Pray Silence

by Manning Coles

Book Overview

Book Sense March 2008 Notable Book Pick. Joseph Goebbels is fuming. It's the mid-1930s and the Nazi Minister of Propoganda has a nice little racket going. He and his cohorts are allowing Jews to slip... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340172835
• ISBN13: 9780340172834
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One of my favorites

My father had most of the Manning Coles books and I read them as a child, about fifty years ago. They are still some of my favorites, though some more than others, of course. This is one of the good ones, for all the reasons mentioned by previous reviewers, and with the touches of humor that flowered so successfully into the books that featured Forgan and Campbell as Hambledon's assistants. Buy them all; you won't be disappointed.

Perfect History Mystery

Great follow up to DRINK TO YESTERDAY and wonderful insight into Germany between the wars. Fifth copy to replace others lent to friends and never returned. Perfect companion for reading holidays.

Better than Ambler

I have been reading the fine novels of Alan Furst, and theyremind me of Manning Coles more than the more commonlymentioned inspiration, Eric Ambler. I read "A Toast ToTomorrow", then its predecessor, "Drink to Yesterday", andpreferred the former, though they're both pretty good. I likedthe distinction between the German civilians and the Nazis, asanother reviewer mentions. There is also a certain amount ofplausible humor, which I liked, not the terrible James Bond"movie humor" (can't blame Ian Fleming for that, though). Alsolike another reviewer, I find myself coming back to this bookagain and again....It's very good!

Pray Silence

'Pray Silence' is the title under which I purchased this book some thirty five years ago. It is a sequel to 'Drink to Yesterday' and the present title is possibly more apt.Why should I want to write a review after all these years?I found the first book, in what is quite a long series, to be a little stiff in style, but this, the sequel moves at a fair pace and is much easier to read in consequence. All of the books in the series stand alone although they employ the same central character, more often than not in a leading role. This second book in the series will make you want to enjoy more of the author's work. The genre is basic spy with additions, but if you don't like spy stories don't be put off. During those thirty five years I have read the book at least once a year even though I know it virtually off by heart. I even know where most of the missprints are in my old copy, but they still come as a surprise, I get so engrossed with the story!

Why reading can sometimes lead to wonderful moments.

Toast to Tomorrow is best read by first reading its more somber prequel, Drink to Yesterday. Once you've finished the first book immediately pick up A Toast to Tomorrow and read the first chapter to enjoy one of the great funny moments in fiction. It's high adventure combined with great wit and a book I've pushed into literally hundreds of very satisified hands. It's also remarkable in that it was published during World War II (but before the U.S. entered the war) and the authors draw a very careful distinction between German civilians and Nazis.