David Downing grew up in suburban London. He is the author of three previous Jack McColl novels,Jack of Spies, One Man's Flag, and Lenin's Roller Coaster; the thrillerThe Red Eagles; and six books in the John Russell espionage series, set in WWII Berlin. He lives with his wife, an American acupuncturist, in Guildford, England.
A LitHub Most Anticipated Crime, Mystery, and Thriller Title of
2018
A CrimeReads Best Espionage Novel of 2018
Praise for The Dark Clouds Shining "Downing is a meticulous
researcher of the period . . . A joy of reading both Downing and
Kerr is being transported back to a place and time. I certainly
wouldn't want to ride in a Russian tank today, but in a fantasy I
might."
--Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail "Intelligent and
exhilarating."
--The Seattle Times
"Downing is a master at recreating historical and political detail.
People, places, clothing, and manners are so accurately depicted
the reader comes to feel as if they were living in the early
1920s."
--Deadly Pleasures Magazine "For years now, Downing's historical
espionage novels have been some of the most transporting stories
around, full of finely observed everyday details that make the
reader feel as though they're at the very center of world
historical events and yet also in a familiar, lived-in space."
--CrimeReads "[A] fitting conclusion to [Downing's] superior
quartet of WWI-era spy thrillers . . . As always, Downing's
intelligently constructed characters complement a plausible and
pulse-pounding plotline."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Ending his series on a perfect tonic chord, Downing masterfully
combines high adventure, Doctor Zhivago-caliber romance, and just
the right amount of Graham Greene ambiguity."
--Booklist, Starred Review Praise for the Jack McColl novels
"[Downing] is a master at bringing the past to life through the
careful and often
loving observation of even minor players and through the artful
deployment of specific detail. In addition, Jack McColl's debut has
a zest, an exoticism and a joie de vivre well-suited to an era when
best sellers were being written by Zane Grey, suffragettes were
demanding the vote, and opium parlors were a readily accessible
temptation."
--The Wall Street Journal "[A] splendid saga of espionage during
the Great War . . . Downing is a master of action . . . [He] also
slips in plenty of historical reality--women's suffrage,
revolutionary hopes, progressive politics, Irish
nationalism--without ever losing sight of the story."
--The Globe and Mail "Engrossing . . . Comparisons to W. Somerset
Maugham's classic stories about Ashenden, another gentleman spy,
are well deserved."
--The Seattle Times
"Downing reaffirms his place as one of the finest espionage writers
with this engaging historical thriller."
--Bruce Tierney, BookPage, Top Pick in Mystery
"A brilliant historical portrait and a captivating love story to
boot. A remarkably engaging world tour of pre-World War One
espionage featuring an honorable protagonist begging for a long
series."
--Lyndsay Faye, author of The Fatal Flame "Moves along briskly and
offers interesting facts about events now a century past.
It's always entertaining."
--The Washington Post
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