The Traitor

A British secret agent bargains his honor for his wife's life in this well-done WWII suspense tale. Captured and tortured by the Germans on Crete in 1943 after leading a failed partisan raid, Capt. John Lockhart agrees to spy on the Greeks, but only if the SS will secure the safety of his wife, trapped in a Belgian concentration camp. The Germans, meanwhile, are recruiting disaffected British POWs for a special unit, the British Free Corps, to fight the Russians; Lockhart agrees to command it. At every point, however, Lockhart has plans of his own. While he trains his motley collection of British fascists, cowards and opportunists, fully intending to double-cross the Germans, the SS schemes to double-cross Lockhart, and even his own men cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, even as a Russian agent subverts a pivotal SS officer, London thinks Lockhart is a traitor, and Lockhart isn't sure his wife is still alive. Walters delivers a fast-paced, exciting story filled with action, intricate plot twists, deception and betrayal. Best of all is his gripping rendering of the fine line Lockhart must walk in order to keep his life and his honor. (Aug.)