I grew up with Michael Dobbs.  His books enjoyed pride of place on my father’s shelves, and I recall the House of Cards series being the among the more acclaimed televisual events of their respective years.  Indeed, Dobbs may be the only living politician I can recall enjoying consistent popularity with anyone.  The reasons for this became clear to me as I feasted on Lord Dobbs’ of Wylye’s latest effort.

A Sentimental Traitor is the fifth of Dobbs’ Harry Jones thrillers, featuring indefatigable ex-military man turned MP, Henry Marmaduke Maltravers-Jones.  In the wake of a terrorist attack on an airliner filled with the offspring of American diplomats, Jones finds himself pitted against a wily and formidable enemy.  Jones’ investigation soon earns him the attentions of an antagonist who will stop at nothing to ruin Harry.
As a hero, Harry Jones is the stuff of the Boy’s Own Paper.  Decorated for his actions in conflicts across the world, he is now that rarest of things; an MP with integrity.  Courteous and sportsmanlike, even to electoral opponents, and with a rugged determination not to allow evil to prevail, he is a quintessentially English hero.

In contrast to Jones, who is a worthy amalgamation of the noblest English character traits (always something of a mystery to me; the entire concept seems predicated on foreigners lacking a sense of “fair play“), the villain of the piece is a Machiavellian Eurocrat by the name of Patricia Vaine.  Vaine is quite evidently emblematic of the whole European project, at least from Dobbs’ perspective.  Derisive towards British democracy, and possessed of a motiveless malignity which sees her exploit her power purely for fun, she is the type of demonic figure that presumably makes recurring appearances in UKIP voters’ nightmares.  In terms of subtlety, the conflict between Jones and Vaine is just a notch short of Nigel Farage’s infamous “damp rag” tirade.

What A Sentimental Traitor lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in plotting.  The book begins with a blistering sequence in which an airline pilot shows incredible courage, saving the lives of countless thousands even as hope for his own survival has gone.  From there, between Vaine’s machinations, the repeated calamities that befall Harry, and several twists (some more predictable than others), there is plenty to hold the attention of thriller fans.  Dobbs almost completely eschews such things as mood and atmosphere in favour of telling a ripping yarn.  In writing, the old adage goes that it’s far better to show than to tell.  Dobbs ignores this with abandon; in A Sentimental Traitor, almost everything is told.  As a reader, there is little-to-no reading between the lines to be done, just the business of enjoying a rollocking good tale.

Overall, A Sentimental Traitor is a good old-fashioned thriller of the kind that makes a long-haul flight infinitely shorter.  It has a hero who never says “die,” a healthy dose of the usual peeking behind the political scenes, and enough EU-bashing to fill a month’s worth of Daily Mail headlines.

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