1943, Paris. Christine is a British agent working to get secrets from the German occupiers. Now she teams up with Charlie, an American spy, but can she put her emotions to one side to save her friends?
The Paris Spy’s Girl is an historical novel set in Paris during WW2.
Christine has overcome a traumatic past to become a spy, using her feminine wiles alongside a truth serum to find out Nazi secrets. Now she is paired up with Charlie but finds it difficult to fully trust him while those she loves are in danger. Not only people but the whole war effort are compromised as events unfold.
I felt quite emotionally detached from Christine. She keeps her feelings in check so even though the book is written in the first person, I didn’t feel that I knew her well. Most of the book is written in 1943 but there are some chapters to show why she left England and how she trained for her role. This added some depth to her characters, a better understanding of her motives, and also heightened awareness of the restraint she shows in her interactions.
The pace of the book is quite slow at the beginning as we find out how Christine got involved with the resistance and her friendship with Suzanne developed. There is plenty of tension as danger is never very far away. I thought the angle of women spies was quite refreshing and even more so when you realise it has a basis on real people who bravely subverted the Nazi regime.
The Paris Spy’s Girl is a well researched historical novel.
The Paris Spy’s Girl: An utterly breathtaking and heartbreaking World War II novel, inspired by true events by Amanda Lees
Paris, 1943. I stare at Charlie across the crowded room. Working deep undercover, we’re surrounded by Nazi high command. Slowly, he smiles at me and my breath catches. I have to trust him, or we’re both dead…
As war rages across France, English exile Christine has become the most deadly asset the British Secret Service has in occupied Paris. But when Suzanne, her best friend and the sole agent who knows the details of the top-secret D-Day landings, is betrayed to the Nazis by someone at the heart of their spy network, she is devastated. Going undercover with Charlie – a handsome but elusive American spy with an agenda of his own – is her only chance to catch the traitor in their midst.
Pretending to be not only Nazi collaborators but lovers too, they must save Suzanne from almost certain death and prevent the D-Day landing plans from ending up in the wrong hands. But as Christine and Charlie’s pretend desire turns to true love, her past – and the real reason she had to leave England forever – puts their whole mission in terrible danger.
With the Nazis closing in and Suzanne’s life on the line, Christine is forced into one last, desperate act: heading back into deepest, darkest enemy territory, knowing her disguise could have been exposed. With even her trust in Charlie shaken, will Christine have to choose between her love for him, her best friend’s life, and freedom for France? And who will pay the ultimate sacrifice…?
A totally compelling, page-turning historical novel of love, bravery and sacrifice in the darkest of times. Set in wartime Paris, this is an utterly gripping and tear-jerking read perfect for readers of Kate Quinn, Rhys Bowen and Mandy Robotham.
Amanda Lees is an author, broadcaster and an actress. She has written for, or contributed to, the Evening Standard, The Times, US Cosmopolitan and Company Magazine, as well as numerous online publications. Amanda appears regularly on BBC radio and LBC and was a contracted writer to the hit series Weekending on Radio 4.
As well as her new World War Two romantic thriller series, she has published two bestselling satirical fiction novels, a YA thriller trilogy and a number of non-fiction titles including The Dictionary of Crime.
