(reviewed by JD Jung)
1933-Havana Cuba: Irishman Marcus Riley’s objective is to kidnap the visiting Winston Churchill and hold him hostage in exchange for IRA members serving time in London prisons. However former Detective Inspector Walter Thompson, now serving as Churchill’s bodyguard, thwarts his plans.
Fast forward to 1940. London is under siege by Nazis bombers. Prime Minister Churchill refuses to sign a treaty with Hitler, even after massive public and political pressure. Thompson finds himself constantly on guard to protect Churchill against possible Nazi agents, domestic and foreign.
Meanwhile Riley is alive and well in London, and has become obsessed with Churchill, seeking to kill him as retribution for the Irish people and his own family.
From pacifists to Nazi sympathizers to IRA fighters, Thompson soon realizes that Churchill is in danger on so many fronts, even to the point that maybe the MI5 and security branches could be involved.
Though Mission Churchill features Thompson as its protagonist, Riley and his deteriorated emotional state play a key role in this fast-paced thriller. The supporting characters are just as fascinating, some playing into Riley’s scheme and even become collateral damage. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Churchill himself, exposing his numerous idiosyncrasies.
This story was inspired by and serves as the prequel to the novel Target Churchill, written by the late Warren Adler and James C. Humes. If it’s as good as this one, I think I’ll pick it up.
