This was a very good historical mystery! I love the main character. She was tough and intelligent! I also love the historical details in this novel! The mystery itself was very clever! This, this was a very entertaining read! I recommend this for fans of Ashley Weaver!

Kim is an agent who was recently freed from the Nazis. She returns to England and soon discovers that another agent was murdered. Before Lilian passed, she left clues behind about a a secret society that is coming to fruition. Now Kim needs to solve her murder, while hiding from the Nazis and look for that secret society. A thrilling historical fiction story with a breathtaking plot and great characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow what an intriguing WWII mystery!
I started off reading a chapter or two here and there and then snowballed into I have to finish this book!
Mystery, intrigue, thriller with a bit of a love story thrown in for good measure,
There were several times in the book I had to stop and look up a part of history to see if it actually happened or if it was a fictional side of things. I really enjoy learning details of what the SOE did and how they truly risked everything for their country, The fascist plots in London were all new to me and something I will be delving into more.
A wonderful first read by Hilary Green. I am looking forward to reading another from this series,
Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe Books for the advanced copy.

Hilary Green’s Operation Lightning Bolt is an exciting wartime thriller full of adventure, danger and suspense.

Hampshire, 1943 and after being caught by the Nazis, rescued by the Resistance and brought back to England, Kim Maxwell has found herself languishing in the cooler. Kim would love nothing more than to get back in the field and to prove to all of her detractors just what she’s made of, however, it seems her mistake has cost her dearly and she will spend the rest of the war in Hampshire – until she gets a shock when she is sent for by the head of the SOE and given the mission that she has been waiting for. Unless it ends up sealing her fate once and for all…

Fellow agent Lilian Murphy has been murdered and it’s up to Kim to discover who is responsible. It seemed that Lilian had been taught a lesson and punished after overhearing something she shouldn’t. But just before she drew her last breath, Lilian left a zigzag pattern drawn with her own blood above the bed she lay in before she died. A pattern that sends Kim on a spine-chilling chase that will lead her to untangle a twisted web of corruption, treachery and murder. It soon becomes abundantly clear that the Nazis are not England’s only enemies and that danger lies far closer to home…

With brooding and enigmatic Roland by her side, Kim journeys back to the heart of occupied France, but will she end up proving all those who doubted her wrong and solve this case? Or will this mission end up being her last?

I’ve read and enjoyed many of Hilary Green’s wartime sagas, so I was looking forward to reading my first thriller by her and I was not disappointed. As always, the setting and historical background are second to none as the period detail is meticulously recreated and evoked. Her characters are bold, fearless, courageous and larger than life and readers will cheer on Kim and be with her every single step of the way.

The action, tension, suspense and mystery are brilliantly interwoven and will grip readers from the first page and keep them on the edge of their seats until the final nail-biting conclusion.

A gripping historical thriller that will keep readers guessing, Hilary Green’s Operation Lightning Bolt is sure to satisfy genre aficionados everywhere.

A British secret agent must face her greatest nightmare to unravel a dangerous mystery — if she is to save her country from its worst enemies.Great, great, great - I am giving it a lot of love...read this one! An intense, emotional and utterly compelling narrative!

The book by Hilary Green is a historical fiction novel and spy thriller set during World War II. The plot, which is set between England and France, features a spirited, touch, and extremely intelligent young female spy who has returned to the field after recuperating from a Nazi imprisonment.

Lieutenant Katherine "Kim" Maxwell was sent to investigate the murder of a friend and fellow agent in France. She is sent as an undercover teacher at the spy school. With the help of one of her students, they discover a group of Nazi sympathizers attempting to topple the English leadership and negatively impact the English effect on the war.

Hilary Green excels at character development, with numerous interesting characters who keep you engaged. The plot had interesting surprises including an exceptional ending. My only hesitancy in giving a 5 star rating is that the middle of the story is a little slow and some of the twists are predictable and not surprsing.

Overall an entertaining book. I will look for more books by Hilary Green in the future.

This was a WW2 whodunnit, investigating possible espionage by uncovering the truth behind a murder.

This was an interesting story, set in England and France, and shared a glimpse into the world of female spies in the SOE during the war.

Aspects of felt reminiscent of Thomas Harris novels. My one critique is that it did feel that the character development was a little superficial which limited my investment into the characters. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this and would recommend to those who are looking for a historical fiction thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Hilary Green for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I had read Hilary Green before - some of her earlier work - but it was a while since I had read a book of hers though I had read reviews that the later books were not up to the standard of the earlier ones.

As with many reviews I found that these reviews were not entirely accurate and that this book was just as exciting as the earlier ones.

I wont give away spoilers as it really would spoil the story for those that do want to read it.

One reads of the horrors of the interrogation techniques of the Gestapo - and even though in places these are just hinted at - they really are horrific and inhuman. Despite that the heroine of the story goes back to France to investigate the death of another SOE executive and the rapid dispatch of another agent to France. It is obvious there is treachery somewhere.

I had heard of the Battle of Cable Street - and that fascists were still active in London in WW2 but had not really thought that there might be active cells and plots of extreme treachery at the heart of the British establishment,

I found the story fast-paced and had a few nights where I was trying to read 'a little bit more' before sleep overcame me .

I enjoyed this book- and would recommend you like WW2 historical fiction and are interested in another side of the SOE work

Thank you again to all involved

I absolutely love Hilary Green and this book totally lived up to my expectations. It is well researched, with vivid descriptive prose which made me feel like I was there. I was kept in suspense all the way through, never guessing what the outcome would be. I stayed up far too late into the night, turning page after page, unable to put the book down. The characters are all well rounded and fit in perfectly with the narrative.

Green's Operation Lightning Bolt is one of the few recent World War II novels I've read that actually manages to read like a thriller. Green is sometimes a little shaky when it comes to pacing, but she's just fine when it comes to writing engaging characters and lots of plot twists. I really enjoyed this one--read the entire thing in a couple night of vacation. I hope to see more books like this from Green in the future.

3.5 stars - A fast-paced, enjoyable WWII spy thriller, Operation Lightning Bolt had me on the edge of my seat — I stayed up far past bedtime because I needed to know what happened! This is not a deeply emotional read, which actually works well because the story is so intense (though never gratuitous), you, much like the characters, just need to keep moving so you don't get bogged down by the horror of the war. If you're up to it, and certainly if you're a fan of the genre, consider adding this one to your list. My thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hampshirite, 1943.
What is the Blitzschlag??

Read if you like:
- history!
- Mexican gothic
- CSI type examinations of bodies 💀
- military thrillers
- bad-a** lady heroes

This is a spy-type mystery/thriller in which a bad-ass lady boss lieutenant Kim seeks to solve a mystery involving one of her old coworkers. She is sent to a sort of finishing school to investigate the murder, along with one of her students Roxy. One word is sent out over the transistor “blitzschlag” which translates to “lightning”, but what does it mean?? Are we in danger?? Why was it sent in German and not translated??
This book does as too many so often do; started out strong and interesting but lagged and dragged on too much in the middle. I did enjoy the ending though I do have to admit, but it feels like there’s too much unnecessary filler in the middle.
Overall this book was unlike something I’ve really ever read before, and it was definitely enjoyable to read something different. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something unlike other mysteries.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Joffe Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review 💕

Kim Maxwell is recovering from being captured and tortured by the Nazis when she was undercover in France. She's frustrated and feels that she's being punished rather than recovering from her experiences.. The description says it all - she's brought back into the SOE to investigate a probable mole although who they are is unclear. She's returned to France and has more harrowing experiences during her investigations. It soon becomes clear that the Nazis are one issue but there are troublemakers far nearer to home. It is well-written and there is great attention to detail as I have come to expect from this author - she's good at whatever period her current book covers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This is one of a series (all are standalones) of historical fiction.

This story follows WW2 SOE operative Kim Maxwell, who after surviving capture and torture by the Nazis in occupied France, returns to England and is called upon to investigate the gruesome death of a fellow operative. Lily was able to leave behind a drawing of a lightning bolt in her own blood before she died. But what does it signify? Is there a mole at work? Are sympathetic organizations in England at work to further their Nazi agendas? “Max” must return undercover to France to rescue a captive agent who might have all the answers.

I enjoyed this one more than expected. Well written, Max is a tenacious and very brave woman, jumping into some white-knuckle moments filled with adventure and danger. There’s a little unexpected romance along the way as well. I might just read another in this series.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing the free arc of Operation Lightning Bolt for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

If you like historical fiction with actual events thrown in you will love this book !
It was non stop action with a heroine that I rooted for from the very beginning. It reminded what an important roll women played in helping the war effort at the home front and in the thick of the madness.
I will definitely be reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Operation Lightning Bolt.

This was a very winding tale of intrigue and mystery. I enjoyed reading about the different facets of the armed forces involved in this book, and generally speaking the scenes that were meant to be exciting were exiting. The writing was done incredibly well, and I appreciated the author's attention to detail.

I will say that this book had a few too many lulls in the adventure for my liking. I do enjoy a faster pace in my mysteries and I often found myself wishing they could just get to the bottom of the mystery once and for all. I particularly didn't like that I could see some of the story well in advance. The plot was predictable in certain instances, and I wanted more from some scenes. I'm not sure if we're meant to be super enraptured by the brewing romance between Kim and Foxy, but I just didn't feel that either. The scenes were fast between them, without ever really exploring the depth of their relationship.

This book read like a James Bond film. It was full of exciting chases and captures and I loved it. Set in WW2 in had all the elements to make a great espionage film . I throughly enjoyed this one. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A lively read with twists and turns set in World War II England and occupied France. Enjoyable. Waiting to follow protagonist Kim on her next investigative adventures.

Operation Lightning Bolt is a well-crafted novel of espionage, murder, mystery, a dash of romance, and a lot of suspense. Set during WWII, Operation Lightning Bolt takes place in France and England while the main character Kim, aka Max, sets out to figure out who murdered an SOE agent. Before Kim knows it, she is finding out about an entire dark society that she did not know existed and she soon realizes the Nazi's are not England's only enemy. When she meets the ever mysterious yet captivating Roland, they embark on a mission to solve the murders and foul play -all the while being drawn to each other and more trouble.

This book was extremely well written and had a very even flow to it. The author has a profound way with words and writes in a very captivating way that draws you into the story and makes it nearly impossible to put down. It is very easy to envision the settings throughout the book because the author is very descriptive and informative.

Operation Lightning Bolt by Hilary Green was a gripping W.W.II thriller. Kim Maxwell is a member of the SOE in Great Britain. She had been on assignment in Nazi-occupied France when she was taken by the Gestapo and tortured for information. Heroically, she was able to make it back to Britain where she trained agents for the SOE. When one of the operators was murdered, it became an emergency to find out who and why they were murdered.

There was a mole in the SOE operations that had to be found. Kim, also known as the cover name Max, was involved in deciphering the Nazi plant in the operation. This took her back to France as an agent to try to discover the meaning of Blitzschla, which was the only word that a new agent was able to send before the Gestapo took him. Kim (Max) was aided by a recruit in the SOE and the two of them were able to infiltrate a Nazi organization that was determined to bring Great Britain into the Nazi realm.

This novel was fast-moving and kept my interest throughout. I love novels written about W.W. II and this was a well-written suspenseful novel. I will be reading more of Ms. Green’s novels. She is a wonderful writer.