James Holland - The Odin Mission

review by Brian Lowen on show 16th June

It is 1940 and the Nazis have invaded Norway. The small, ill-equiped British force is retreating northwards in the face of the remorseless German advance.

It is in this book that we are introduced to Sergeant Jack Tanner. This is his first adventure and we are obviously to expect more. He reminds me of a Jack Reacher (from Lee Childs books) in uniform.

Jack Tanner’s patrol gets stranded in a desperate rearguard action and then become involved with a small group of Norwegians trying to get a mysterious Professor out of the country before the Germans can capture him and force him to work for them.

And so we follow the exploits of this small band as they trek north to catch up with the retreating British forces. Tanner must outfox and outwit the pursuing Nazis who are desperate for the secrets the Professor holds. He is not helped by the fact that there is a traitor in the ranks, sending coded messages to the pursuing Germans, and also having to join forces with a group of French mountain troops led by an inefficient and inexperienced Captain who assumes command of the group, much to the exasperation of our hero, Jack Tanner.
review by Brian