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The Information Officer: A Novel (Library Edition) |  | Author: Mark Mills
Creator: Robin Sachs
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $65.95
Buy New: $43.71
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Seller: pbshop
Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 5149255
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Unabridged library
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 1441721258
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781441721259
ASIN: 1441721258
Publication Date: February 2, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Mark Mills's bestselling novels Amagansett and The Savage Garden have won him widespread acclaim for his singular brand of suspense. Weaving a haunting and atmospheric historical backdrop with a tense plot of murder and an unforgettable love story, he delivers another riveting tale in The Information Officer.
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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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
 Keep your head down February 18, 2010
Patricia H. Parker (Springfield, Massachusetts United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Imagine sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on an island the size of a postage stamp with armies at war sitting on every adjoining shore watching what goes on. Imagine being the last Allied territory east of Gilbraltor in the second year of World War II. That was the situation for the people living on Malta in 1943. Submarine traffic was so heavy that supplies and armaments ships had trouble getting through successful. A delivery of forty fighter planes were bombed into smithereens within 24 hours of being delivered. Still the Maltese inhabitants and the British armed service people, on the island held on. Bombings were almost continuous morning, noon and night. Still the people, of both communities, stood strong. As an American "diplomat" says to the lead character, Max, only the British could experience a disaster like Dunkirk and call it a victory.
Into this community comes a psychopathic killer. Young women are being murdered. At least three are found dead before someone realizes that these fatalities are the result of a killer and not casualties of the bombings. Max Chadwick, The Information Officer of the title is assigned the task of finding the killer before the Maltese realize that their daughters are being murdered, perhaps by a British Officer, and turn against the British in their fight to keep the island from the Nazis.
As Max moves through the phases of his search, we meet the motley collection of Administrative and Military people who make up the British contingent. Max's search also takes us into the homes and community of the Maltese natives. Malta is an island which has been attacked and taken many times over the centuries, and its people know how to watch which way the wind blows to pick the winner and keep their families as safe as possible. Rumors are starting and Max needs to move fast.
Mark Mills spins this tale in the same way that he wrote "The Savage Garden" and "Amagansett". He gives us an intriguing mystery and builds a picture of the place where it is happening. The ending is tricky. I was completely surprised, and I am quite good at solving these mysteries before the last page. One question that Mills brings up is whether the perpetrator is actually a brutal, unemotional killer or is he or she a fifth columnist sent to disrupt the comfortable relationship between the British and the Maltese which is keeping the island free. Or, is the killer both.
This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. Good reading.
The locals are getting restless February 14, 2010
Amateur curmudgeon (Lakewood, CO United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Meet Max, information (read propaganda) officer, for the British colonial government in the small, besieged, island of Malta in the summer of 1942. Malta, the most bombed piece of real estate in the world, is under constant aerial attack by the Luftwaffe in preparation for the German invasion. His mission: To shore up the moral of the Maltese and keep them supporting the allied cause; to keep, as the British colonials say "The locals from getting restless".
His friend, Freddie, a surgeon at the hospital tells him a secret that can subvert the Maltese (The Locals) population against the British: Someone has been killing young Maltese women, and the British brass has been keeping it mum. Worse, it seems the murderer is a British submarine officer.
Between the surgeon, his beautiful Maltese colleague, Lilith, and a mysterious American liaison officer, Elliot, Max must discover the identity of the serial killer before the arrival of the largest contingent of Spitfires, and the departure of the submarine that carries the suspect officer.
A gripping read that thrusts you right in the depths of the ruined island; well researched and deeply immersive.
The Battle of Malta? March 7, 2010
lisatheratgirl (New York, NY)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I see a lot of people are complaining this book doesn't neatly fit into one particular genre. I say so what? I like Mark Mills' historical mysteries, and the background of war adds excitement to a story. One of my favorite things about his books is that he can take you there, even if it's a time and place neither you nor he have actually been. That's good research. I like fiction (and especially mysteries) that give you a chance to learn about a new place and a new subject. I didn't know much more about Malta than the Maltese Falcon. I didn't even know it was IN the war. So the air raids and the tactics of moving ships and troops and the espionage were entirely knew to me, I thought it was great that he had chapters from the viewpoint of the sinister serial killer, giving the reader the sense of being stalked by him. I came away with so much more than when I started the book. Unlike some others, I can recommend it highly. You'll be standing in a Maltese street hearing the sirens go off, wondering if life will ever be normal again.
A thrilling adventure filled with authentic, historical facts about a little known time in the early days of World War II February 8, 2010
Bookreporter.com (New York, New York)
The tiny island of Malta --- a mere speck on a map in the Mediterranean Sea --- has become the target of the Nazi and Fascist regimes. British troops are hunkered down trying to hold on to this windswept island, strategically placed between North Africa and the Italian coast, both held by Axis forces.
It is 1942; America has only just entered World War II, and Malta, inhabited by a fierce, tough and proud race that dates back centuries, has been ruled by Phoenicians, Romans, Sicilians, the French and currently the British. The ancient island is being bombarded around the clock by German and Italian warplanes as they try to obliterate the one safe landing spot for the Allied Air Force and submarine commands between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. The Maltese natives scramble for shelter in the island's deep limestone caves, some even setting up living quarters as the bombers pulverize their island, leaving thousands of dead and injured and entire cities in piles of rubble.
Max Chadwick is the British officer in charge of writing and delivering the news to the local residents to bolster their morale as they flee to bomb shelters daily. His job is to massage the facts, to spoon-feed selected news items in a way that will keep the beleaguered residents on the side of the Allies. But when he learns of a senseless murder by a British officer of a dance hall girl and pursues the story, he is thwarted on every front from exposing the crime. Even though he discovers that this is not the only murder of this kind, he feels compelled to investigate, keeping his detective work a secret from his superiors, colleagues and even his girlfriend.
Max hangs out with a group of British officers and their wives and girlfriends: Freddie, a surgeon who tirelessly treats the injured service personnel and islanders alike; Lionel, the submarine commander and his seductive wife; and Elliott, a single American officer whose presence and purpose are observed with a mix of suspicion, gratitude and envy. Elliott is privy to vital military information the Brits are eager to have, and, as a representative of the American government, has access to luxuries unavailable to either the British forces or even the most connected of the native Maltese businessmen.
THE INFORMATION OFFICER is a thrilling adventure filled with authentic, historical facts about a little known time in the early days of World War II in a place whose colorful history has been buried by the exploits of mightier nations. Author Mark Mills spices these facts with not only the intrigue of espionage but also clandestine romances between officers and their wives --- not necessarily their own. In addition, it is evident that there is a double agent who is leaking information to the enemy about troop movements and locations. Add to that a serial killer whose motives may or may not be connected to the espionage, and you have a book that almost turns its own pages for you.
--- Reviewed by Roz Shea
Clever, With Something For Everyone March 17, 2010
Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA)
This is the first novel I've read by Mark Mills, and I really enjoyed it and now want to read his 2 earlier novels. This one has something for everyone. If you're a history buff, you'll love the setting of Malta during WWII. The author obviously did a lot of research and you get a real feel for the island, its people, and the British pilots and other military personnel. As the island is under-defended and under siege by the Luftwaffe, the part of the book that deals with the war is gripping. Added to that theme, we have a very clever maniac running around who is targeting "sherry girls", the girls that work in the bars that cater to servicemen. It appears he is a British officer, and his sick spree could ruin the delicate relations between the Maltese and the British. Added to the mystery of who this fellow is, and whether he can be stopped, we have the double love story of the information officer of the title and his involvement with both a British and a Maltese woman. The book is very cleverly plotted, with several twists and turns which will definitely keep you guessing. Without giving too much away, let me just say that not everything is as it seems. The author is a former screenwriter and it should come as no surprise that he is especially good at constructing a book that flows smoothly and keeps hopping from one interesting scene to the next. He also has a great ear for dialogue and there are many interesting, witty and very funny exchanges throughout the book. The characters are well-drawn, especially the information officer and his nemesis, and we are given some nice personal history background which makes these characters seem very, very real. (Oh, and I guess I should mention that the author is pretty good at writing erotic passages as well. The book doesn't get bogged down in that sort of thing but there is one pretty steamy episode that might fog your glasses up.) All in all, a heckuva good read and I heartily recommend it.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
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