The second book in the John Cook series. It is fiction based loosely on fact and is set near Uckfield in Sussex during the summer of 1940 where Cook is a farmer. France has just fallen and everyone is expecting the German Forces to invade at any time. John is ex-army but too old for signing up but he has been asked to lead an Auxiliary section in the area should the invasion happen. If called into service lifespan was estimated at about 2 weeks!

Briefly, alongside running his farm Cook becomes embroiled with a German plot to sabotage a local radio transmitter vital to the defence of the country. Cook takes no prisoners and having to cope with fifth columnists and work with Lady Margaret at the same time makes for daring, dangerous and devilish times.

An excellent plot kept the tension high in this compelling and gripping story. I wasn’t aware of the depth of training undertaken by those expected to act as Resistance in the event of a German invasion. Well researched and the authors notes are worth a read. An enjoyable and exciting novel.

A historical book set in England just after Dunkirk, a period of gloom and doom, with many of the upper hierarchy sympathetic and admirers of Hitler, with Mosley andhis Blackshirts stirring up support from the working classes. While everyone is expecting invasion any moment, the Government is secretly organising undercover resistance forces with selected patriots. With Cooke and Lady Margaret recruited they set about observing what their aristocratic neighbour is doing, openly preparing to help and welcome the German invaders. One night a German bomber flew by and a parachute was seen to come down into the nearby forest. No sign of an enemy gent and so Cooke decides to join with his neighbour claiming to be a peace lover willing to do anything to appease e Germans to gain peace. What happens makes an interesting and exciting story.

Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to read this book through Net Galley.

After reading Stephen Ronson's first book The Last Line I couldn't wait to read his next book. This book is excellent with a strong opening sequence which set up the main conflict immediately. I enjoyed the fight scenes and I wanted to keep reading. The story in all is very engaging and the concept was so intriguing forcing me to read way past my bedtime as I wanted to know what would happen next. It is very authentic and must have required a lot of research. I have enjoyed the way Margaret and Cook's relationship has developed over the two stories and I hope this continues into a third book. The reference to Agatha Christie is fantastic, thumbs up for that. Overall the characters and vivid and the book's descriptions prompting fantastic visualization. It's made me want to go back to the south east of England. I have enjoyed this and would very much like to read more books set within the world wars. I've found a new genre through these books and I would love to read more.

I love this genre of book and this one being set in England made it very relatable, I loved trying to guess who was The Berlin Agent and changed my mind several times, I also was invested in the side story of who had murdered and terrorised people out of their homes and why. I fully recommend this book.

When John Cook sees a parachute landing near his home he rushes out to find them. The strange thing is they have disappeared and are nowhere to be found. You can tell how much research has been done to write this book as it flows through the pages. I was thrilled with the many characters in the story most of whom appeared in the previous book. It has plenty of action that kept me engaged and eagerly turning the pages. It is plotted with many heart racing moments which I love. I am so glad that I got the chance to read the book and I highly suggest that you give a go too. It can be easily read as a standalone but if you're like me and need to read in order, this is the second book in the John Cook series.

It is 1940, and Paris has unexpectedly fallen to The Third Reich.

England is preparing for the German soldiers to land on British soil, and making sure they are ready to fight.

When John Cook spots a parachutist landing near his home, he rushes out to find them. The parachutist is nowhere to be found, but they have left behind a crate with some kind of machinery behind.

Lady Margaret and John keep hearing German voices, but can’t find where they are coming from. With everyone on edge, can they find out just what is going on?

An action-packed World War 2 story that had me hooked. I enjoyed seeing a lot of the characters again from book one.

This is a dark tale, but is lightened by the much needed humour.

The research that has gone into this story shines throughout the storytelling.

The author notes at the end of three book made for interesting reading.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is set in the the Pre-Invasion fears of the Second World War. Our farmer, ex Army hero John Cook, is ahead of the game and puts himself out to get to the bottom of various wrong-doings.
Having read the previous book, this one did not disappoint. I like the detail both of the characters and also historical facts. I am looking forward to the next book.

I was thrilled with the opportunity to read book 2, having loved book 1 and knew that this author would not disappoint. I was right on that score. Another superbly well researched read. Something you can rely on with this author is that this is well crafted, visual, vivid and accurate (as detailed in the lengthy historical note.)

A good, well maintained pace throughout and one which kept me interested the whole way.

Compelling. Historical war fiction at its finest.

This is the second book featuring John Cook and Lady Margaret based in Uckfield, Sussex. The story is set in 1940 following the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Armed Forces. John Cook is a farmer, who sees a parachutist land in Ashdown Forest. He goes to investigate and finds the parachute stuck in a tree with no sign of the parachutist. However, he does find a broken crate containing a black suitcase. Who is the spy? Where are they now? Why are they here? All in all, the story of wartime invasion, spies, lead to a story line full of suspense, a gripping read full of tense moments and plot twists, and subterfuge. The author gave us a fascinating overview into the research he did for this book.

A really good book about life during the early part of WWII, where everyone was convinced that the German invasion was imminent, that there were spies around every corner, and that everyone had to do their bit. I liked the main characters, John Cook and Lady Margaret, an almost unlikely painting, but with definite hidden depths. We all know about SOE and British Intelligence, but it’s great to read about the lesser known sides of spy craft and resistance. This feels like a very well researched piece, believable and very engaging. I hadn’t read the first in the series but was still able to get into the character easily. My only slight concern was that there seemed to be a few too many murders that were almost ignored. That said, a really good period read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unaware that this is a second book I looked forward to reading it but finished a little underwhelmed. I thought the two main characters a little unbelievable particularly a farmer who in wartime spent most of his time elsewhere than on his farm until 3/4 way through the story. Also too many uninvestigated murders!
My thanks nevertheless to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

It's 1940 and a German invasion along the South Coast of England is imminent. A parachute drops from a German bomber during a night-time air raid and is spotted by farmer John Cook. He rushes to the scene and discovers the parachute hanging from a tree — but there's no sign of the parachutist. Upon searching the area, a smashed wooden crate is found in the undergrowth; its contents a strange-looking machine. It would appear a German spy has landed on British soil.

This second book featuring John Cook paints a vivid picture of rural life under threat from wartime invasion. The author sets the scene perfectly and the story pulls the reader in. A veteran of the First World War, John Cook is prepared to sacrifice his life for his country. Skills acquired as a soldier have stood him in good stead for what is about to happen.

The plot is excellent and compelling — it's a period in my country's history I'm personally very interested in. The characters feel realistic and the pacing is spot on. I really hope the author has more books planned. A great read!

Summer 1940 and, following the fall of France, the people of Britain are anxiously waiting for news of an invasion by the Germans, none more so than the people living on the south coast of England.
Amongst those people is John Cook, former soldier now farmer, who has been tasked by shadowy people in Whitehall with gathering together a group of like-minded individuals prepared to create trouble for the Germans following the invasion. Causing trouble is what John is good at as he hates injustice and is always ready to intervene.

One day John sees a parachutist falling from a German plane. Working out where he thinks the landing area will be he charges off in search of the Berlin agent.

This was a really enjoyable book, full of action and easy to read. One thing I particularly enjoyed was the way in which the description of people continuing to live their everyday lives in the shadow of the threat of invasion was interwoven into the main story.

I received this ARC from NetGalley, having requested it due to the title and general description of the book. I then realised that this was book number 2 in a series so I got a copy of book one – The Last Line. Equally enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Although The Berlin Agent can be read as a standalone I do really recommend that you read The Last Line first as I feel you’ll get a more complete picture of John Cook.

Beginning in June 1940, this book takes up shortly after the events of The Last Line. World War 2 is raging and Paris has surrendered - German tanks are expected in Britain any day now. John Cook, a farmer and former soldier near the south coast of England, has been tasked with creating stalling diversions in the event of the German invasion. When a parachute is found in the woods, it quickly becomes clear that not only has a spy arrived, they clearly have help from someone local. John and his companion Margaret are on a mission to ferret out the spy before it's too late.
I really enjoyed this book. John Cook has been described elsewhere as a 1940's Jack Reacher, and I think that is very apt. Several plotlines run concurrently and as well as being an intriguing thriller with some very unexpected turns, this is a story of the reality of living in war time Britain, which I found very enlightening. Don't be put off by the fact that it's second in a series, the events of book one are well explained.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy, I can't wait for book three!

As a work of fiction I found this book a compelling read and felt as if I was actually back in 1939. A delicious group of main characters interact throughout with a motley bunch most of which have one thing in mind, and it's not good.

Great read, well done..

“Courage is found in unlikely places.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

Author Stephen Ronson brings us ‘The Berlin Agent’, follow up to his excellent WWII thriller ’The Last Line’.

England 1940. Since Paris fell to the Third Reich, England is expecting an invasion. In the event of a German invasion of Britain, covert volunteer resistance forces, or Auxiliary Units, had been instructed in guerrilla warfare to thwart the Nazi invasion.

Enter farmer John Cook (former Army Sergeant Major), and society heiress Lady Margaret. Both are ready to leave their normal lives behind in order to carry out top secret orders to do whatever it takes to fight the Nazis should they invade their beloved country.

The Luftwaffe already fill the skies, and one dark night a parachutist drops from one such bomber during an air raid. Cook is first on the scene and discovers a crate containing a mysterious piece of machinery, but the accompanying parachutist is nowhere to be seen. However, this is clearly an attempt by the Nazis to infiltrate the country and find out as much as they can preceding the expected invasion.

In the midst of darkness, Cook and Lady Margaret hear German voices, and they’re not the only ones. Was the parachutist an agent from Berlin?

This is another winner from Mr Ronson, which gives us terrific insight into WWII from the perspective of war on the home front, and particularly those who had trained to take on the Nazis in the event of an invasion.

An exciting read with plenty of tension, humour, and some heart pounding moments, as the author paints a picture of wartime Britain and places the reader firmly in that painting, allowing us to imagine just how it felt.

The author’s notes at the end give some indication of just how much research went into creating this fictional story of Sussex wartime farmer John Cook, resulting in an authentic and riveting read.

The romantic story with Cook and Margaret is compelling with the difficulties that they are faced during the war. The author writes in a way that you can feel the tension, fear and adrenalin each step of the way.
I did find it a little confusing at times and a bit far fetched especially the underground scenes.
A good book though that I would recommend

The second in a series of which I hadn’t read the first one so assumed from the title that the action would be based on interline rather than rural Sussex but nonetheless, it was a good read, full of atmospheric settings and fast action interspersed with the totally domestic. On the one hand, the rooting out of German spies and on the other, of the necessity of getting in the harvest. A curious, rather “hanging”, ending leaves things open for a third in the series, which I will look out for. Thanks to the publishers snd Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy.

A fast-moving home-front spy tale. The narrative follows ex-soldier Cook, recruited to do covert work routing out traitors at the onset of WW2.

It’s a good story, with spycraft and mystery elements.

I had read and enjoyed the authors previous novel The Last line which is set in the period of World War II when it appeared that German invasion of England was inevitable. During the first novel we meet John Cook who has been tasked with staying undercover as a south coast UK farmer in order to disrupt German invading forces.
This novel is the sequel to the previous novel and we are in 1940. John must react when an enemy parachute is appears to land in one of his fields
The book grabbed me from the first chapter and I was greedily devouring it in one sitting . Reading the novels is like reading a grown-up famous five or should it be secret seven with added violence and a bit of sex. the story is fast moving and keeps your attention throughout the characters are realistic enough to make you believe in them but have that two dimensional quality perhaps if they goodies and baddies in Dick Barton special agent or the war magazines my older cousins used to read and which my grandmother called Trash Mags . all great fun you know the goodies will prevail in the end and you keep reading.

The authors writing style is clear flowing and easily read reading these novels has been fun.

I thoroughly recommend for those who like a fast paced historical action story .

I read copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The novel is published on the 7th of November 2024 by Hodder and Stoughton
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog by SarahSbooks.WordPress.com.

After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK