Blackout in Gretley — J.B. Priestley

Humphrey Neyland is a middle-aged Canadian engineer recruited by British Intelligence to go undercover in the industrial city of Gretley, where aircraft essential to the war effort are being produced and where it is feared Nazi agents and saboteurs are lurking. Almost everyone he meets in Gretley seems to have a double life and a secret agenda, and it doesn't take long before Neyland is caught up in a web of murder and deceit in this sleepy town, where death lurks around every corner.Originally published during the height of World War II, J. B. Priestley's classic spy thriller Blackout in Gretley (1942) is both a highly entertaining page-turner and a fascinating window into British life during the war. This new edition joins ten other Priestley novels published by Valancourt and reveals yet another side of one of the most popular English authors of the 20th century.J.B. Priestley is one of our literary icons of the 20th century. And it is time that we all became reacquainted with his genius. - Judi DenchA master craftsman at spinning a yarn ... But Blackout in Gretley is more than a spy-hunting story. It is Priestley's ardent declaration of the things that England is fighting for. - The New York Times