Tag: WWII

Review: A Truth to Lie For by Anne Perry

Kimberlee MooreLeave a comment

Description (from cover): “It is the summer of 1934, and Hitler is nearing the summit of supreme power in Germany. When Britain’s MI6 gets word that a German scientist has made a key breakthrough in germ warfare, they send Elena Standish on a dangerous mission to get him out of Germany before he’s forced to share his knowledge and its destructive power with Hitler’s elite.

But the British soon learn that the new head of Germany’s germ warfare division is an old enemy of Elena’s grandfather Lucas, the former head of MI6. And he’s bent on using any means to avenge his defeat at Lucas’ hands twenty years before.

What starts as an effort to save Europe from the devastation of disease becomes an intensely personal fight. As Elena and the scientist make their way across Germany, they confront not only the Gestapo but also a group of unpredictable Nazi supporters. With Elena’s every decision challenged, this compelling thriller takes a searing look at what it means to make the right choices in a world rife with so much evil.”

My Thoughts:

Check out my review of the first book in this series, A Question of Betrayal, reviewed on this blog.

In this fourth book of the Elena Standish mystery series, we see Elena returning to Germany once again as an operative of MI6. This time her mission is different, but the constant threat of danger is very real. She is to help one of two scientists escape from Germany. Another agent will help the other scientist escape. The scientists have been working on creating a “germ” to cause an illness that would decimate the enemy and the antidote to the illness . Hitler’s head men are pushing for this new modern technique with war looming dark on Europe’s doorstep. MI6 wants to help the scientists escape the volatile atmosphere in Germany and use the research to further their own cause and no one but Elena can do the job.

After nearly escaping from Germany a year ago, Elena can’t believe she is back in Germany. This time, her mission is short, sweet and to the point: get the scientist safely out of Germany and if at any time the mission is in jeopardy, to kill him without a second thought. When she arrives, she is quickly alarmed when someone begins to follow her around Berlin while she is making contact with her target. She is uneasy, but the mission requires that the scientists be evacuated as soon as possible as every second could be fatal. She teams up with her friend Jacob who is an American journalist who has been reporting on the dark deeds of Germany’s government as it rushes towards another world war. He is doubly in danger as he is also a Jew. Elena and Jacob soon escape Berlin but soon find themselves involved in chaos in Munich as Hitler rids himself of his competition.

The thing that I love so much about this series is that these books are always packed full of action and suspense. Set in the 1930’s as Hitler makes his rise in Germany with England still holding on to hope that another world war can be avoided, these books show just how tense Europe was at that time in history. The author does a great job of using real historical events and people effortlessly into her stories. In this book, the author gives readers a glimpse of what Munich was like on the Night of the Long Knives when Hitler murdered Rohm, the leader of the Brownshirts or the SA (the “Stormtroopers”), and several hundred others all because he felt that Rohm was a strong political opponent and Hitler was insecure of his own power even though he was already the Fuhrer. It is hard to make historical events and fiction flow together easily, but Perry just has that knack for it. I highly encourage readers of historical mystery to check out this lovely series for yourself.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Anne Perry

Series: Elena Standish Mystery #4

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: September 20, 2022

Pages: 289

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Review: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Kimberlee MooreLeave a comment

Description (from cover): “Forty years ago, Steven “Smithy” Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. When he showed it to his remedial English teacher Miss Isles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford’s novels. And when she later disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy becomes convinced that she had been right.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. In a series of voice recordings on an old iPhone, Smithy alternates between visiting the people of his childhood and looking back on the events that later landed him in prison. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code holds a great secret, and Smithy may just have the key.”

My Thoughts

I read Janice Hallett’s book The Appeal and reviewed it on this Blog on March 3, 2022. You can read the review for The Appeal here.

This book is much like Hallett’s other book The Appeal in that it is an epistolary novel. In The Appeal, it was written by letters, emails, and text messages. In this book, the story is told through transcripts of recordings mainly recorded by the main character on his son’s old iPhone. Steven Smith, known as “Smithy” to all his friends, has just been released from serving his prison sentence for his involvement in a heist. During his stint in prison, he learned how to read and spent much time thinking about the mysterious disappearance of his childhood remedial English teacher.

Upon his release, he is determined to contact his childhood classmates to learn exactly what happened to Miss Isles on that fateful day. It appears that his memories from that time and everyone else’s memories are vastly different. Determined to find out what happened to the missing Miss Isles and learn more about the book she was determined contained a secret code by the author, Edith Twyford, Smithy must sift through his broken memories and try to figure out what happened all those years ago.

This book lacked the suspense and the connection with the characters that The Appeal had. This book wasn’t terrible and it was a little hard to follow along with at times, because of the way the recordings were transcribed in the book. I felt that I didn’t really connect with the main character in this book and that the storyline was a little fractured. Nonetheless, I love Hallett’s continuation of writing books that are epistolary in nature because they bring a fresh new writing style to the table.

Overall Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Janice Hallett

Series: N/A

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Pages: 333

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Review: Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver

Kimberlee MooreLeave a comment

Description (from cover): “As the Blitz continues to ravage London, Ellie McDonnell–formerly a safecracking thief, but currently determined to stay on the straight and narrow to help her country–is approached by British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey with a new assignment. She is travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and there await further instructions. In his usual infuriating way, the Major has left her task as vague and mysterious as possible.

Ellie, ever-ready to aid her country, heads north, her safecracking tools in tow. But before she can rendezvous with the major, she witnesses an unnatural death. A man falls dead in the street in front of her, with a note clutched in his hand. Ellie’s instincts tell her that the man’s death is connected in some way to her mission.

Soon, Ellie and the major are locked in a battle of wits and a race against time with an unknown and deadly adversary, and a case that leads them to a possible Nazi counterfeiting operation. With bombs dropping on the city and a would-be assassin shadowing their every move, it will take all of Ellie’s resourcefulness and Major Ramsey’s fortitude to unmask the spymaster and avert disastrous consequences–for England and for their own lives.

My Thoughts:

Ellie McDonnell, a former thief and safecracker, has quickly been making a name for herself using her nefarious skills to aid the British Intelligence during World War II. She has been involved in two previous missions and when her handler, Major Ramsey, sends her off on another mission, she is eager to use her skills to disrupt the Nazi’s and their plans. Major Ramsey sends her off to Sunderland without much detail other than she has an assumed identity. Without much knowledge about the mission, she is surprised when a man dies right in front of her under mysterious circumstances in the street upon her arrival to the city. In his hand is a note that sets Ellie’s curiousity aflame.

Learning more from Major Ramsey after her arrival, she is to infilitrate a group of friends that included the murdered man. It seems one of the group might be an undercover German spy and murdered their friend to keep their secrets safe. With Ellie not being able to trust anyone in the group and Major Ramsey keeping her in the dark about the mission, she soon finds herself scrambling to learn everything she can. Can she find out who the secret spy is without anyone else being eliminated? Ellie must use her smart wits and her powerful observation skills to prevent herself from becoming the spy’s next victim.

I am really starting to come to enjoy this series. This mystery series sets itself apart from other of its ilk by being enjoyable and engaging from the very first page. I really like Ellie’s character and how the author uses her criminal family’s past to aid the British Intelligence Service during a terrible war. Another fantastic installment in a truly remarkable historical mystery series set in England during World War II. This book holds a lot of promise for the future of the series and I am anxiously awaiting to see what Ellie gets herself involved with in the future.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Ashley Weaver

Series: Electra McDonnell Mystery #3

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: May 9, 2023

Pages: 267

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

Review: Die Around Sundown by Mark Pryor

Kimberlee MooreLeave a comment

Description (from cover): “Summer 1940: In German-occupied Paris, Inspector Henri Lefort has been given just five days to solve the murder of a German major that took place in the Louvre Museum. Blocked from the crime scene but given a list of suspects, Henri encounters a group of artists, including Pablo Picasso, who know more than they’re willing to share.

With the clock ticking, Henri must uncover a web of lies while overcoming impossible odds to save his own life and prove his loyalty to his country. Will he rise to the task or become another tragic story of a tragic time?

Five days. One murder. A masterpiece of a mystery.”

My Thoughts:

This book was an interesting take on WWII. I have never read a book that focuses on what life was like in occupied France during WWII. In this book we meet Henri Lefort, who is a police officer in Paris in 1940. The Germans have taken over the government and have installed their own officers in the police force. When a German officer, who worked at the Louvre Museum going through priceless artwork and artifacts to send back to Motherland, is found murdered, Henri is given a deadline of five days to solve the murder or risk his own life. Using the list of potential suspects provided to him by the German major heading the investigation, Henri reluctantly sets out to solve the murder of one of his enemies.

I really enjoyed how the author portrayed how the French people really resented the Germans during their occupation of France. The French people were bitterly resolved to their occupation, but they did not like the Germans and fought back in any way that they could. Henri loathes the Germans, but knows that going against them would lead to his arrest or death. Henri conducts his investigation as only he knows how, by seeking the truth at no matter what cost. With the help of his sister, friends and even Pablo Picasso, Henri is resolved to see this investigation through all the way to the end.

There were so many twists and turns in this book and not everything is as it appears to be. I literally gasped aloud at certain times in this book because of the surprises I did not see coming. I really enjoyed this book and the way it portrayed a different side of WWII in occupied France. I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical mystery set in WWII with a different take on things and can’t wait to see if there is more in store for this series in the future.

Overall Rating: 4 stars

Author: Mark Pryor

Series: N/A

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: August 16, 2022

Pages: 321

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.

A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry

Kimberlee MooreLeave a comment

Description (from cover): “On her first mission for MI6, the daring young photographer at the heart of this thrilling new mystery series by bestselling author Anne Perry travels to Mussolini’s Italy to rescue the lover who betrayed her.

Britain’s secret intelligence service, MI6, has lost contact with its informant in northern Italy, just as important information about the future plans of Austria and Nazi Germany is coming to light. And young Elena Standish, to her surprise, is the only person who can recognize MI6’s man–because he is her former lover. Aiden Strother betrayed Elena six years ago, throwing shame on her entire family. Now, with so much to prove, Elena heads to Trieste to track down Aiden and find out what happened to his handler, who has mysteriously cut off contact with Britain.

As Elena gets word of a secret group working to put Austria in the hands of Germany, her older sister, Margot, is in Berlin to watch a childhood friend get married–to a member of the Gestapo. Margot and Elena’s grandfather, the former head of MI6, is none too happy about the sisters’ travels at this tumultuous time, especially when a violent event at home reminds him that even Britain is growing dangerous. As his own investigation collides with his granddaughter’s, what’s at stake on the continent becomes increasingly frightening–and personal.

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Europe, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry crafts a novel full of suspense, political intrigue, and the struggle between love and loyalty to country.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Elena Standish series by Anne Perry that takes place in the 1930’s in an Europe that is increasingly gearing up for war. In the period after World War I and the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany, Britain’s MI6 is actively engaged in preventing another war by using spies strategically placed in Nazi Germany, and in Northern Italy. There appears to be plans afoot to overthrow the new Austrian Chancellor, Engelbert Dollfuss, and have Nazi Germany take over the country to further the political ambitions of Hitler. MI6 has agent Aiden Strother in place in Northern Italy to pass along information to the British and to keep them informed of Hitler’s plans. When Strother’s handler, Max, seemingly appears to go missing with no contact, MI6 sends in Elena in order to find Max and bring Strother and his information back to England. The only reason they send in Elena is because Aiden was her former lover and she is the only one who can be relied upon to find him.

This book was a little chaotic and hard to follow at times. I had a hard time keeping up with everything for a little while, but towards the end, I was able to get hooked into the story and wanted to see how it ended. I felt the ending was a little rushed and could have been a little more thought out. I liked the characters and the historical context. I always find it interesting to read about World War II and how it started. Europe really didn’t want to fight another war right after one that caused so many losses and struggles, but Germany was determined to recover and make a name for itself at any cost.

Anne Perry has long been a favorite author of mine and I am glad that she has branched out and decided to write books in a different era as she normally writes in about Victorian England. While this book wasn’t the greatest book I read, I still appreciate her attention to detail and her way with endearing her readers to the characters. I will see what the next book in the series, A Darker Reality, has in store for these characters, but it seems that there will need to be a little more moving forward for this to become a series that I really enjoy and love.

Overall Rating: 2.5 Stars

Author: Anne Perry

Series: Elena Standish Mystery #2

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: September 8, 2020

Pages: 305

Genre: Historical Mystery

Get It: Amazon

Disclaimer: This book was selected by myself at the library, and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.