A quiet company of dangerous men The forgotten British Special Operations soldiers of World War II

Eventful study of four British agents who waged war first on the Axis and then on the Soviet bloc. Fans of espionage fiction might, well, smile to see that one of military historian Monaghan's four heroes is named David Smiley. Her other three heroes, Julian Amery, Billy McLean, and Peter Kemp, enjoyed long careers making mischief behind enemy lines as they "worked with some of the most elite special-operations units of their time." They lived out a James Bond--ish existence--and indeed had access to lethal gear from a secret lab, "the real-life inspiration behind Q's gadget shop," complete with exploding pen. The four cut their teeth fighting the Italians in the pre--World War II invasion of Ethiopia and then in Albania, a place that, she writes memorably, "looks as though a small, angry child had balled up a piece of stiff felt and thrown it down on the floor." Their actions in the latter were critical, for the Germans and Italians had to commit a full 30 divisions to the Balkans that otherwise might have turned the balance on the Eastern Front. Monaghan capably paints a fraught political backdrop, including the fact that Amery's brother was a full-tilt fascist who was hanged for treason, as well as the dangers imposed by the treasonous behavior of another player in the great game, Kim Philby. She turns in some interesting historical tidbits along the way, too, such as the de facto collaboration of the victorious Allies and the Japanese in Indochina. In closing, she asks whether her hot and cold warriors won, noting, "There is a reason why so many of the places in which they operated remain conflict zones to this day." A well-told tale that sets the fictional worlds of Ian Fleming and John le Carré in real-life perspective. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.