Author: Louise Fein
Published: January 16, 2024 by William Morrow
Format: Kindle, Paperback 416 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
First Sentence: Prologue: Jeannie. London 1942: The air was chocking, thick with a heady mix of cologne, sweat, liquor, and smoke from the hundred Lucky Strikes.
Blurb: London, 1962: The world is teetering on the brink of nuclear war but life must go on. Celia Duchesne longs for a career, but with no means or qualifications, passes her time working at a dusty bookshop. The day a handsome American enters the shop, she thinks she might have found her way out of the monotony. Just as the excitement of a budding relationship engulfs her, a devastating secret draws her into the murky world of espionage.
France, 1942: Nineteen-year-old Anya Moreau was dropped behind enemy lines to aid the resistance, sending messages back home to London via wireless transmitter. When she was cruelly betrayed, evidence of her legacy and the truth of her actions were buried by wartime injustices.
As Celia learns more about Anya—and her unexpected connection to the undercover agent—she becomes increasingly aware of furious efforts, both past and present, to protect state secrets. With her newly formed romance taking a surprising turn and the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation, Celia must risk everything she holds dear, in the name of justice. (Publisher)
My Opinion: Though there are early sparks, the book doesn’t get interesting until the final third. I was hoping that “The London Bookshop Affair” would have grabbed me in the way “The Hidden Child” had, but this novel was missing the fascination that had me turning pages in Louise Fein’s previous book.
Historical fiction that tries to combine romance, mystery, and espionage but fails to deliver any of them in an interesting manner. The plot is slow and the writing is dull and clichéd. Unfortunately, the book should have done more justice to the historical context of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it wasn’t until the end and the author’s notes that a more fascinating story unfolded.
Blurb: London, 1962: The world is teetering on the brink of nuclear war but life must go on. Celia Duchesne longs for a career, but with no means or qualifications, passes her time working at a dusty bookshop. The day a handsome American enters the shop, she thinks she might have found her way out of the monotony. Just as the excitement of a budding relationship engulfs her, a devastating secret draws her into the murky world of espionage.
France, 1942: Nineteen-year-old Anya Moreau was dropped behind enemy lines to aid the resistance, sending messages back home to London via wireless transmitter. When she was cruelly betrayed, evidence of her legacy and the truth of her actions were buried by wartime injustices.
As Celia learns more about Anya—and her unexpected connection to the undercover agent—she becomes increasingly aware of furious efforts, both past and present, to protect state secrets. With her newly formed romance taking a surprising turn and the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation, Celia must risk everything she holds dear, in the name of justice. (Publisher)
My Opinion: Though there are early sparks, the book doesn’t get interesting until the final third. I was hoping that “The London Bookshop Affair” would have grabbed me in the way “The Hidden Child” had, but this novel was missing the fascination that had me turning pages in Louise Fein’s previous book.
Historical fiction that tries to combine romance, mystery, and espionage but fails to deliver any of them in an interesting manner. The plot is slow and the writing is dull and clichéd. Unfortunately, the book should have done more justice to the historical context of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it wasn’t until the end and the author’s notes that a more fascinating story unfolded.
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