It took me a little while to get into the book but once I did,, I really enjoyed it. I can't put my finger on why it was so gripping but it definitely kept me reading. The parallel reality was fascinating... Definitely shades if what could have been.

Dunkirk has failed and Germany invades only to be driven out by the Soviets. The U.K. Is decided when the USA comes to the rescue. This is a tale of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat

In the Republic of the United Kingdom in 1952 the people work hard to support the communist ideals that they are exposed to. Jane Cawson is married to a doctor who deals with members of the Party and who has a glamorous ex-wife. Suspecting her husband of cheating on her with his ex, Jane goes to her house and finds her dead. Her husband is arrested and Jane starts to unravel the secret deals that he is involved with, deals that are treachery to the State but which also involve influential politicians. Naive Jane and a supportive police officer realise what is going on but can they prove anything?
The best part of this book is the setting. Rubin has imagined an alternative ending to the Second World War where D-Day was a failure and the Russians managed to reach Britain. London is segregated by a 'Berlin Wall' and Britain is the former Germany. This is very well done and creatively imagined. Beyond that the book is a fairly decent period thriller.

This was a slow burn for me. It was not until 60% of the way through I really got into this. I enjoyed this before but it was at that point that I got sucked in and knew I HAD to finish it in that moment. The characters were not fully developed in places and it did feel a bit 2D, like they weren't fully complete but this was not a real issue as I got sucked into what Dr Cawston was or was not doing. The plot got really good and this helped push the narrative. I wish that certain points were expanded on and were made clearer but this was a fun and exciting read.

À little disappointed even though I found the premise really interesting. Roughly executed but still a good read for fans of alternative history.

My thanks to Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of Gareth Rubin’s debut novel ‘Liberation Square’ in exchange for an honest review.

I quickly found myself totally caught up in the story and so opted to buy its Audible edition narrated by Nicola Walker and Gareth Rubin to combine listening with my reading.

I am always intrigued by alternative histories. Rubin has set his Cold War crime thriller in an alternative 1952 setting in which Britain was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany after D-Day had failed disastrously and was liberated in 1945 by Soviet and American (with the remains of the British) troops.

As with real-life Germany in 1946 the country was then divided with the Soviets declaring their part as the Republic of Great Britain led by a committee chaired by Anthony Blunt. London is also divided with a wall erected to surround the Democratic United Kingdom (DUK) section of the city.

The main character, Jane Cawson, recently married Dr. Nick Cawson. When she calls into his medical practice she finds that he is not there. She detects the scent of the perfume worn by his ex-wife, Lorelei, a glamorous actress who had been the star of propaganda films of the new Marxist regime. She is immediately suspicious and goes to Lorelei’s house to confront them.

Instead, she finds Lorelei’s body though the circumstances of her death are unclear. The police arrive and interview Jane, who is confused due to a fall and possible concussion. However, it isn’t long until agents of the National Security Police (NatSec) are also on the scene and take over. Then Nick is arrested for murder.

Despite being warned off by the lead NatSec agent, Jane is determined to clear her husband’s name. In addition, Nick’s 14-year old daughter, Hazel, is placed in Jane’s care. Jane is quite unprepared for the network of secrets and lies she encounters though finds an unlikely ally to assist in her investigation.

‘Liberation Square’ is expertly plotted and had me enthralled from start to finish. Rubin creates such a detailed sense of a divided London, deeply scarred by the war as well as by the imposed division. From his Historical Notes it’s clear that he has researched the division of Berlin and the role of the Stasi and applied this to his alternative vision of Britain.

I trust that this innovative and entertaining novel will find a wide audience. After such an amazing debut I look forward to Rubin’s future projects. Highly recommended.

Entertaining alternative Cold War history thriller

Gareth Rubin has come up with a fascinating alternative universe where a Nazi occupied UK is liberated by Soviet Russia and the USA , and subsequently divided by the two superpowers in a mirror of East & West Germany and East & West Berlin.

The action focuses on a London in the early 1950s divided by a wall on which Checkpoint Charlie is on Oxford Street and the Wall divides Trafalgar Square much like Potsdamer Platz ion Berlin.

Rubin uses known personalities of the period to further create an alternative history where the Cambridge Five are holding powerful government positions and Orwell has been sent off for "re-education".

The plot centres around Jane Cawson who suspects her husband of still having a relationship with his former wife, Lorelei, star of propaganda films for the new Marxist regime.

As you can imagine all is not what it seems and what follows is an entertaining read as she follows a trail of corruption right to the highest levels of the state.

The book moves along at quite a pace, with the well observed historical details twisted to make them recognisable but disturbing at the same time..

I enjoyed this entertaining thriller with an alternative history that begs for more exploration.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review.

Having recently read up on WWII and the roles the Germans, Americans and Soviets, as well as others, played in it, this was the perfect, if terrifying, follow-up. It is a work of alternative history genius and it's intriguing and quite frightening to read such an intense book based on what could have been. What makes it frightful is that Stalin and Hitler have been shown to have at the least respected each other's positions - probably because psychopaths tend to recognise their fellow kind.

This piece of highly original speculative fiction tells of the takeover of British shores by Nazi Germany before the Soviets and Americans invade and split the country in two with the addition of a partition wall, much like the Berlin wall. You can tell almost instantaneously that the author knows his onions when it comes to WWII and he fills the story full of spies, intrigue, political upheaval, corruption, treachery, duplicity, secrets, lies, constant security threats and a whole host of other themes. It is a thrilling, gripping, intelligent and all too plausible historical mystery.

Liberation Square is well written and impeccably paced with twists and turns aplenty, and I feel this could be enjoyed by a wide range of people but especially those who appreciate murder mysteries, speculative fiction/alternative histories, espionage. Historical fiction aficionados will also find much to admire here as the period detail is very accurately portrayed. It beggars belief that this is Mr Rubin's debut. I look forward to reading more from him in the future.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Liberation Square is the first book that I have read by Gareth Rubin and it is an enjoyable read with good pacing and some twists and turns.

Set in London in 1952 with the outcome of WW2 being different to reality the book does achieve in creating a believable setting although I would have liked a bit more on the "changes" to normal life etc.

The main storyline is a traditional wrongly accused of murder one that felt just a little bit forced at times.

Overall it was an enjoyable book and one that I would recommend

I have always enjoyed alternative histories and this is something a little unusual. There are lots of novels where the Germans won the Second World War, but this book takes things in a slightly different direction. Imagine the Germans won and were then overthrown by the Russians, leaving a wall which goes right through London and splits the country in two. To the North, the Americans look down on a battered, war torn city, which is slowly re-building itself. To the South, the Russian occupy the land.

Part of this country is recognisable, while other sections are different. It is 1952 and those in power include Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess, while Teddy Boys lurk outside milk bars, rationing, as it was despite actually winning the war, was very much in place, the Royal Family are in Scotland and George Orwell was re-educated after a book set on a farm, but is, at least, still alive.

Into this city we meet Jane Cawson, married to a doctor, Nick, for just six months. She is more concerned with personal matters, than political ones, believing her husband is having an affair with his ex-wife, actress Lorelei, the beautiful star of propaganda films. When her husband is missing from the office, she fears he is with her and storms around to her house, only to find her dead. This leads to Nick being accused of the murder and Jane, along with British policeman, Sergeant Frank Tibbot, investigating the crime.

This is something between a crime and a spy novel, with Jane investigating a world which is full of lies and secrets. It has an interesting premise and the author has created a believable, alternative scenario. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

A new writer to me who has come up with something original. What if the Germans had won the war but had then been defeated by the Russians who occupied England before the Americans arrived and the country was then divided up between the 2 superpowers with the British version of the Berlin wall dividing the protagonists?

That is the backdrop for a fascinating tale of treachery and double dealing tied up in a murder mystery.

The historical background is well told and Mr Rubin has an eye for period detail and conversation.

Th characters are well drawn and credible and the plot drew me in from the start.

He has come up with a winner which fully deserves a wide readership.

This book has a fascinating 'what if' alternative history background: the UK was occupied by Nazi Germany then liberated by Soviet Russia helped by the Americans, and was divided by the two superpowers by a wall, 're-positioning the Iron Curtain across the UK. Rubin handles this part of his book very well, working out the implications and peopling this alt universe with likely candidates: Blunt, Philby and Burgess all have powerful government positions, George Orwell (surely his friends wouldn't have called him by his pen name?) is 're-educated' after writing his Animal Farm.

Sadly, the plot in the foreground is less satisfying. It's hard to believe that a grieving wife and a local policeman should a) trust each other from the outset given the political environment, and b) manage to find out what they do while evading the equivalent of the KGB. Some of their dead-ends are just silly (the codes that they think are Dewey library numbers: anyone familiar in the slightest with this system knows they're not immediately). And the final revelations are underwhelming. But I'm being picky - as an entertaining switch-off thriller this works fine. It's just that perhaps more could have been done with the interesting background.