I received a copy of the book as part of the tour in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Historical thriller Age Range: Adult Star Rating: Series: yes - second
Synopsis:
Three women. One mission. Enemies everywhere.
May 1944. When spy Elisabeth de Mornay, code name Cécile, notices a coded transmission from an agent in the field does not bear his usual signature, she suspects his cover has been blown– something that is happening with increasing frequency. With the situation in Occupied France worsening and growing fears that the Resistance has been compromised, Cécile is ordered behind enemy lines.
Having rendezvoused with her fellow agents, Léonie and Dominique, together they have one mission: help the Resistance destabilise German operations to pave the way for the Normandy landings.
But the life of a spy is never straightforward, and the in-fighting within the Resistance makes knowing who to trust ever more difficult. With their lives on the line, all three women will have to make decisions that could cost them everything – for not all their enemies are German.
Synopsis taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
One of the fun things about certain genres, like WW2 spy thrillers, is that there are certain genre conventions that act as short hands. Like in romance, you know the leads will end up together, in this genre, you know the Germans are the baddies and that there are more secretive German units than you can shake a cat at. It means the book doesn’t have to spend ages setting up the various factions but can just toss you straight into the action.
Of course, the individuals who are threats (local SS commanders etc) are made clear to bring a personal level to the danger, which only adds to the tension of knowing there are so many eyes watching. You know who the heroine will get taken to if she slips up or is reported, but not who will do the reporting. This is a book that also focuses heavily on the double agents.
It’s 1944, so we’re in the lead up to the D-day landings, and I loved the tension of not knowing when it was coming. Of course I vaguely knew (in my defence for knowing the exact day, I read this in the hours post-vaccination!), but Mara Timon had cleverly managed to let time move on without giving away the exact date to help simulate the anticipation around when it would start.
And we do get to say D-day, through the chaos of the resistance trying to help from behind the lines. It’s the big action-packed sequence that manages to keep the momentum going for almost a quarter of the book – very impressive stuff!
It is such a tense, fast-paced read. I devoured it pretty quickly, on the edge of my seat. It’s nice and snappy, with enough danger and potential weak links to make the small town feel even more claustrophobic.
I did not realise this was the second book in the series until I looked up the blurb for the first out of curiosity and interest in reading it. CITY OF SPIES tells the story behind Elisabeth/Cécile’s time in Lisbon by the looks of things. I managed perfectly well without it. Some of the references would have made more sense, I have no doubt, but I still really enjoyed this book without it. I probably will look up her debut at some point.
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 