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Alan Williams
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Barbouze: A heart-stopping international terrorist thriller (Charles Pol Espionage Thrillers Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Alan Williams (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 109 ratings
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A classic spy thriller series you need to read! Perfect for fans of Len Deighton, John Le Carré, Tom Clancy and Ian Fleming.

A British journalist is caught up in a deadly fight between French spies and North African nationalists…


1963



British journalist Neil Ingleby is taking time out from his hectic London lifestyle on the idyllic Greek islands.

But when he runs into Dutch sailor Pieter Van Loon and French spy Charles Pol, he finds himself sucked into a world of secrets and intrigue.

Pol has a larger than life personality with a physique to match, and his charming manner, along with copious amounts of alcohol, convince Ingleby he should accompany the French spy on a mission in North Africa.

Before they have even left Europe, the men are targeted by ruthless killers…

Ingleby finds himself caught up in a violent terrorist plot with the French Secret Service.

Can he trust Charles Pol? Will this give him the biggest scoop of his career?

Or will this trip abroad prove to be his last…?

BARBOUZE is the first classic terrorist adventure novel in the Charles Pol espionage thriller series: action-packed international thrillers, full of twists and turns.

'the natural successor to Ian Fleming' - Books and Bookmen

'a compassionate thriller' - The Sunday Telegraph

'one of the best thriller writers this country has ever produced' - Shots Mag

‘A brilliantly written and exciting novel about violence, love and tragedy ... it lifts the author into the top-rank of our young writers. Do read it.' - Sunday Express

'If you were to ask me who were the top ten writers of intrigue novels, I would list Alan Williams among the first five' - Martin Levin, The New York Times

'one of the important figures in the change and development of the espionage novel' - John Gardiner

'a good thriller can take you to an entirely foreign environment, as in the books of Alan Williams' - Mike Ripley

'Alan Williams is a thriller writer who has conspicuously succeeded in the rare feat of combining a novelist's art with a journalist's training' - British Book News

THE CHARLES POL ESPIONAGE THRILLER SERIES:
Book One: Barbouze
Book Two: The Tale of the Lazy Dog
Book Three: Gentleman Traitor
Book Four: Shah-Mak
Book Five: Dead Secret
Book Six: Holy of Holies
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  1. Book 1 of 6
    Charles Pol Espionage Thrillers
  2. Print length
    294 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 20, 2019
  5. File size
    908 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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There are 6 books in this series.
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Charles Pol Espionage Thrillers Book 1 - Book 6
Bundle price: Kindle price
$8.97
Bundle price: Kindle price
$16.95
Bundle price: Kindle price
$20.94
By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ALAN was a journalist who covered most of the world's trouble spots, among them Vietnam, Israel during the Six Day War, Czechoslovakia during the Soviet invasion, Ulster, Mozambique, and Rhodesia. He gained a controversial reputation: in Algeria both the French army and the Arabs complained about him; in Beirut he encountered Kim Philby the day before he left for Moscow. Alan was also involved in the Hungarian Revolution, and bluffed his way into East Germany when it was closed to the world. He has put all this experience to excellent use in books that will thrill fans of Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, and the great spy stories that kept viewers spellbound in the 1960s and 70s.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B081TPW2YH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (November 20, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 20, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 908 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 294 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1913335895
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

About the author

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Alan Williams

Alan Williams

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ALAN was a journalist who covered most of the world's trouble spots, among them Vietnam, Israel during the Six Day War, Czechoslovakia during the Soviet invasion, Ulster, Mozambique, and Rhodesia. He gained a controversial reputation: in Algeria both the French army and the Arabs complained about him; in Beirut he encountered Kim Philby the day before he left for Moscow. Alan was also involved in the Hungarian Revolution, and bluffed his way into East Germany when it was closed to the world. He has put all this experience to excellent use in books that will thrill fans of Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, and the great spy stories that kept viewers spellbound in the 1960s and 70s.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
109 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Di
    4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this was a period novel until I realised that it was written in 1963. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it has not dated in any way. The politics of the time is very interesting, and I was googling the French occupation in Africa to find out more. I'm still not sure how much of the tale is fact, but it's unimportant. This is an exciting thriller, with the action moving from Greece to North Africa and featuring dubious and interesting characters throughout, keeping me engrossed to the final pages. At times a little complicated, the style is fairly easy to read. My thanks to Sapere Books for the opportunity to read it. Charles Pol falls into the category of dubious, but interesting characters, and he is more the mastermind than the hero of 'Barbouze', and I hope to find out more about him in the subsequent novels.
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  • Geraldine Cosentino
    5.0 out of 5 stars Trust no one
    Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
    In 1963, successful political journalist Neil Ingleby takes a three month leave of absence from his paper to write a book about Greece. While on a trip to visit the monasteries of Mount Athos he meets a mysterious fat Frenchman who wants to sail from Greece to North Africa, specifically Algiers, where the Algerian War of Independence is being fought. Thinking he might write some articles about the political situation for his paper Neil agrees and he, Charles Pol (the Frenchman) and Van Loon, Neil's traveling companion take a small boat and sail to Algeria.
    When he arrives the country is being torn apart by various factions; the Algerians who want independence from France at any price, the rogue French Army who don't want to give up the land they've worked hard to make prosper, and the French Government who want to have a peaceful settlement with the various contending parties. The result of all this is bloodshed, insurrection, French against French, Moslem against Moslem. Charles Pol, working for the French, manages to recruit Neil, who, with other journalists. is trying to make sense of an impossible situation.
    Barbouze, by Alan Williams, is the story of Ingleby's adventure. There's killing, a doomed romance, double-dealing, cynicism, and idealism in equal measure. The characters in the novel, both good and bad, are well written, strong, and very real. The book is a meditation on how, through no fault of our own, the best laid plans go awry.
    I received a free copy of the ebook from the publisher for an unbiased review.
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  • Charles A. Ray
    4.0 out of 5 stars Shifting loyalties
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2020
    British journalist, Neil Ingleby, goes to Greece to do research for a book, and to get as far away as possible from the woman who dumped him. He meets Dutch sailor and vagabond Pieter Van Loon and French agent provocateur Charles Pol, who is also a barbouze, or ‘false beard’, and quickly finds himself caught between an army of French defectors and an angry army od Arab nationalists. The line between objective journalist and revolutionary participant becomes blurred, and Ingleby’s life is on the line.
    Barbouze by Alan Williams is a riveting thriller in the style of John LeCarre that will keep you glued to your seat, as the action builds inexorably to a surprising climax.
    I received a complimentary copy of this book, and give it four stars.
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  • R.Sudhagar Raghavan
    4.0 out of 5 stars However the writing is not as good as some of his later works (Shah-Mak
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2015
    Alan Williams is one of the most underrated thriller writers. He belongs to the golden age of thriller writers where actual quality of writing and plot were more important than mindless non stop action. Even during this golden era, Alan was under recognized. However unlike his peers he knew his subject matter well having actually cover some of the most important crises and hot spots.

    Barbouze is authentic as it was based on Alan's own experience in Algeria. The story is brutal and realistic and the writing is assured. However the writing is not as good as some of his later works (Shah-Mak, Holy of Hollies, etc.). Another distracting point was the spelling error and poor editing.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Peter Brendan
    5.0 out of 5 stars An historical espionage thriller, we don't see writing this good anymore
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2021
    The story captives and holds you till the end. I can easily see this as a movie. The author is the real deal and spent time in war and conflict zones as a journalist. Robert Lundlum was inspired by Williams and so their is a Bourne connection here as well. Definitely worth a read!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Paul Usher
    5.0 out of 5 stars First rate thrillers on Kindle at last.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I first read Alan Williams’s thrillers way back in the 1960s, Snake Water was my first, and still is my favourite Alan Williams story. I have all his books in paperback but love the convenience of Kindle so I was very pleased to see three novels of his previewed on Amazon. Hopefully the rest will follow. I would recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys a fast paced thriller.
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