Book details:
Book Title: Operation Tulip
Series: Secret Agent Series
Author: Deborah Swift
Publication Date: 12th September 2024
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 410
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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.
England: Coding expert Tom Lockwood is devastated that the Allies have failed to push back the Nazis, leaving Northern Holland completely cut off from the rest of Europe, and him from his beloved Nancy. Desperate to rescue the love of his life, Tom devises Operation Tulip, a plan to bring Nancy home.
But as Nancy infiltrates the Dutch SS, she finds herself catching the eye of an even more senior member of the Party. Is Nancy in too deep, or can Tom reach her before she gets caught?
Inspired by the true events of occupied Holland during WW2, don't miss this utterly gripping story of love, bravery and sacrifice.
Buy Link for bookstores: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/operation-tulip-ww2-secret-agent-series-deborah-swift
The noise of the van starting up and then a door opening. Nancy’s Resistance friends had seen the signal.
Obermayer glanced up at the old gas-powered fish van parked a little further down the road. His lips tightened and his gaze snapped to meet hers. His eyes were grey and knowing.
‘Excuse me,’ he said swiftly to Elmo, and abruptly, he began to walk away, powering down the street.
He’d smelled a rat, and there was nothing she could do. Should she follow? Already, she was conscious of her men moving on the street, closing in. They had to catch him where they could get him to the van, which was kerb-crawling close behind him. Elmo, the double-crossing swine, had melted away into the bank.
A glimpse of her friend Josef. He had the chloroform bottle in his pocket. He swung out to follow his quarry who was heading briskly for the Appololaan Hotel, a Nazi stronghold, close to where five canals meet.
But Obermayer didn’t get far before Josef leapt at him.
’Gestapo!’ Obermayer shouted, trying to summon help as he swung his fists at the men wrestling to pin him down and disarm him. He was still trying to get to his gun, but Wim was trying to crush his hands together.
Josef brought out the bottle of chloroform and the rag and unstoppered it, just as her friend Wim swung his fist to hit the big man. Obermayer reeled, cannoned into Josef and the chloroform bottle shot out of Josef’s hand.
A sharp inhalation as the glass shattered. No. Don’t let him get away.
The pavement glinted with shards of glass and running liquid, as Obermayer lurched out of their grasp.
Nancy ran towards them, uncertain what they could do now, but knowing the plan had failed. Obermayer drew a pistol from his coat and aimed it at Wim.
But before he could fire, two cracks. Eva, who had been in the getaway van, had panicked, drawn out a revolver and fired two shots out of the window.
Obermayer hit the ground like a collapsed building, his head smacking on to the pavement. One bullet had gone through his head, the other his neck.
Shit. The sound of the revolver instantly brought the Greens running. Like lice, they emerged from the side-streets and buildings, shouting ‘Stop!’ ‘Stay where you are!’
The Greens were the Ordnungspolizei, the Order Police in green uniform who worked for Nazi Germany and were responsible for carrying out Nazi orders. They were tasked with the arrest, execution or deportation of what they called ’Enemies of the Reich.’
Already Nancy’s friends were scattering, leaving Obermayer’s body as a heap on the pavement. Wim jumped into the van, as Josef set off running and Eva reversed as fast as she could, foot hard on the gas pedal. Nancy was already on the move as she saw Josef dodge between the military trucks that had appeared from nowhere, and hare off alongside the canal.A patrol, alerted by the disturbance, was ready for him and cut off the route. He was surrounded by Wehrmacht helmets within seconds.
In the distance she saw Koos, one of their lookouts, being led away to a truck. She must get out of there. But slow. Act calm. Nothing to do with me.
She increased her pace and stepped straight into the chest of one of the Greens.
‘Name?’
‘Hendrika van Hof.’ Her sixth false name.
‘Did you see what happened there?’
‘No,’ Nancy said. ‘I just saw trouble. I was going to work, and now I must go another way.’
The man, a grizzled-looking man in his forties, looked her up and down. ‘Where d’you work?’
Her cover story was solid now. ‘The Prisengrachthospital.’
‘But that’s the other side of the city. What are you doing here on Nieuwmarkt?’
‘I needed to buy some press-studs from the market,’ she said, smiling pleasantly though light-headed with fear.
‘Well, Nurse Van Hof, you want to have dinner with me?’
She blinked. With him? He was old. The thought was repulsive. The question had come out of the blue and she didn’t know how to answer.
‘I will have to take you in for questioning,’ he said. ‘Or, you could answer my questions over dinner.’
He had a self-satisfied smugness about him that made her want to punch him, but she knew she had no choice but to agree. All women had no choice but to agree with the police in this war. And besides it would look more suspicious if she turned down a free dinner. Not now Northern Holland was cut off from their food supply lines. ‘That would be very nice,’ she said.
‘Tomorrow night at seven o’clock. Hotel de Gersterkorrel, near Dam Square. Okay?’
‘Thank you.’
‘And I’ll need your papers.’
In case I run away. She’d understood. Damn. She’d have to hand them over. She opened her bag for the second time that day and took out the papers. They were forged of course. Would he notice? Sweat gathered under the neck of her coat.
He took them and glanced at them again. ‘Aah, Hendrika.’ He rolled her name round his tongue. ‘I will see you tomorrow.’
‘Call me Rika,’ she said.
The man puffed himself up, pleased. Ugh. Every power-crazed Dutch creep had allied himself with the Nazis. ‘And I am Dirk. Dirk Van Meveren. If anyone asks, tell them I have your papers. They will be returned to you tomorrow. I look forward to our dinner.’
'A well crafted tale… this book did not disappoint' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'There is action, mystery and romantic entanglements stirred into the story for a fantastically entertaining read' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Deborah Swift never disappoints' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A joy to read' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author of twenty books who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade Award, and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal. Her most recent books are The Silk Code and The Shadow Network both set in the Second World War.
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/swiftstory
Website: www.deborahswift.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/deborahswift1/
Amazon: http://author.to/DeborahSwift
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thanks so much for hosting Deborah Swift on your lovely blog today, with an excerpt from her new release, Operation Tulip.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you for hosting me and the extract!