Jan Kalisz has been plucked from Warsaw by the British to help to solve a killing in a secret and remote training camp in Scotland. He has had to leave his family behind with a weak cover story. When he gets to Arisaig he finds that there are actually two murders, both linked to the work of the SoE in France but involving Polish nationals hence the need for Kalisz. Finding resentment and a reluctance to get involved from most of the troops Kalisz struggles to find the answers meanwhile his wife and son are forced to make uncomfortable decisions.
This is developing into a really great series of novels although I found this one rather difficult at first. It almost feels as though Jackson found the germ of a terrific story and then had to shoehorn his main character into it. The vast majority of the book is a fantastic thriller with a super twisty plot and a satisfying ending. The slightly incongruous part is that Kalisz has somehow been so essential that he has had to be taken out of occupied Warsaw to solve it and that isn't really resolved satisfactorily, otherwise great.

I’ve been reading this excellent series about a police detective , Jan Kalisz , set in wartime Warsaw. As well as investigating murders and having to work with the German invaders, he is also a member of the resistance.
This book is slightly different in that he is sent to Scotland by his superiors in the resistance in order to investigate the death of a Polish agent at a spy training camp in the wilds of Scotland. However it proves very difficult as he is surrounded by secrets and many well trained assassins who are getting ready to be placed in mainland Europe.
The woman who has died proves to be a bit of an enigma and the reader gets to know her through a series of flashbacks to when her operation was betrayed and she was captured by the Gestapo. Was Krystina herself a traitor or just an extremely flawed and damaged human being?
I enjoyed the fact that Jan was in a different environment and the difficulties he encountered both linguistically and culturally did make the investigation more challenging. I liked his assigned assistant, Lucy as she proved to be very helpful and used her intelligence to move the case on, despite having no police experience.
When Jan meets the person who has requested his presence in Britain it is alsovery surprising!
I did not find the book to be quite as tense as the previous novels as Jan was not in the dangerous position of his home country and trying to live a double life but this was more than made up for by how “Blood Vengeance “ revealed another side to the detective. There was a very clever plot line about how Jan’s disappearance was explained to his superiors in Warsaw and the danger that placed on his wife and son.
I’m really looking forward to the final book in this well researched and exciting series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Douglas Jackson (https://douglasjackson.net) is the author of more than a dozen novels. Blood Vengeance was published in mid-August and is the third book in his Warsaw Quartet series. It is the 53rd title I’ve completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

The novel opens in December 1943. Beautiful 27-year-old Krystina Kowolska is living in a remote part of Scotland, going through refresher training at an SOE site. She should soon be returning to France to lead the resistance, but instead, her body is found hanging from a tree on the property.

Krystina’s mission was to aid the French resistance in preparing for the upcoming Allied invasion of northern France. Fearing they may have been penetrated by Nazi agents, Churchill makes the decision to bring in a special investigator. One who will also satisfy the Polish government in exile.

Arrangements are made to quietly slip Investigator Jan Kalisz of the Warsaw Kripo out of occupied Poland and bring him to London. He has been working within the establishment, but is a double agent working with the Polish resistance. He meets briefly with Churchill, then travels to the SOE training camp in Arisaig in western Scotland.

Arisaig is a dangerous place. Everyone there is a trained killer, and they all have secrets to hide. The arrival of Kalisz is not well-received. He finds after his arrival that there is not one, but two dead. In addition to Krystina, one of her colleagues Jean-Marc Fontaine, has been found nearby dead of an apparent suicide.

After examining the scene of the crimes and the bodies, Kalisz quickly determines that Krystina’s neck had been broken before she was hanged, and Fontaine had not shot himself. To aid in his investigation, Flight Officer Lucy Devereux is assigned to him. She is every bit as lethal as the SOE agents being trained at Arisaig, and is his interface to the government leadership.

While Kalisz is away, his family, wife Maria, and teenage son Stefan, must maintain the story that Jan is being hospitalized. Maintaining that image draws them both into contact with the resistance. To sustain the narrative reported to the Kripo, they both must take up arms, joining the resistance in the field to stop a Gestapo agent from revealing Kalisz’s absence.

A series of flashbacks reveals the details of Krystina’s last mission in France. The constant pressure from being only one step ahead of the Germans. The mental and physical agony of being caught, questioned, and tortured. The guilt of being one of the few in her network to survive.

Pressure mounts for Kalisz and Devereux to complete their investigation. Missions of those training at Arisaig have been put on hold. With the Normandy invasion only months away, time is limited. Will they be able to solve the double murder? Will they be able to avoid the attention of the killer? Will Maria and Stefan survive their confrontation with the Gestapo?

I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 375-page WWII-era mystery. This was an excellent mystery, with the added advantage of being set in WWII-era Scotland. I have had the opportunity to read one of his other novels, Blood Roses. I have enjoyed both of his books. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

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The Blood Vengeances is a powerful mix of real historical events and fictional artistry. The characters are crafted as composites of mindsets from that time, making them deeply believable. The plot is gripping — from a murder driven by love, to an assassination carried out by trained killers, to the core motive of revenge.

As the main character works to uncover Krystina’s death, the journey is intense: many people are killed, secrets come to light, and truths emerge that nearly cost him his life more than once. Krystina’s loyalty becomes a key question, and the heartbreaking reality is revealed through the hero’s sharp insight.

The book also expands beyond the central mystery, portraying the tragic lives of those in Arisiang Young — people with no home, no past, and death as a constant shadow. Krystina’s Bishop mission is told in beautiful detail, showing how it brought her fame but also planted the seed of her downfall.

Parallel chapters about the MC’s family in Warsaw are moving and harrowing: the SS officer Fischer’s threats to Maria, the pressure to spy on her husband, and her ultimate act of defiance in killing him. The mystery deepens even after the murderer is killed, with hints pointing toward Major Gunn. The MC’s partner, Lucy, is a standout — vital in rank, resourceful, and unwavering.

The structure is unique — chapters marked by number and time, a perfect flow of scene shifts between Addition, Bishop, and Warsaw. Whoever edited this with such care truly poured their soul into it.

While this book is a masterpiece, it is not without flaws: certain sections, particularly from chapters 6 to 25, have notable grammatical and sentence issues, and the “Diary of Krystina” feels underused. Editing quality also varies between sections, suggesting a shift in editors mid-book.

Still, this is a must-read for lovers of historical fiction, WWII narratives, Nazi-era settings, and mystery — as well as newcomers looking for a richly layered and time-bound story.

Levels within levels of secrecy confuse and obfuscate a crime!

Investigator Jan Lalisz is surprised to find himself secretly taken from occupied Poland and dropped into a SOE and Commando training camp in Arisaig in the northwest Scottish highlands. It’s December, 1943.
Why’s he here? It’s political. All about keeping the London Polish Resistance and their Warsaw counterpart on side. Churchill wants a Polish detective to investigate the death of the Polish resistance officer Krystina Kowolska, known as the Raven. Krystina’s been found hanging from a tree. Nothing really to see here but…?
What Jan uncovers is not one but two murders, rumors, gossip and groups of people who have had free rein and are none too pleased to be called to account for anything.
Blood vengeance is a complicated miasma of agents, of strong feelings and beliefs. Jan is deliberately lead away from the truth for many different reasons.
He’s on a very tight timeline trying to solve the case before questions are asked in Warsaw.
On the home front, Jan’s wife Maria and son Stefan face an implacable enemy and find themselves taking steps they’d never considered possible.
Blood Vengeance brings us back into Polish detective Jan Lalisz’s orbit in a confronting and thrilling World War II read!

A Canelo ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Third in the series about Polish detective Jan Kalisz.
This time he travels to Scotland to investigate a murder.
Excellent, well written and keeps you guessing.
Looking forward to the next in the series.

As the third book in the series I feel a knowledge of the previous 2 would be an advantage and I shall certainly go and find these. 1943 and Polish Investigator cum double agent for the Warsaw Kripo is investigating the death of a fellow Pole in the NW of Scotland, at Arisaig the place for Commando/SOE Training School. A secretive place where men and women are taught to kill quietly, efficiently, make bombs, blow things up and general get prepared for resistence. The dead woman, Kowolska, was highly trained but volatile and there are suspicions that she was a double agent. Two timeframes - Kowalska's last disastrous mission and her torture by the Nazis and Kalisz' current investigations. There are a lot of characters, all of whom are hiding something or at least reluctant to talk, there's a lot of detail about weapons, the scenery (beautiful). Real-life people and events are cleverly woven into the story which makes it a more engaging read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Blood Vengeance is WW2 spy craft at its lethal best. It is a time when illusions and narrative played an important role in deciding battles, and much of it was behind the scenes, fought without bombs and machine guns.

NetGalley gave me a splendid opportunity to read this soon-to-be-published novel, and I came back reliving the lives of hardened spies and detectives such as Krystina Kowolska and Jan Kalisz.

The author uses a lot of factual history in the story, and yours truly, who claims to be a WW2 buff, learned about two vehicles that were ubiquitously used during the same, such as the Mosquito bomber plane and the Humber staff car. I learned from the web that there also used to exist a Humber armored car (also called the 'pig' if I am right), something I learned for the very first time, all thanks to this fast-paced novel.

In a style similar to Alistair MacLean's, Douglas Jackson weaves a tale set at unique battlegrounds—Scotland and Poland —different from those most WW2 novels focused on.

A passing word without spoilers; I literally had goosebumps in that part when Kalisz is introduced to his new employers, specifically someone who played a very important role in the war. Phew, that was an adrenaline rush indeed!

This is the third book in Jackson’s excellent Warsaw Quartet Series.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: 1943, remote Arisaig, Scotland with subplots in France and Poland
Characters: Jan Kalisz, intrepid Polish Investigator and double agent for the Warsaw Kripo, Krystina Kowolska, Polish SOE agent, Lucy Devereux, liaison to Kalisz, and the cadre of the special training camp in Arisaig, with Winston Churchill making a cameo appearance
Overview: Kalisz is sent away from his native Poland to investigate the mysterious death of Kowalska, an enigmatic and volatile agent. The story is told from three perspectives: Kalisz’ investigation in Scotland, Kowolska’s last dangerous assignment in France, and the Kalisz family’s precarious situation back home in Poland. There are so many suspects and red herrings it requires attention to keep them all straight and try to predict who murdered Kowalska and why.
Recommendation: I rate this book 4 stars
Extras: Throughout the story, there are many unknowns, making the dual time frames of Kowalska’s previous assignment in France and the main plot of her murder fascinating and engaging. This book is even better than the first two in the series.
Thanx to NetGalley and Canelo Action for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

I just didn't want this book to end. There is a devilish twist which I won't spoilt that I hope is explored in the final book of the quartet. Jan Kalisz is up there with Bernie Gunther and Eddie Giral in my favourite detectives. I really enjoyed how the novel was written from the perspective of different characters. I really hope Douglas Jackson continues this. I liked the historic atmosphere in the novel and the plot. It was engaging because you cared about Jan Kalisz and his family.. I'll go out and buy this when it is published for sure. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an independent review. If you haven't already listened to any of the Douglas Jackson Warsaw Quartet, please do. The publisher has a narrator who has (to what my English eyes) sounds like the perfect voice. I own all 3 previous audiobooks in this series.

Investigator Kalisz is in the Scottish Highlands investigating a murder in the SOE/commandoes training camp. The sense of threat & dread, both in the camp and for Kalisz's family back in Warsaw, really puts this book ahead of similar WWII based crime thrillers. The details e.g. his train ride from London to the Highlands, are in-depth, yet never too nerdy!

Book three in a 'must read' series for any fans of perfectly paced and engrossing WWII crime thrillers.

This series is about a Polish police inspector in Warsaw at the times of the Nazi occupation of Poland during the Second World War.
In this third entry, he's smuggled out of war-torn Poland by the Resistance, as in far-away Scotland in a training camp for elite soldiers and undercover agents, a Polish fighter has come to a suspicious end of her life, and the Polish government in exile wants one of their best to investigate the matter.

This time, the story had little to do with Poland under the yoke of the Nazis, but it was a true detective novel in Scotland.

According to the author in his afterword, the idea originated after stumbling upon a small paragraph in an old newspaper about a Polish soldier perishing during training in such a camp in Scotland. He was doing research for another book, stumbled upon this and filed it away for future use. I thought that was an interesting tidbit and insight in the process of an author.

Anyway, as with the previous books, we mainly follow Jan Kalisz, who this time needs to investigate a suspicious death in cold, Northern Scotland, in a training camp for elite soldiers and undercover agents.
I thought the plot was interesting, and written very exciting and it kept my attention hooked the whole time. The developments were logical and believable.
I started reading this series because I emigrated to Poland and this seemed like an interesting view on Poland during WW2, and as such the setting here was unexpected. Due to the exciting plot, it didn't bother or detract too much, but the places and locations at times caused confusion because the similarities in their names, and sometimes just the weirdness of their names (sorry Scottish people!).
At two times in the story some Deus Ex Machina's occurred that could have been explained better, because now it was quite unexpected and unexplained. Aside from that though, this novel was a very gripping, and enjoyable read, which I can only recommend to anyone else interested in police thrillers in a historical setting. 4,5* rounded down to 4*.

Can't wait for the final installment in this series!

A new and different challenge for Investigator Kalisz.

"Blood Vengeance" opens on Christmas Eve 1943, with the death of SOE operative Krystina Kowolska , in Arisaig, Scotland. Since she was a Polish operative, with an illustrious record, Winston Churchill is anxious to learn more about her death before it jeopardises Britain's relationship with Poland. And who better to ask than renowned Polish investigator Jan Kalisz? In record time he is secretly transported from Warsaw to the SOE training facilities in the wilds of Scotland, where he begins his investigation.

Kalisz is soon knee-deep in a mystery which rapidly grows in scope, as he uncovers conspiracies and secrets among the various SOE teams, none of whom want him interfering in their operations. He also learns that Krystina was a far more complex character than he thought.

Fans of the first two books in Douglas Jackson's Warsaw Quartet will immediately recognise that Kalisz, uprooted from his beloved Warsaw, is in uncharted territory - literally. He is a stranger in a strange land - relying purely on his skills as a detective. This works well - removing the pressures of living under the Nazi occupation, operating as a double agent, and seeing what is happening to his homeland - frees Kalisz to do what he does best, and so this book is more akin to a police procedural than either of the two preceding books. With the help of a female liaison officer, he questions suspects, follows clues and uncovers plots, despite the barriers he faces at every turn. He also quickly realises that those in charge will stop at nothing to achieve their aims, whatever the cost.

The author has cleverly woven in real-life characters such as Major Sykes and Major Maxwell (inventors of the famous commando knife) and actual events such as the ill-fated Operation Foxley. And, of course, the real-life locations around Arisaig, which were used to train SOE agents before they were deployed in Europe are painted in their full and wild glory. Several set-pieces involving the antics of those living in Arisaig are both chilling and entertaining.

A sub-plot, which follows Kalisz' wife and son, as they continue to help the resistance movement in Poland, keep alive the spirit of the previous books, and the final pages of the book promise a rousing conclusion to the series in book four. Some fans of the series might not be happy with the new setting but rest assured, this is another first-rate thriller. Highly recommended.

Looking for something a little different from the normal reading matter, I settled on this one, not sure what to expect, but I was presently surprised.
On another day, I might have read so much and put it to one side, but I was happy to keep going and was given an enjoyable read, that kept the who did it aspect ongoing until the end.
Recommended.

Really good! I always read the author's thrillers avidly! Like the others, this one has hooked me from page one up to the very end. The fact that it takes place in Scotland where spies are trained, has enabled tension to swell up: all men and women are trained to kill and one of them is a murderer..... Very interesting as well, the plot was thrilling, and not one moment was boring. I like the main character very much and do fear for him and his family back in Poland. The conclusion was satisfying, though I would have liked to know more about what was going on with his family in Poland... I can't wait for the next book in the series!
I have received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

After reading Jackson’s two prior books from the Warsaw Quartet, I was looking forward to diving headfirst into the third book of this series. However, unlike the previous books, Blood Vengeance takes place in Scotland, when Polish Investigator Jan Kalisz is whisked off to investigate the murder of a beautiful Polish espionage agent, Krystina Kowolska. Making matters more complicated, the crime scene is located in the remote area of Arisaig, where Britain trains men and women for specialized operations involving sabotage, subversion, and the art of killing in enemy-occupied countries. As if that were not enough, while Kowolska had a reputation as a heroic and highly-effective underground agent in Nazi-occupied France, Kalisz uncovers accusations that she may have actually been a traitor, as well as a very troubled individual.

Giving this historical novel an even a stronger feel for a world at war in the early 1940s, Jackson deftly combined Kalisz’s investigation with his wife’s deadly interactions with the Gestapo in Poland, as well as taking a closer look at Kowolska’s role behind enemy lines. Even so, much of the book felt like a police procedural in a unusually dangerous setting, where Kalisz was forced to match wits with an endless number of highly trained killers. Indeed, Kalisz’s methodical analysis in piecing together the minute clues and assorted evidence reminded me of the all-time classic investigator, Sherlock Holmes.

Although Jackson’s work is definitely reminiscent of the masterful Philip Kerr, I didn’t feel that this novel measured up to the first two books in the series. For that matter, along with trying to recall all the names of the many suspects Kalisz encountered, I felt that the novel would have been much better if it had been edited down by 50-or so pages. Also, unlike the high action quotient in his previous novels, the much slower pace of this book was slightly disappointing. Even so, I would definitely recommend this third installment of the Blood Quartet to anyone who enjoys historical fiction featuring WWII.

My thanks to Net Galley and Canelo Action for an eARC in exchange for honest feedback.