty and Lace
Murder and Masquerade by Catherine McCullagh is an alternative historical thriller set in the days after the war. Brendon O’Connor is trying to uncover a fascist plot threatening British democracy, whilst working with a former SS man he hates.
This is an interesting story and one wonders who will survive.
I was so thrilled when the copy of ‘Murder and Masquerade’ arrived as I had read the previous book, ‘Power and Obsession’ and loved it. It focused on an alternate history and the what if England had been taken over by Nazi Germany. ‘Murder and Masquerade’ carries on from there. The war is over and the Nazi’s no longer occupy England and Brendan O’Connor who is an Irish Police Officer is working hard to find and capture those that are working to rid the nation of the Royals and the Parliment and take the nation back to how things were under the Nazi rule.
Like the previous book this one is close to 500 pages and written with small print so there is a lot of reading to be had. There are many different characters so you need to pay attention and work out where each person sits in the story.
I love that Catherine McCullagh has strongly hinted that in this story there is more to come and it is not the end of Brendan O’Connor.
Brilliantly done with many twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
Step back in time to the end of the war, the Nazi have fallen but there are still some holding a torch for the Reich and some some unsavoury people need to be held accountable.
Betrayal, deceit, secrets, hidden agendas, murder… its all here.
Written with detail and varied characters it takes you to another view of a potential past. Can Brendan and the special squad get their man. Is the bigger agenda going to be a success. How will it all end.
Heavy reading but worth every Page.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Murder and Masquerade by Catherine McCullagh.
This is a wonderful historical read with murder, secrets and deceit.
Lots of different characters to keep track of and find out how they fit into the story.
Working with the enemy is always tricky, but can they trust each other,when they are from different sides?
This is a big book, but it will keep you turning those pages to see what happens to everyone.
Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️