Publisher's Weekly
The prolific Allbeury ( The Man with the President's Mind ) draws on his British Intelligence background to construct a most civilized thriller. Middle-aged London factory owner James Walters has apparently made contact with a KGB agent in Paris. Special Branch Commander Nicholas Bailey pays a fairly routine call on Walters, who immediately afterwards cuts his own throat. As Bailey begins his investigation, Allbeury flashes back to 1940s France, when half-French Charley Parker, as Charles Chaland, leads Resistance groups in the Dordogne for British Special Operations. Secrecy, danger, Nazi horrors and ultimate betrayal are tautly depicted, as is a believable love story, all ending tragically. Three decades later, Bailey's unraveling of the mystery of ''James Walters'' echoes the wartime flashback, but with a little hope at the end. Not many surprises here, just first-rate storytelling.
Library Journal
Allbeury, author of several well-received espionage novels ( The Judas Factor , The Seeds of Treason) , has another winner. Featuring the unhappily divorced Nicholas Baily, this is a tale of obsession, love, and betrayal. The book begins with the mysterious suicide of a suspected Soviet agent. Baily, charged with identifying the man and his reasons for suicide, starts a journey that takes him to France and back 33 years to the faction-ridden resistance groups operating in Vichy at the end of the war. Allbeury paints an exciting picture of dedicated men and women in the underground. At the same time, he creates a gripping story about the historical roots of seemingly trivial or isolated incidents. Finally, he shows us just how far parents will go to protect their children. The plot is compelling, the writing crisp and clean, and even Baily, who often seems overwhelmed by events, is engaging.-- Louise A. Merriam, L.E. Phillips Memorial P.L., Eau Claire, Wis.
Genre: Thriller
The prolific Allbeury ( The Man with the President's Mind ) draws on his British Intelligence background to construct a most civilized thriller. Middle-aged London factory owner James Walters has apparently made contact with a KGB agent in Paris. Special Branch Commander Nicholas Bailey pays a fairly routine call on Walters, who immediately afterwards cuts his own throat. As Bailey begins his investigation, Allbeury flashes back to 1940s France, when half-French Charley Parker, as Charles Chaland, leads Resistance groups in the Dordogne for British Special Operations. Secrecy, danger, Nazi horrors and ultimate betrayal are tautly depicted, as is a believable love story, all ending tragically. Three decades later, Bailey's unraveling of the mystery of ''James Walters'' echoes the wartime flashback, but with a little hope at the end. Not many surprises here, just first-rate storytelling.
Library Journal
Allbeury, author of several well-received espionage novels ( The Judas Factor , The Seeds of Treason) , has another winner. Featuring the unhappily divorced Nicholas Baily, this is a tale of obsession, love, and betrayal. The book begins with the mysterious suicide of a suspected Soviet agent. Baily, charged with identifying the man and his reasons for suicide, starts a journey that takes him to France and back 33 years to the faction-ridden resistance groups operating in Vichy at the end of the war. Allbeury paints an exciting picture of dedicated men and women in the underground. At the same time, he creates a gripping story about the historical roots of seemingly trivial or isolated incidents. Finally, he shows us just how far parents will go to protect their children. The plot is compelling, the writing crisp and clean, and even Baily, who often seems overwhelmed by events, is engaging.-- Louise A. Merriam, L.E. Phillips Memorial P.L., Eau Claire, Wis.
Genre: Thriller
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Used availability for Ted Allbeury's The Lantern Network