The Partisan by Patrick Worrall

[Kevin Thurlow]

I actually bought it, it was not a review copy!

The book starts with a woman tracking down war criminals in the 60s. The timelines then shift, with flashbacks and leaps forward, but these are sufficiently well labelled that it is not too confusing. A young female Russian chess player travels to London for a tournament and meets a young male English player. They get on well. Descriptions of chess vary, there are several references to “stalemate” which probably mean “draw”. When the protagonists play each other, the English player loses two knights and a rook, so thinks he is in trouble… The players carry on a quiet conversation whilst playing and nobody notices. But… the training techniques they use and other references are spot on. It’s an odd mix.

There is not much more chess, although a leading Russian villain is called Karpov. The various plots continue at pace and the book is gripping, featuring World War II, cold war, us versus them of various types, etc. There are convincing depictions of political machinations and people coming to a sticky end. All in all, I found it really interesting and a great read. I am really impressed that it's his debut novel. I imagine someone will snap up the movie rights.

[Mick Norris]

I see Amazon label it as

The Partisan: The explosive debut thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Charles Cumming

or is this just aimed at me?

'Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - incredibly impressive, up there with the best in the genre' LEE CHILD

It is the summer of 1961 and the brutal Cold War between East and West is becoming ever more perilous.

Two young prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain, Yulia and Michael, meet at a chess tournament in London. They don't know it, but they are about to compete in the deadliest game ever played.

Shadowing them is Greta, a ruthless resistance fighter who grew up the hard way in the forests of Lithuania, but who is now hunting down some of the most dangerous men in the world.

Men who are also on the radar of Vassily, perhaps the Soviet Union's greatest spymaster. A man of cunning and influence, Vassily was Yulia's minder during her visit to the West, but even he could not foresee the consequences of her meeting Michael.

When the world is accelerating towards an inevitable and catastrophic conflict, what can just four people do to prevent it?

Epic in scope, The Partisan is a thrill ride like no other, taking you from the hallowed halls of Cambridge to the grimy depths of the Moscow underworld, from 1960s London to the Eastern Front in the Second World War.

The reader reviews are very mixed, some very negative and some very positive, but I've decided to read it at some point

[Roger de Coverly]

A young female Russian chess player travels to London for a tournament and meets a young male English player.

Stewart Reuben thought this was unrealistic for the early Sixties. Move the location to Hastings and didn't elements of this actually happen? (not the spying but presumably)

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Stewart Reuben thought this was unrealistic for the early Sixties. Move the location to Hastings and didn't elements of this actually happen? (not the spying but presumably)"

There were few chess events here in the 60s, but it is supposed to be fiction! One of the battle scenes seemed unrealistic to me, but I suppose it could happen.

The author could have used Hastings, but then you wouldn't have Russian officials just dropping in to see what was going on.