The latest novel by Sidmouth-based author Graham Hurley is published this week )July 4).

It's the newest addition to his Spoils of War Collection, a non-chronological series exploring monumental stories and figures from World War II.

This instalment takes readers to 1936 Spain, drawing them into the tumultuous Spanish Civil War through the eyes of Anglo-Breton translator, Annie Wrenne.

Stationed in Madrid, Annie transitions from translator to frontline nurse, her life spiralling into tragedy when she falls in love with a patient and ends up pregnant and deserted.

As the war escalates, Annie, caught in a haze of despair, finds solace in a developing friendship with the enigmatic Republican fighter, Carlos Ortega.

This deepening bond eventually leads her into the secret world behind the war, and her recruitment into MI5.

In her debut mission, Annie and Ortega, undercover as a couple, are dispatched to Algeciras.

Their mission? To derail Hitler's Operation Felix, a strategic plan to seize control of the Mediterranean and pressure Churchill into negotiation, thus preventing the Nazis from capturing Gibraltar.

However, Annie's loyalty is put to the test when she stumbles upon Ortega's hidden affiliation with the Nationalists.

In a narrative brimming with shifting loyalties and hazardous espionage, Annie is left grappling with a pivotal question: can she truly trust a man who persistently changes sides, particularly when the destiny of the Allied cause is at stake?

Previous novels by Mr Hurley have been highly acclaimed by national reviews with The Times describing them as "Historical fiction of a high order" and The Daily Mail as "Beautifully constructed... This is one of Hurley's finest."

The book is being published by Head of Zeus in hardback, priced at £20.