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Table of Contents
About The Book
Award-winning writer delivers a pulse-pounding espionage thriller. Missing soldiers, MI6 secrets and European partisans collide in a deadly game where the lines between lies and reality are fast disintegrating.
In the dying days of the Second World War, a new conflict is about to ignite.
May, 1945: After fighting to liberate Europe from the Nazis, Tito's Yugoslav Army and Allied forces have come to a tense standoff in the city of Trieste. Every day, locals with fascist and Nazi ties are disappearing, arrested by Yugoslav soldiers. Meanwhile the Allies watch on, reluctant to become mired in yet another conflict.
But when rumours circulate that New Zealand soldiers are among the missing, the stakes begin to rise.
A British MI6 agent and a New Zealand intelligence officer must uncover the truth behind the rumours. But the schisms in the city are becoming harder to cross, and one wealthy family keeps getting in their way. In a mission where moral lines are hopelessly blurred and violence is a necessity, deciding whether they can trust their sources – or even one another – becomes a matter of life and death.
In the dying days of the Second World War, a new conflict is about to ignite.
May, 1945: After fighting to liberate Europe from the Nazis, Tito's Yugoslav Army and Allied forces have come to a tense standoff in the city of Trieste. Every day, locals with fascist and Nazi ties are disappearing, arrested by Yugoslav soldiers. Meanwhile the Allies watch on, reluctant to become mired in yet another conflict.
But when rumours circulate that New Zealand soldiers are among the missing, the stakes begin to rise.
A British MI6 agent and a New Zealand intelligence officer must uncover the truth behind the rumours. But the schisms in the city are becoming harder to cross, and one wealthy family keeps getting in their way. In a mission where moral lines are hopelessly blurred and violence is a necessity, deciding whether they can trust their sources – or even one another – becomes a matter of life and death.
About The Author
Photograph by James Byrt
Anthony Byrt is a New Zealand writer, award-winning art critic and the author of two books of non-fiction. Dying Days is his first novel, written while he was Kaipukahu Writer-in-Residence at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He currently lives in Naarm/Melbourne (Australia) and Te Tai Tokerau/Northland (New Zealand).
Product Details
- Publisher: Affirm Press (July 28, 2026)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781761822612
Raves and Reviews
‘A fast-paced, assured espionage novel that expertly weaves compelling fiction with real historical events ... A classic espionage novel set against a brilliantly researched history.’
– Books+Publishing
‘An intriguing plot, complex characters you want to journey alongside and a mystery whose unravelling keeps you glued to the page. A fascinating window into the twilight years of World War II.’
– Danny Ben-Moshe
‘Tense and atmospheric ... Dying Days reminded me of some of the best of Alan Furst’s novels, where the focus shifts from the great sweep of armies and bombing campaigns to the individuals on the streets and in the intelligence services. It has a complex plot and is set in a complex time, but Byrt handles it with ease, gently leading the reader to the edge of the limestone hole to reveal the awful truth, that in the aftermath of war ideas take a long time to die, compromises must be made, and the winners quickly lose their heroic lustre.’
– Pip Fioretti, author of Skull River and Bone Lands
‘Incredibly well written, with compelling characters brilliantly centred in time and place. A wonderful retelling of an interesting and still-relevant period of history.’
– HEATHER MORRIS, author of international bestselling The Tattooist of Auschwitz
‘A spine-tingling thriller ... as vivid as a spy novel yet as unnerving as a fairy tale made real.’
– CATHERINE CHIDGEY, author of Commonwealth Writers' Prize winner The Book of Guilt
Resources and Downloads
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Dying Days
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Author Photo (jpg): Anthony Byrt Photograph by James Byrt(0.1 MB)
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