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The Man with the Clubfoot
by
Valentine Williams
It is part of the Dr Arnold Grundt #1, series and is a spy thriller in a Kindle edition on May 17, 2012 and has 192 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Okewood of the Secret Service
First in the Dr Arnold Grundt / Secret Service spy thriller set at the start of World War I In October 1914 and taking place primarily in Rotterdam and Berlin. It was originally published in 1918.
My Take
Okay, I like hotels today. No one is put up in the bathroom for sleeping. Then again, I suppose if you’re desperate to get in out of the rain . . .
Listening to Desmond talk about slipping into the German persona with the language and/or dialects has me envious. Of course, it’s not that easy, as Clubfoot is perceptive, and Des just manages. Most of the time. Yep, there is a good bit of tension as Des seeks for his brother, to evade the Germans, and find that message.
I am curious as to how easy it was for Desmond to visit with Dicky who was a prisoner-of-war in Holland.
Per usual, writers of this time period show their non-PC perceptions. Sure, I whine about it, but it’s useful to understand how people thought back then.
“She chuckled with all the full-bodied humor of a fat person.”
“. . . she looked a white woman all right.”
Rachwitz is such a German, yeah, because they’re the only ones who have love affairs and drunken parties.
It’s a contemporary novel, in other words, Williams is writing about his time, and it’s fascinating to read about his culture and the top technology of his day. Traveling by train and boat, those handy station cloak-rooms. I suspect agents today wouldn’t have to worry much about a regimental tie, though.
It was interesting to read about the propaganda the Germans were using with the wealthier classes as opposed to how the poor were surviving. It makes me think of the sanctions on Russia these days.
Williams uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Desmond’s perspective, so everything we experience or learn is when Des is present.
The story does meander a bit and Williams isn’t very clear in a number of areas, although I suspect part of that confusion is my not being aware that the enemy can visit prisoners-of-war. I also wish Williams had chosen a greater variety of names. There are two Karls and two Ottos in here! I hate when authors do this!
I had reviewed Okewood of the Secret Service, 2, not realizing I should have read The Man with the Clubfoot first. Trying to slot these two stories into a chronological order series-wise was a real pain, but it seems to be working now.
The Story
Desmond Okewood is still recovering from being wounded on the Somme when he discovers Francis is in trouble. In Germany. It’s in Rotterdam that Des discovers how much trouble when he intercepts half of a secret message and goes undercover replacing a Germany spy.
Poor Desmond. He’s looking forward to returning to the front where he can have a rest.
The Characters
Captain Desmond Okewood, a.k.a. Frederick Meyer from Pittsburgh and Julius Zimmermann who is a waiter, prefers battle while his brother, Francis, was rejected for active service, so he joined the War Office as a spy. Both brothers are good with German and fitting in, but Francis still beats Des by a mile.
Dicky Allerton is a friend of Des’ and in partnership with Des’ brother, Francis, in the motor business, which is doing government work. Well, right now Dicky is in prison. Sonny Martin, of the Heavies, has a friend, “some kind of staff captain in red tabs”.
Foreign Office, London
Herbert Ashcroft, an old friend of Des’, fixed up Des’ passports. Fellow spies had included Jack Tracy, Herbert Arbuthnot, and Philip Brewster.
Prince Lichnowski is the German ambassador to London. Schulte was a courier and a successful spy.
Rotterdam, Holland
Van Urutius is also in the motor business and is a colleague of Dicky’s and Francis’. Frau Anna Schratt runs the Hotel Sixt on Vos in’t Tuintje where Karl is a waiter. Franz works at the Bopparder Hof. The Café Tarnowski is open 24/7.
Dr Henry Semlin is with the Halewright Mfg. Coy. in New York. He’s also a German spy and part of the German secret police. Otto von Steinhardt recommended the hotel to Semlin.
Germany
The flighty Kaiser Wilhelm II rules Germany. Dr Arnold Grundt, a.k.a. Der Stelze, a.k.a. Clubfoot, answers only to the kaiser. General Von Boden is aide-de-camp to the kaiser. His son, Lieutenant Count von Boden, is with the 2nd Uhlans of the Guard.
Section Seven of the Berlin Police Presidency is casually known as the Political Police and does the dirty work. Henniger is its head; Vogel is one of its agents. Drechsler has a lantern. Kühlmann represents the Prussian jingoes.
Berlin
The Okewood brothers have known Monica all their lives when her father was the representative of a big American financial house in London. She met and married Karl, Count Rachwitz, a Silesian noble, for a short time. The count is the A.D.C. to Marshal von Mackensen. Her brother, Gerry, was injured flying — I think for the Germans even though Gerry doesn’t speak German. Josef is Gerry’s manservant. Carter is Monica’s American chauffeur. Miss Mary Prendergast is an older friend of Monica’s. The Biedermanns are neighbors.
Olga von Radolin is a princess who is going to be married.
Kore is a Jewish broker who fixed Des up with false papers. The scuzzy Haase provides a type of shelter for “Julius”. Hebe, Frau Hedwig, is Haase’s abused lover. Otto is another waiter working for nothing. Johann was betrayed.
The sweep catches up Fritz and some other deserters.
Düsseldorf
The Café Regina is another place with long hours.
Schloss Bellevue is . . .
. . . one of Karl’s places and uses it as a shooting box.
Sapper Ebenezer Maggs of the Royal Engineers was captured near Mons in August. John, a contraband runner, had been a friend of Maggs’.
Washington D.C.
Bernstorff had been working with Semlin.
The Cover and Title
The cover is simple with a creamy vintage paper-like background for the top fourth with a green lined border of green curvaceous vines at the top and the title centered in black. The bottom three-fourths is also a deep green with the author’s name in the bottom third in white. A darker green box notes that The Man with the Clubfoot is a public domain book — it’s free!
The title is the very bad guy, The Man with the Clubfoot.
