book cover of The Patriots
 

The Patriots

(1960)
A novel by

 
 
Reg Mills, paratrooper, hero, struggles to adjust to civilian life after the Second World War. When a chance altercation lands him in prison, he meets fellow veteran Tony Tobias. Facing the brutal realities of life on the inside, the pair is forced to re-evaluate their place in a world that no longer has need of them.

As Reg and Tony discuss their fortunes they come to the conclusion that the greed and materialism of postwar culture is responsible for their downfall. With cold military precision, they start to plan a revenge attack on the society they once fought to protect - a train robbery they feel will redress the balance and repay what is owed to them.

From the heist to the ensuing manhunt, The Patriots is a masterful tale of suspense that poses difficult questions of idealism and morality - a book that is at once intelligent, moving, and thrilling.

'He has lifted the story of a crime into the regions of tragedy' - The Observer

'The author is ingenious' - Birmingham Post

'From the beginning the story has been compulsively readable . . . it develops an electrifying tension.' - The Sunday Times

'Thriller suspense is combined with thoughtful characterization, realistic detail with symbolic moral protest.' - The Times Literary Supplement

'When the bulk of modern writing has been well forgotten The Patriots will stand as one of the finest novels of the post-war era.' - Western Mail

'The dialogue is immensely good; crackling, terse and believable.' - Sphere

'An original and exciting novel.' - Daily Telegraph

'James Barlow . . . knows how to be entertaining and often exciting.' - Guardian

'The death of Nevil Shute has left a place for a first-class popular novelist, able to write an exciting story that combines realism, tension and morality. Mr Barlow on the strength of The Patriots looks as though he might fill that place' - J. D. Scott, The Daily Telegraph

'I think that The Patriots is superb' - Dorothy Parker, Esquire

'James Barlow is a fine novelist who is living up to the high hopes of his last book The Patriots' - Books & Bookmen


Genre: Thriller

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