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Behind the Lines: A Novel (Casemate Classic War Fiction) Kindle Edition

by W. F. Morris (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
After killing a fellow officer, a British World War I fighter joins the ranks of deserters and outlaws in a suspenseful novel from the author of Bretherton.

Behind the Lines follows army man Peter Rawley, who accidentally kills an overbearing, taunting fellow officer and, terrified that he will not receive a fair hearing amid the chaos of the trenches, flees the battlefield.

Now a fugitive, Rawley must join forces with other deserters, criminals, and lost soldiers in a hand-to-mouth existence, trying to survive in the no-man’s-land between opposing armies. He will encounter both adventure and disaster, including capture by the Germans and the threat of a firing squad—and will need to call upon his own bravery and the support of the woman he loves to survive.

A thriller from the author of Bretherton: Khaki or Field-Grey?—which was praised by the Sunday Times as “a mystery as exciting as a good detective story and an extraordinarily vivid account of trench-warfare”—this is a meditation on the issues of identity and allegiance, as well as the role of chance. Behind the Lines is a classic of WWI fiction and an exciting read that brings the drama of the Great War to life.
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  1. Print length
    343 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Casemate
  4. Publication date
    September 27, 2016
  5. File size
    6.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

W. F. Morris was an English novelist best known for Bretherton. Morris served with the 13th Cycle Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment during WWI, reaching the rank of Major at 27, and was awarded the Military Cross. He wrote ten novels.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LVYJEO0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casemate (September 27, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 27, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 343 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
22 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Guy Montag
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novel.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent novel of WW I. Translated from French. Highly recommended.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Also known as GUNNER RAWLEY, this tale of a ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Also known as GUNNER RAWLEY, this tale of a man of honor who becomes a deserter and a hero fully stands with Morris other classic of WWI .

    This is a strong novel, only a bit dated, and we'll worth reading.
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  • Riverforest Lublin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Desertion as a choice
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    It had a slow beginning, and the protagonist seemed a shallow new officer, just as the writer intended, but once underway, the main character begins to cope with his terrible choices, reminding me of recent 21st Century headlines in the Gulf War. All the details of the lives of deserting soldiers sounded accurate and I have no doubt the author did his research. A very good thriller that stands up to 21st Century novels.
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  • JReppy
    4.0 out of 5 stars From officer to deserter
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
    "Behind the Lines" was an enjoyable story about what life might have been like for a British soldier in WWI. All things considered, Peter Rawley was having a "good" war. As an officer in an artillery unit, he and his men were not expected to attempt to cross no-man's land and capture German trenches like the infantry grunts. The job was still dangerous, as the German artillery was pounding the British lines as much as the British were pounding the Germans, and there was plenty to do when on the line even if the battery was not actively engaged. Other than one fellow officer, Rumbald, who was pompous, uncouth, and a shirker, Rawley liked the other officers and men in his unit. He did not mind the unpleasantries of military life. Moreover, he met a British Army nurse, Berney Travers, who eventually became his fiancée. However, fate intervened and turned the tables on him. He got into a fight with a fellow officer, who was accidentally killed during the fight. Having killed a fellow officer, and afraid that the military authorities would not believe it was an accident, Rawley became a deserter. The majority of the story focuses on his efforts to survive after deserting his unit. Life as a deserter was much less pleasant and more perilous. Rawley was forced to confront moral dilemmas, having to do things he normally would have never considered doing, and having to decide to what lengths he was willing to go to survive. He also displayed considerable ingenuity and he was adept at taking advantage of fortuitous opportunities. Will Rawley survive the war? Will he see Berney again? You will have to read the story to find out.

    I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
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  • Always Reading
    4.0 out of 5 stars Different story from what beginning suggests
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2016
    Behind the Lines starts with a flash forward. Someone spotting an old friend facing what appears to be a firing squad just before a shell explodes, obliterating the scene. His old friend, he surmises, is now dead.
    Then we are introduced to Peter Rawley, a lieutenant with an artillery battery in the British army of World War I. To him, war is a great man-making experience. It was all intensely interesting after a quiet humdrum life as a provincial insurance man.
    Rawley likes Major Cane, Captain Whedbee, and Lieutenant Piddock. And he definitely like the young ambulance driver, Miss Berney Travers. But he doesn’t care for Rumbald, a man of considerable girth who enjoys liquor, prostitutes, and embellishing stories, and taking the easy jobs.
    After a particularly harrowing time on the front line, Piddock needs a rest. He heads out for leave, and a shell takes out Cane and Whedbee. Rumbald, now the ranking officer, decides to call Piddock back to the line so that he might enjoy the cushier rear job. Rawley objects. They fight. Rumbald ends up with a broken neck.
    Rawley has a license to kill any number of Germans, no matter how good they are, but he has killed a superior officer. For that he could hang. He deserts, and lives an underground existence in the devastated battlefields with other deserters. He teams up with Alf, and they scrounge for anything salvageable in the old trenches and whatever they can steal for stores.
    They have run-ins with the self-appointed “lord” of the deserters and the Germans. Rawley masquerades as a chaplain and runs across Berney. When he takes a dead man’s place in another battery, he comes face to face with Piddock, and learns he never should have run.
    At times, the story bogged down. Especially when their dug-out is caved in by other deserters, Rawley and Alf spend considerable time digging their way out. At first, Rawley didn’t seem too likable, being so fond of being at war. And the first chapter is misleading. You think you know how the story ends, but it’s different. Rawley grows on you, though. And the ending is filled with promise.
    I received a free copy from the publisher for my honest review.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Aaron C. Brown
    3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good adventure book for young readers, with some historical interest as well
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2016
    Like the author's more famous Bretherton, this book contains some sincere and exciting (and horrifying) descriptions of trench warfare during WWI. Also like Bretherton, it suffers from a juvenile plot, wooden writing, annoying dialog, excessive description that fails to make the action clear and one-dimensional characters. It lacks Bretherton's complex narrative structure (there is a small effort at foreshadowing, but nothing like Bretherton's three overlapping accounts in different styles), but has a more realistic and interesting plot.

    Overall I find it a better book than Bretherton primarily because it covers an aspect of the war that is seldom covered, scavenging a living in the devastated territory immediately behind the British lines. This allows the author to describe a broader range of people and places than more conventional war stories. Also, because it does not rely on incredible complex events, the author is forced to pay more attention to character. While the main character, who is 80% of the book, is still one-dimensional, some of the secondary characters are touched with complexity, although none gets enough attention to make the book psychologically interesting.

    I rate this a pretty good adventure book for young readers, although some gruesome scenes might be too strong for sensitive children. It has some historical interest as well.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ted 19
    5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC INDEED.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book is different to any 1st WW tale. I am not normally a reader of fiction but there are parts that I believe are taken from the Author's own war experiences and I found the different twists and fortunes of the main character to be absorbing. Having visited the areas described I found that I could relate to them and we do not read many accounts of the goings on behind the lines.

    The author keeps the reader guessing..... and few would have prophesied how the tale ends.
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  • Chris
    4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    W. F. Morris' Behind the Lines was referenced in an article I read about an urban legend from WWI. The article talked of deserters living a scavenger life among the abandoned trenches/dugouts of the battlefields of France. It sounded intriguing, so I looked up the book, never expecting anything half as good as this.
    Written from first hand experience (of the war at least), the story is well-told and believable. It’s a story of honour, duty, friendship, love, and survival. An engaging read from start to finish. Thoroughly recommended, even for those like myself who normally don’t go for war stories.
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