Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Return to Vienna: The Special Operations Executive and the Rebirth of Austria is an enthralling tale that comes from a lesser-known part of real Second World War history in which we explore the fascinating timeline of Churchill’s secret Special Operations Executive. This unique organization aided in a particularly important part of returning Austria to sovereignty and freedom from Nazi rule through the masterful use of a range of espionage techniques that saw many Austrian refugees trained up and sent back into their country at a time of extreme danger. It is a factual work that covers the historical, military, and cross-cultural categories. Penned by Peter Dixon, it is suitable for the general adult reading audience.

Peter Dixon shines a bright spotlight on a compelling piece of history that will certainly delight fans of military and espionage writing. The book is packed full of detail and insight into how clever and incredibly brave the agents of the SOE were and in particular how passionately they fought for the freedom of the Austrian people. Even more impassioned than this is the author himself, who pays tribute with a meticulously well-written work that takes us through everything we could want to know, delivered with a keen sense of narrative flow so that we never feel overwhelmed by walls of text. At its heart, this is a human story brimming with emotion, triumph, heartache, and tragedy, and I would not hesitate to recommend Return to Vienna to fans of historical WW2 writing everywhere.