Friend or Foe?

Cover of Friend or Foe?

‘Friend or Foe?’ is a fast-paced thriller set largely in south-west Scotland during World War Two.

It’s late June 1943. Bob and Monique Sutherland’s journey home from Malta is interrupted, first in London to hear Soviet claims of a German spy in Scotland and then by a shoot-out between US military units in Lancashire.

Having returned to Edinburgh, they remain only briefly before travelling with a Military Intelligence 11 team to Galloway to track down the spy. How best to catch a ghost who may already have uncovered vital military secrets? Can they find him before it’s too late?

When two Soviet agents arrive in Galloway to help, Bob and Monique need to work out the difference between friend and foe. Does the German spy exist, or is he a Soviet invention intended to lure MI11 into danger?

'Friend or Foe?' was published by Arachnid Press on 14 July 2025. The cover design is the work of Carolyn Henry Photography

Background

Excerpts

Cover of Friend or Foe?

Reviews

Windy Tree on Amazon, 23 August 2025: "Five Stars. I hope there continues to be episodes which involves the Russians as it feels like the storyline could move into 'Cold War' espionage confrontations post-'45..."

Hugh S. on Amazon, 8 August 2025: "Is that a spy I see before me..... Five Stars. This is the seventh book in the series, hopefully not the last. Each book in the series embarks on a standalone journey, although there is some meeting up again with previous characters. What I enjoy is the way the story develops, for example in chapter six of Friend or Foe Monique and Betty travel to Bo'ness. I half expected Mr Lussey to mention the full name of Bo'ness but he resisted. The description of Bo'ness I can recognise, even today. It is a comfort to me that if I can recognise this detail then other descriptions will be accurate. I see these books rather like the television 'Foyle's War' stories and hope others will enjoy reading Friend or Foe as much as I did."

Mike on Mastodon, 5 August 2025: "Friend or Foe: best yet! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you."

Walter Millar on Amazon, 3 August 2025: "Brilliant. Five Stars. Great Book."

NextToTheAisle, 15 July 2025:

  • "Enticing and frantic, Lussey has again written a thrilling book of action set in real-life incidents a melding of fact and fiction in great unison. Another pleasing entry in this unique and special series."
  • "Lussey as ever writes with such an assuredness in proceedings ranging from rations and the ability to drink champagne during wartime. This is thanks to his diligent research which even touches upon precise train times in Scotland. It is these details that help elevate this work above mere folly."
  • "This melding of fact and fiction always raises Lussey's works to that of importance and how we should look to the past to better understand our present, and how little has been learnt in nearly 80 years of passing."