MI6 Agent Katrin Nissen is Winston Churchill’s last hope to convince his government to let him mine the coast of Norway to prevent Hitler from reaching the iron ore reserves that will fuel the Nazi war machine. The proof Churchill needs is to be found in a beef processing plant in the coastal town of Kolding, Denmark. The strategy is simple. As the army gears up for the invasion, food supplies will move with them, and Churchill will be able to chart their path to the coast as they prepare to invade Norway.
Katrin is dispatched to Kolding to track these supply shipments, but the mission turns deadly when she encounters an SS officer on a mission of his own. As Katrin flees, her escape route leads back to her home in Sankt Peder where the notorious double agent Ronin has allied himself with the Nazis.
As the townspeople organize to resist the imminent occupation, and with time running short, Katrin must enlist the help of her family and the fledgling Danish Resistance to complete her assignment.
I recently read and reviewed the first book in this series (Crosswind), and as someone who loves spy thrillers but doesn’t read enough historical fiction, this series is the perfect combo of both genres! It’s fast-paced, has a fantastic female lead, and is really original. In this book, MI6 agent Katrin Nissen and her husband, John, are sent on separate missions overseas, with Katrin returning to her hometown in Denmark to assist the growing resistance against the impending German occupation. I really enjoyed how much this book expands the world of the series by showing the Danish perspective of the war, whereas book 1 all happened in and around Berlin and in an academic setting.
Just like the first book, this story is mostly told from Katrin’s first-person POV, with interspersed chapters from other characters, including Anna and Valmer, her brother-in-law’s parents, and Dagma, the daughter of a dangerous colonel. The story gets moving quickly when a package arrives containing new passports and identities for Katrin and John for a new mission. This time, Katrin’s going undercover as a divorced switchboard operator in Kolding, Denmark, while John is heading to London to assemble a team before heading to Copenhagen under the identity of a reverend. Both missions have the same goal of gathering intelligence, building the resistance, and keeping Britain informed of Germany’s plans—and there’s real history woven in that I found fascinating!
Early on, in Anna’s and Valmer’s POV, they witness what appears to be a German ship signaling offshore and report their suspicions to their British allies. From there, the story is very intricate, as Katrin makes her way to Denmark, including a stay at the MI6 agents’ boarding house in NYC, where she’s warned of a dangerous man, Ronin, whom she may encounter. Once she arrives in Denmark and takes up her position at the switchboard, listening for information that could reveal the enemy’s next move, the pacing picks up and never lets up.
I loved getting to meet Katrin’s sister Inga, and seeing Inga’s family and in-laws (Anna and Valmer) all get immersed in the resistance effort. Inga’s 14-year-old daughter, Greta, makes some brave choices as she’s given a key task and becomes a lovable heroine.
The chapters are short to medium length, and the frequent POV shifts and fast-paced story make this difficult to put down. There’s also a murder mystery thread in the story, and I enjoyed how the mystery and espionage elements gradually overlapped. The climax has some surprises, including major deception, a dangerous enemy that Katrin tries to contain, and a race against time as the threat to Denmark becomes imminent.
I appreciated that the ending wasn’t neatly wrapped up, as that would have felt inauthentic to the 1940 WWII timeline and to the story. There are unanswered questions and lingering threats that align with where things stood in 1940. And just like the first book, real historical events and figures are woven into the fictional storyline, including Winston Churchill, who has direct communication with Katrin’s husband, John. The only minor complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed after such an intense climax and emotional story, but it does suggest that book 3 might continue immediately after the events of this book, or at least I hope so, as I need some answers!
One thing I especially enjoyed in this book was how the relationship between Katrin and John was further developed. Even though they’re only in scenes together at the beginning and towards the end, separated by their own assignments, you still get to see how much they care for and miss each other. The final scenes are heartfelt and made me more invested in their relationship going forward.
Overall, if you’re interested in World War II stories, historical fiction, or spy thrillers, I think this entire series is perfect for your TBR. And if you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend both. Charlie Albers does a fantastic job with the different character voices and variety of accents, and her pacing is spot-on. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series on audio, but you can grab book 3 in physical format right away!
Narrator Performance
Headwind is read by seasoned narrator Charlie Albers, who also narrated the first book in the series.
From the opening scenes, Albers gives Katrin a confident, questioning voice that suits her perfectly as an experienced MI6 agent. When she learns about her new assignment with her husband, John, and discovers they’ll both be taking on new identities, you can hear concern underneath her calm exterior. Just like in the first book, Albers adjusts Katrin’s voice depending on who she’s interacting with and how much of her identity she can reveal. When she’s around people at the switchboard, she sounds like a naive, ordinary worker, but in her inner dialogue, you can hear that she’s always thinking several steps ahead.
The book has a lot of POV shifts, including an early shift to elderly couple Anna and Valmer, and Albers handles all the transitions well. Each character is given a distinct and believable voice, and the variety of accents Albers performs is impressive—even more than in the first book. I especially enjoyed Albers’ portrayal of Anna and Valmer. They’ve been married for many years, and you can hear the natural connection between them when they speak to each other. When they notice what appears to be a German vessel offshore, you can hear the uneasiness in their voices as they try to figure out what they should do.
A major highlight is the narration of the interactions between Katrin and her family, especially Inga and her niece Greta. Those scenes brought some much-needed warmth to the story, and Albers’ delivery emphasizes the care they have for each other.
One of my favorite scenes is when Greta is given a dangerous key task. Albers gives her a youthful, uncertain yet determined voice that brings the character to life. These scenes are filled with tension, but Albers’ delivery makes them equally heartwarming as Greta becomes a heroine in the resistance effort.
The villains and morally gray characters are also given convincing portrayals. Dagma, Karl, and Colonel Strada are given voices that convey their personalities and motivations. I particularly enjoyed Dagma, who’s desperate to become an actress in Hollywood. Albers gives her a seductive and manipulative tone when she’s trying to use Karl to get what she wants, but that delivery changes noticeably when her plans start falling apart. Karl, meanwhile, is given a controlled, cold-sounding voice, which feels authentic to his character and the time period.
The high-stakes climax is exciting. As Katrin’s dealing with an enemy infiltration and a race-against-time threat to Denmark, Albers increases her pacing and adds urgency to the scenes. By the end, there are still lingering threats, and Albers’ delivery makes it clear that this book is another chapter in a much larger story. I also really enjoyed the final chapter, as Albers brings out the emotional side of Katrin and John’s relationship, and the sudden shift made me more invested in their relationship.
Overall, this was another strong performance from Albers. If you enjoy spy thrillers, World War II stories, historical fiction, and audiobooks with a larger cast of distinct and convincing character voices, I recommend adding both audiobooks in this series to your list and listening to them back to back. I really hope Charlie Albers narrates more books in this series!
Narrator Performance
Headwind is read by seasoned narrator Charlie Albers, who also narrated the first book in the series.
From the opening scenes, Albers gives Katrin a confident, questioning voice that suits her perfectly as an experienced MI6 agent. When she learns about her new assignment with her husband, John, and discovers they’ll both be taking on new identities, you can hear concern underneath her calm exterior. Just like in the first book, Albers adjusts Katrin’s voice depending on who she’s interacting with and how much of her identity she can reveal. When she’s around people at the switchboard, she sounds like a naive, ordinary worker, but in her inner dialogue, you can hear that she’s always thinking several steps ahead.
The book has a lot of POV shifts, including an early shift to elderly couple Anna and Valmer, and Albers handles all the transitions well. Each character is given a distinct and believable voice, and the variety of accents Albers performs is impressive—even more than in the first book. I especially enjoyed Albers’ portrayal of Anna and Valmer. They’ve been married for many years, and you can hear the natural connection between them when they speak to each other. When they notice what appears to be a German vessel offshore, you can hear the uneasiness in their voices as they try to figure out what they should do.
A major highlight is the narration of the interactions between Katrin and her family, especially Inga and her niece Greta. Those scenes brought some much-needed warmth to the story, and Albers’ delivery emphasizes the care they have for each other.
One of my favorite scenes is when Greta is given a dangerous key task. Albers gives her a youthful, uncertain yet determined voice that brings the character to life. These scenes are filled with tension, but Albers’ delivery makes them equally heartwarming as Greta becomes a heroine in the resistance effort.
The villains and morally gray characters are also given convincing portrayals. Dagma, Karl, and Colonel Strada are given voices that convey their personalities and motivations. I particularly enjoyed Dagma, who’s desperate to become an actress in Hollywood. Albers gives her a seductive and manipulative tone when she’s trying to use Karl to get what she wants, but that delivery changes noticeably when her plans start falling apart. Karl, meanwhile, is given a controlled, cold-sounding voice, which feels authentic to his character and the time period.
The high-stakes climax is exciting. As Katrin’s dealing with an enemy infiltration and a race-against-time threat to Denmark, Albers increases her pacing and adds urgency to the scenes. By the end, there are still lingering threats, and Albers’ delivery makes it clear that this book is another chapter in a much larger story. I also really enjoyed the final chapter, as Albers brings out the emotional side of Katrin and John’s relationship, and the sudden shift made me more invested in their relationship.
Overall, this was another strong performance from Albers. If you enjoy spy thrillers, World War II stories, historical fiction, and audiobooks with a larger cast of distinct and convincing character voices, I recommend adding both audiobooks in this series to your list and listening to them back to back. I really hope Charlie Albers narrates more books in this series!
Headwind is read by seasoned narrator Charlie Albers, who also narrated the first book in the series.
From the opening scenes, Albers gives Katrin a confident, questioning voice that suits her perfectly as an experienced MI6 agent. When she learns about her new assignment with her husband, John, and discovers they’ll both be taking on new identities, you can hear concern underneath her calm exterior. Just like in the first book, Albers adjusts Katrin’s voice depending on who she’s interacting with and how much of her identity she can reveal. When she’s around people at the switchboard, she sounds like a naive, ordinary worker, but in her inner dialogue, you can hear that she’s always thinking several steps ahead.
The book has a lot of POV shifts, including an early shift to elderly couple Anna and Valmer, and Albers handles all the transitions well. Each character is given a distinct and believable voice, and the variety of accents Albers performs is impressive—even more than in the first book. I especially enjoyed Albers’ portrayal of Anna and Valmer. They’ve been married for many years, and you can hear the natural connection between them when they speak to each other. When they notice what appears to be a German vessel offshore, you can hear the uneasiness in their voices as they try to figure out what they should do.
A major highlight is the narration of the interactions between Katrin and her family, especially Inga and her niece Greta. Those scenes brought some much-needed warmth to the story, and Albers’ delivery emphasizes the care they have for each other.
One of my favorite scenes is when Greta is given a dangerous key task. Albers gives her a youthful, uncertain yet determined voice that brings the character to life. These scenes are filled with tension, but Albers’ delivery makes them equally heartwarming as Greta becomes a heroine in the resistance effort.
The villains and morally gray characters are also given convincing portrayals. Dagma, Karl, and Colonel Strada are given voices that convey their personalities and motivations. I particularly enjoyed Dagma, who’s desperate to become an actress in Hollywood. Albers gives her a seductive and manipulative tone when she’s trying to use Karl to get what she wants, but that delivery changes noticeably when her plans start falling apart. Karl, meanwhile, is given a controlled, cold-sounding voice, which feels authentic to his character and the time period.
The high-stakes climax is exciting. As Katrin’s dealing with an enemy infiltration and a race-against-time threat to Denmark, Albers increases her pacing and adds urgency to the scenes. By the end, there are still lingering threats, and Albers’ delivery makes it clear that this book is another chapter in a much larger story. I also really enjoyed the final chapter, as Albers brings out the emotional side of Katrin and John’s relationship, and the sudden shift made me more invested in their relationship.
Overall, this was another strong performance from Albers. If you enjoy spy thrillers, World War II stories, historical fiction, and audiobooks with a larger cast of distinct and convincing character voices, I recommend adding both audiobooks in this series to your list and listening to them back to back. I really hope Charlie Albers narrates more books in this series!
