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Book Summary and Reviews of The Information Officer by Mark Mills

The Information Officer by Mark Mills

The Information Officer

A Novel

by Mark Mills

  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2010, 304 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Summer 1942: Malta, a small windswept island in the Mediterranean, has become the most bombed patch of earth on the planet, worse even than London during the Blitz. The Maltese, a fiercely independent people, withstand the relentless Axis air raids.

Max Chadwick is the British officer charged with manipulating the news on Malta to bolster the population's fragile esprit de corps. This is all, besides a few broken-down fighter planes, that stands in the face of Nazi occupation and perhaps even victory—for Malta is the stepping-stone the Germans need between Europe and North Africa.

When Max learns of the brutal murder of a young island woman—along with evidence that the crime was committed by a British officer—he knows that the Maltese loyalty to the war effort could be instantly shattered. As the clock ticks down toward all-out invasion, Max must investigate the murder—beyond the gaze of his superiors, friends, and even the woman he loves.

Filled with remarkably poignant and atmospheric details of life under siege, and indelible characters who live and breathe, The Information Officer is a taut, transporting thriller—an enthralling novel told with exceptional skill and style.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Once again, Mills has crafted a story filled with rich history, tension, and characters whose frailties and strengths move the plot along at a taut and satisfying pace." - Library Journal

"As historical fiction, as mystery, and as love story, this one hits on all cylinders." - Booklist

"Mills paints a vivid portrait of a tenacious people, embattled and besieged troops, and a principled man trying to resolve the conflict between duty and justice." - Publishers Weekly

"Mark Mills is a superb writer, and The Information Officer is a superb read." - Joseph O'Neill, author of Netherland

"The Information Officer ratchets up the tension with each page, leading to a pulse-pounding climax that will remain with you long after the tale has ended. Wartime Malta comes alive in this meticulously researched and beautifully written portrait of an island on the edge." - Olen Steinhauer, author of The Tourist

"A forgotten corner of World War II rediscovered and expertly revealed to us.  Fascinating and shrewdly compelling—Mark Mills does it again." - William Boyd, author of Restless

"A lush, romantic thriller, skillfully crafted by master stylist Mark Mills."  - George Pelecanos, author of The Way Home

"The Information Officer is both great historical fiction and a first-rate thriller. Mark Mills has taken a harrowing and often-forgotten conflict, populated it with believable and compelling characters, and then turned up the heat. This is a novel that works on every level."—David Liss, author of The Devil's Company

This information about The Information Officer was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Patricia Jackson

Possible error on page 251
Having a distant connection with Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Basil Jackson who went down with the Penelope in 1944, I have always understood that the ship was nicknamed 'HMS Pepperpot'. Page 251 refers to her as 'HMS Porcupine' which was actually the name of a P-Class destroyer. All this data is well documented in Wikipedia.

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Author Information

Mark Mills Author Biography

Mark Mills is a screenwriter whose first novel, Amagansett, was published in a dozen countries and received the British Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award. His other novels include The Savage Garden and The Information Officer. A graduate of Cambridge University, he lives in Oxford with his wife and two children.

Other books by Mark Mills at BookBrowse
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More Recommendations

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