SS-GB written by Len Deighton is an alternative history novel published in the year 1978. The author base the novel on a story when the United Kingdom became conquered by the Germans during the Second World War. The novel describes a group of Nazi SS who controls Great Britain.
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Author: Len Deighton
Genre: Alternate History
Pages: 343
Good reads rating: 3.75 of 5
My Ratings: 7.6 of 10
Published: 1979
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 1st American edition (February 12, 1979)
Language: English
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***Warning Spoilers Below This Point***
The story starts in the fall during November 1941. This time is exactly after nine months of the invasion of Germans that resulted in surrendering of British. They assign Douglas Archer to work on homicide and suicidal crimes. He is a Detective Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department in London’s Metropolitan Police, under the Scotland Yard. The German head of police forces in Britain is SS Gruppenführer Fritz Kellermann, who is also the boss of Douglas Archer.
Archer lost his wife Jill and his home because of the German invasion. Now he only has a son named ‘Douggie’ and lives at the house of Mrs Sheenan and her son Bob. Archer is in a romantic relationship with Sylvia, who also is his colleague. Detective Sergeant Harry Woods is also one of the co-workers. Archer’s new task is to investigate the murder of a well-dressed man who lives in a flat in the upper portion of an antique shop in Shepherd Market. When Archer investigates, he finds out that the body had two gunshot wounds. But became surprised because of a sunburn mark on the body’s arm. He also finds a prosthetic arm and a return ticket to Brindle Sands. Brindle Sands is the place where Germans build their atomic research facility.
The man carries an identification card belonging to Peter Thomas. Brief investigations into the matter reveal that his actual name is William Spode, and he is a British atomic physicist working in the German atomic program. They see him involved in the British resistance movement. As the story continues, it brings adventures and mysteries in the way of Archer solving this case. The story takes many twists and turns and Archer becomes more and more difficult with the time.
They set the novel in the history of 1941, Germans occupied Great Britain and the British are under process of developing a resistance movement against this invasion. The author presented a fascinating alternate history approach. The novel receives my rating of 7.6 out of 10. Would I re-read this novel? No. Am I glad I read it? Yes.
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