Book Review: Operation Tulip, by Deborah Swift

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Holland, 1944: Undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan has been given her toughest case yet. A key member of the Dutch resistance has been captured, and Nancy must play the role of a wealthy Nazi to win over a notorious SS officer, Detlef Keller, and gain crucial information.

It is a long time since I read a book with such a chilling sense of inevitability, as the pebble thrown into the pond right at the start creates ripples endangering the lives of everyone.

Operation Tulip by Deborah Swift is a gripping historical fiction novel and follows undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan as she navigates the treacherous waters of Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II.

Deborah Swift weaves a tale of love, espionage, and the resilience of the human spirit's. Nancy's mission, code-named Operation Tulip, is to infiltrate the Dutch SS and gather vital intelligence. Her courage and determination are unwavering, even as she faces the constant threat of discovery and betrayal.

I was struck by the paradox at the core of this book, that to defend moral standards, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice them.  

Deborah Swift avoids the danger of the SS commanders being stereotypes by occasional glimpses of their humanity, but ultimately their crimes are too great for any sympathy.

The novel offers an unexpected  glimpse into the the chaos and division between the competing factions of the Dutch resistance, and the vivid descriptions of the war-torn landscape and the hardships endured by the Dutch people are poignant and often harrowing. 

One of the strengths of Operation Tulip is the development of its characters. Nancy is a compelling protagonist, her strength and vulnerability making her relatable and endearing. The supporting cast, including her lover, Tom, and her resistance contacts, are well-drawn, adding depth and complexity to the narrative.

While Operation Tulip is a thrilling read, it also serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought against tyranny. It is a testament to the human spirit's ability to endure hardship and hope for a better future.  Highly recommended.

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Deborah Swift lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District and worked as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV. After gaining an MA in Creative Writing in 2007 Deborah now teaches classes and courses in writing and provides editorial advice to writers and authors. Find out more at Deborah's website www.deborahswift.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @swiftstory

Special Guest Post by Giles Keating, Author of Anne of Athelhampton and the Riddle of the Apes (The Anne of Athelhampton Trilogy Book 1)

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Why has Anne been given a pet ape, Endy, as a twelfth birthday present by her grasping cousin, Young John? Can she solve the riddle before he does, and use it to stop him accusing their grandmother, the Lady Elizabeth, of witchcraft and of harbouring a priest? Helped by Endy, her friends Lizzie and Robert, and the pirate Captain Heynes, Anne searches the passageways and walls of her family home, Athelhampton, to reveal their secrets and solve the riddle.

You can visit Athelhampton and take a selfie at the door where Anne’s great-great grandfather placed the single rose of Henry VII or warm yourself by the flames in the Great Hall fireplace where she ate her dinner. This has been a family home since the days after Bosworth Field and when I arrived five years ago and learned about Anne, youngest of Sir Nicholas Martyn’s four daughters who lived here in the 1580s, I could almost hear her footsteps echoing from the staircases and secret passages and knew I had to write a book about her.

Athelhampton House

Anne grew up as a Catholic at a time when Queen Elizabeth was tightening religious laws, but the real threat came from other family members. Her cousin ‘Young’ John had a long-running dispute with her father over an inheritance and had no scruples about exposing his closest relatives’ priests to the authorities, or using armed thugs in a pitched battle, if that would get him what he wanted. 

Chidiock Tichborne

Anne’s brother-in-law Chidiock Tichborne also drew unwanted attention, though he was influenced by naive fanaticism rather than personal greed when he became a Babington plotter and tried to kill Queen Elizabeth I, writing a famous poem the night before his execution.

These are historical facts from the archives, offering fertile material to be expanded into historical novels – at times, it seems to me that the “Anne of Athelhampton” books almost write themselves! Especially since after he tragically lost all his sons to childhood illness, Sir Nicholas took the bold decision to leave his house and fortune to his surviving daughters. Anne was the only one still unmarried at the time when the books are set and her prospective inheritance was a powerful attraction to suitors – desirable and undesirable.

Of an evening at Athelhampton as the gloaming deepens, I’m reminded of the many ghost stories about the house, which was chosen to be the first location in the TV series “Most Haunted.” In one of these tales, a lovelorn young woman hides in a secret room behind the panelling and is followed by her ape. 

They cannot escape and sadly die there, but the pet is said to walk the corridors before disappearing into the wall. Echoing this story, there are still a number of secret rooms at Athelhampton built to hide priests; the ape is the Martyn family symbol and appears on their coat of arms throughout the house; and there was a famous local pirate thriving while Anne was growing up, who used to bring apes home from his voyages to give away as pets. Irresistible material for the books!

The Great Hall

“Anne of Athelhampton and the Riddle of the Apes” came out a couple of years ago and tells how Anne and her ape Endy face down Young John. “Anne of Athelhampton and the Queen’s Pearl’s” appeared last year and focuses on Anne’s dealings with Chidiock which eventually take her all the way from Dorset to London. 

The third volume “Anne of Athelhampton and the Tincture of Roses” is in preparation. All are illustrated by local artist Noah Warnes, who I worked with closely as he captured the excitement of Anne and her friends as they unravel the clues that run through each book and the dangers they face from characters like the pugilistic Walter Bearde and the dissembling William Arundel.

Giles Keating

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About the Author

Giles Keating fell in love with Athelhampton when he first arrived at its ancient riverside setting amidst Dorset’s rolling hills, and he became part of the team that welcomes visitors to its Tudor house and classic gardens. Giles worked for several decades as an economist at the University of London and in the City, crunching numbers and meeting people from all over the world, to try and get some insight into where the great events of the time might lead – the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the internet, the growth in the power of China, the looming climate disaster. Find out more from https://www.historichouses.org/house/athelhampton-house-gardens/visit/

Special Guest Post by Tracey Warr, Author of of Love’s Knife (Trobairitz Sleuth series 1)

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1093. The music of murder. Beatriz de Farrera is a trobairitz (a female troubadour) at the court of Toulouse. She sings of love but intends to evade marriage and romantic entanglements. Her patron, Philippa, is the heiress of the rich city and county of Toulouse.

Sound and Silence

Love’s Knife is the story of three young women at the court in medieval Toulouse, who find themselves embroiled in a murder. Lady Philippa is the rightful heir to Toulouse but her uncle and cousin have other ideas. Someone is stealing huge amounts of salt, which is one of the most valuable commodities in this early medieval world. The pope is in contention with the abbot of Cluny over the income flooding in from pilgrims walking the new route to Santiago de Compostela. Anna is Lady Philippa’s deaf maid and Beatriz is the lady’s troubadour. Both Philippa and Beatriz are faced with unwelcome marriages.

Salt crystals forming in the pink salt lakes of Aigues-Mortes

My previous five medieval novels could be described as biographical historical fiction. Their protagonists were real women. For Love’s Knife, I wanted to take a different approach and write a medieval murder mystery. My main protagonist, Beatriz of Farrera, is an entirely fictional character (although there were real medieval female troubadours). Philippa of Toulouse is a real historical person and the events of her life provide the framework for this novel and the rest of the series.

Writers and artists have been secondary characters in all my previous novels, but they take centre stage in this new novel. As a musician and poet, Beatriz is always listening to the sounds around her. Her friend Anna has a different sensory experience of events. She cannot hear sounds but she can lipread and is a keen observer. There is also a sculptor in Love’s Knife, who is working on the grand new pilgrim church being built in Toulouse – Saint-Sernin – and he plays an important role in the story.

Saint-Sernin pilgrim church in Toulouse

 I had a number of key starting points for the novel:
- A writing residency I undertook in the high village of Farrera in the Catalan Pyrenees, where I first started imagining Beatriz and her story and saw the frescos of the Master of Pedret in one of the tiny mountain chapels
- A portrait painting of Alice Butts by Whistler, which gave me Beatriz’s face and some of her characteristics
- A silver triple-pin disc brooch from the Middle Ages in the British Museum
- Memories of my grandfather, who was deaf.

Whistler’s portrait of Alice Butt

I had fun creating the secondary characters in this novel, including Roger – a fearsome Norman Sicilian knight; Guillaume, duke of Aquitaine, who was a gifted poet in real life; and Imbert the troubadour. I carried out research on the medieval salt trade, the development of the pilgrim routes, and the palace of the counts of Toulouse.

I live in southern France, near Toulouse, so I am surrounded by inspirations for the story. I also travelled to several places that Beatriz goes to in pursuit of the murderer, including Poitiers, Conques and Aigues-Mortes. You can see more on my research for the novel on my Substack: https://traceywarr.substack.com


Tracey Warr

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About the Author

Tracey Warr was born in London, lived in southwest Wales and now lives in southern France. The castles and landscapes of Wales and France inspire her historical fiction. She is the author of six historical novels set in medieval Europe and centred on strong female leads. She draws on old maps, chronicles, poems and objects to create fictional worlds for readers to step into. Her writing awards include an Author’s Foundation Award, a Literature Wales Writer’s Bursary, and a Santander Research Award. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked as a contemporary art curator and art history academic. Tracey is part of the group organising author launch interviews for the Historical Novel Society website. She is also part of the team organising the next Historical Novel Society UK conference at Dartington Hall in Devon 6–8 September 2024. Find out more at https://meandabooks.com and follow Tracey on Facebook and Twitter @TraceyWarr1. You can sign up for the Meandering quarterly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/ifTA_P