Portrait of the Spy as a Young Man

A thrilling spy novel by a former special forces officer who is "poised to inherit the mantle of John le Carre"1941: a teenage William Catesby leaves Cambridge to join the army and support the war effort. Parachuted into Occupied France as an SOE officer, he witnesses tragedies and remarkable feats of bravery during the French Resistance. 2014: now in his nineties, Catesby recounts his life to his granddaughter for the first time. Their interviews weave together the historical, the personal and the emotional, skipping across different decades and continents to reveal a complex and conflicted man. Catesby's incredible story recounts a life of spying and the trauma of war, but also lost love, yearning, and hope for the future. Praise for Edward Wilson: 'Ted Wilson, writing out of deepest Suffolk, is a magnificent addition to the English tradition of writing about this dark side of politics and government. He deserves a big readership as fact and fiction blend into great storytelling.' Tribune 'High calibre writing throughout, and an array of extraordinary characters. Not to be missed.' Shots 'Edward Wilson seems poised to inherit the mantle of John le Carre' Irish Independent