Product Description

In the flamboyant Twenties, Englishman William Grover-Williams and Frenchman Robert Benoist were fierce rivals racing their elegant Bugattis on the glittering European race circuits. Not only is the World Championship in their sights, but they have both fallen for the sensuous charms of the extravagantly beautiful Eve Aubicq. But when war breaks out, everything changes. Paris is in the iron-grip of German occupation and Robert and William join the Special Operations Executive to help the French Resistance undermine the brutal occupying regime. Their missions involve utmost courage and daring in the face of the horrors of war. Based on a true story of British covert activity and the French Resistance during the Second World War, this is a gripping novel of heroism, self-sacrifice, love and betrayal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186185 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
In the Roaring Twenties an Englishman and a Frenchman were fierce rivals not only on the European race circuits but also for the sensuous Eve Aubicq. When war breaks out both sign up for missions in Occupied France. They cause havoc to the Nazis until their cover is blown and they are captured and tortured. This is an acclaimed novel of heroism, self-sacrifice, love and betrayal.

Time Out
'The combination of fast cars, sex and romance, spies, nasty Nazis and plucky heroes is damn near irresistible, and Ryan's grasp on the plot is hard to fault'

Daily Express
'A beautiful and haunting read'

Customer Reviews

Resistance fighters, grand prix glamour and great romance
I wouldn't normally read a book about the war but I'd just seen Charlotte Gray so thought I'd give this one a go and it was fantastic. In fact, much better than Charlotte Gray because this is all based on real people and events. I had no idea that Grand Prix drivers had been recruited for Resistance work before I started reading and, fortunately for Ryan, they were all incredibly glamorous and colourful characters so the book's full of the most wonderful stories about their exploits. Ryan's obviously done loads of research and there are fascinating insights into all sorts of areas of war-time life (like how French prostitutes were recruited to give German soldiers sexual diseases). But the most unusual thing is I loved it (the romance between Williams and Eve is really powerful) and my husband loved it too (all the stuff about cars). It's rare we both can really enjoy the same book. You could buy this book for anyone.

An unusual and entertaining mix of fact and fiction
Early One Morning is an immensely engaging blend of fact based adventure, all the more gripping for the unlikely background of the racing driver protagonists, interwoven with an unsentimental but moving love story. The early chapters set in pre-war Paris capture in superb detail the decadence which was to end all too soon. This contrasts starkly, for instance, with the harrowing scenes of Jewish prisoners en route to the camps. The twists and turns as Williams and his close friend Benoist keep ahead of the Gestapo are in the best traditions of war time escapades (though some of the later war scenes including Williams own incarceration in a concentration camp do not carry quite the same punch).
All this is carefully wrapped in a series of flashbacks from the present day as the truth (?) about Williams is finally uncovered.
Early One Morning is a terrific read with wide appeal; its basis in fact only adds to this appeal.

Top Notch
It's crass to say "best book I've ever read", but this one certainly comes close. I was so impressed, I subsequently spent hours searching the web for more information on Messrs. Grover-Williams and Benoist. So it's a fictional account of a true story, and factually in places inaccurate. This does not matter one iota - it's probably all the better for its dramatisation. The combination of "cloak and dagger", nazi persecution and the motor-racing glamour and toil of the day creates a brilliant backdrop for the book.

The only downside to all of this, is that it raises your expectations for Ryan's next works. In fairness, Blue Noon was similarly a good read,but not in the same league as this one. I have pre-ordered RR's next novel and wait with anticipation of another truly outstanding work.....