David Jarvis - The Collation Unit

David Jarvis - The Collation Unit 

4.5⭐

Genre: Thriller, Espionage, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction 

Pages:  336

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Troubador

Date Published: 28th March 2021 

Huge thank you to the Author, David Jarvis, for sending me a copy of The Collation Unit in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Blurb: 

In the 1970s computers were beginning to overwhelm the Secret Services. Quickly, too much information was coming into GCHQ and things were being missed. The Collation Unit was set up underground in six floors beneath some old aircraft hangars at Mannington airfield just outside Cheltenham to make connections and prioritise everything.

In April/May 1982 they spotted some very strange things happening in Georgia and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, London decided to move the only satellite covering this area down to the South Atlantic where some Argentinians had begun to invade the Falklands. When tensions began to develop with London, Mannington had to resort to old-fashioned means of finding out what was going on in the Middle East. They found Mark Tanner, an irrigation engineer from High Wycombe, who was working on new Military Cities in Saudi Arabia. He was there to make enough money to pay off his mortgage after a small difficulty involving a fire. It is true to say that however technology moves on, it still all comes down to people on the ground …

A tense and exciting story with an unguessable ending, this is a must-read for spy thriller enthusiasts and anyone who has always wondered what goes on behind closed doors.

My Review: 

Such an enjoyable political spy thriller that I read in a day! I really liked how historical events were mixed with quite a complex set of characters, and their private lives, whilst they all are also working for the British Secret Services. Loved the refreshing wit and dry humour in this story too, as it made the characters and the story itself very real. Not a traditional spy novel but definitely a well-written and fascinating book that I very much enjoyed reading.

The main part of the story is set in 1982, when The Collation Unit, which was set up a decade ago by GCHQ, starts to spot very strange things happening just off the coast of Saudi Arabia and Georgia. Soon The Collation Unit links these two places together and believes that Georgia is supplying all things needed for new Military Cities in Saudi Arabia. However, at the same time tensions are rising in the Falklands and London decides to move all the satellite coverage to the South Atlantic, leaving the area between Saudi Arabia and Georgia not fully monitored by technology. Thus, The Collation Unit goes in an old fashion way, they decide to depend on a person on the ground to supply all the needed information… However, will their chosen person be up to the job and will the job bear any fruits…

In the beginning, I was a bit confused about all the characters (and their names), but soon everything clicked into place and I loved how each of the characters added so much to the plot, especially as the book progressed. Empty’s character is hands down my favourite. The way he is portrayed to be quite sarcastic and humorous around everyone, which from the outside makes him look quite odd. However, he is anything but odd. Inside he is so intelligent and has that strategic mindset that gets him in and out of different, but sometimes not-so-good situations. However, he is such a great and lovable character.

Although it was a slow burn at first, the tension in this book just kept me going and by the end, I didn’t want to put it down…Oh and the ending was definitely a crème de la crème. This book was definitely a new take on spy novels and I thoroughly enjoyed that, especially the fact of how well researched the book was and how much information, action and plot it packs inside one book.  

Overall: It is such an enjoyable book, with multi-dimensional and complex characters, great writing and humour, which balances perfectly with the tension and action. I enjoyed reading this story and can’t wait to see what David Jarvis is going to release next, as I am sure it’s going to be just as great. 

About the Author:

After going to Art College in the 1970s David Jarvis set up an international planning practice which he ran for 40 years. His canvases just got bigger and bigger. He has now retired to Wiltshire. The Collation Unit is his debut novel. 

https://www.whisperingstories.com/the-writing-life-of-david-jarvis/