The Ways of the World, by Robert Goddard.

[Moonraker]

It's 1919 and ex-RFC pilot James Maxted (confusingly referred to as both James and Max) is planning to set up a flying school with his former mechanic, Sam Twentyman (and is considering buying a couple of SE5s for £10 the pair). But Max's father, a diplomat with a peripheral role at the Paris Peace Conference, is murdered, and Max sets off to France to investigate (followed later by Sam).

The dust-jacket blurb refers to Goddard's "labyrinthine plotting", and Max certainly goes backwards and forwards a lot between various characters, including his father's mistress, a French policeman, a British Secret Service agent reporting to "C", a Japanese diplomat, Americans buying and selling confidential information on the talks, and the "Kaiser's spymaster", some of whom give him clues that seem unnecessarily enigmatic. Naturally several of the characters are not what they at first seem to be.

Eventually, Max enlists undercover with the peacetime organisation of the "Kaiser's spymaster", where upon the book ends with the words "TO BE CONTINUED" - something of an anticlimax!

Goddard assures his readers that "none of the recorded history of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 has been altered in this novel. Real people, places and events have been depicted as accurately as possible." He's an award-winning author of some 24 titles, but I'm afraid I won't be keeping an eye out for the sequel to The Ways of the World.

Moonraker

[AlanCurragh]

I am a big fan of Goddard's books but haven't read this one yet. The sequel is out in a few week, I believe

[Dawson]

I must admit, I enjoyed 'In Pale Battalions by him.

I've read quite a few fiction WW1 books, most being absolutely rubbish, but I did like his book, so I'll probably give it a go.

Ian

[centurion]

It's 1919 and ex-RFC pilot James Maxted (confusingly referred to as both James and Max) is planning to set up a flying school with his former mechanic, Sam Twentyman (and is considering buying a couple of SE5s for £10 the pair).

How do you run a flying school with a pair of single seat fighters?

[The Scorer]

I enjoyed it, as I have all of his books - and I think that I have read them all.

I can't remember, though, what I thought about the prospect of a sequel, as it was a few months ago when I read it - and I've read lots of books since then! I'll read the sequel, though - I think that he is a very good writer.