Mr. Wharfe’s first novel is a good hunk of a novel, approximately 445 pages long but in no means a taxing read. The saga is an interesting exploration of five interesting and intriguing women who lived in England during the turbulent years of the first half of the twentieth century.
The story features: Francesca Gonzales, Elizabeth Forbes (the Matriarch), Hannah (Francesca’s daughter), Olivia (Hannah’s daughter) and Siobhan O’Gara.
The story is written in the similar style to a Harlequin’s romance novel, it covers the background of each individual, their home life and their destiny. Along the way a must in these types of novels is romance, here, we do have a tad of it from time to time but do not expect lust or love to be at the forefront you will be rather disappointed. In a simple language, the story-line moves and intertwines the many backgrounds smoothly and keeps a slow and steady pace throughout. The author made it easy to follow the many characters by gradually introducing them and keeping them active throughout the saga. My preferred part was the last 100 pages or so when Olivia, the proverbial child from hell, becomes an asset during WW11 and joins the resistance in France. Although some additional proofreading and editing could have enhanced the presentation, the book is nevertheless a good start for the author, one that could only improve with time.
Published in the U.S. under the title “Trapeze”
This novel is a fascinating blend of fact and fiction, the story of Marian Sutro, an ordinary young woman, who barely out of school did the most extraordinary things in 1943 for the war effort.
Recruited by the SOE (Special Operation Executive) at the age of 19, Marian finds herself undergoing commando training in the Scottish Highlands and ultimately, one autumn night parachuted from an RAF bomber into the South-West of France to join the Wordsmith resistance network and act as a courier for them.
This clever, cool-headed and bilingual young woman’s first mission is to make her way to Paris and take new radio crystals to Yvette, the underground radio operator she had met previously at the training center. At the same time she must navigate the treacherous streets of Paris, a city battened down and where the danger of discovery is extreme and seek out Clément Pelletier, a nuclear physicist and family friend, a man of vital importance to her superiors and persuade him to leave France for England.
This is a very engaging and a poetically written story, one that captures beautifully the mood of the time. It is first told from Marian’s perspective but once dropped into France and assumes the code name Alice and a life as a secret agent, the narratives now in Alice’s words switches from the past to the present tense and the story slowly unfolds into breathtaking intrigue. The tight prose keeps the plot moving at a steady pace till it suddenly and shockingly ends. I was so disappointed and wanting more…Oh well… maybe a sequel will answer my questions one day.
Some may say there is nothing original both with its plotting and characterization but it is nevertheless a gripping story that gives us an insight into bravery, treachery and terror.
Book 1, in the Spero Lucas series
This book sets off a new series for George Pelecanos and my first experience with the author. It features Spero Lucas, a 29 year old veteran of the Iraq War, a tough guy on the outside and tender in the inside trying to make a living as a freelance private investigator, wanders the most dangerous blocks of Washington D.C., eats at its tastiest restaurant and drinks at all the local bars. He also does side jobs finding lost and stolen property that the official authorities wouldn't bother to look for or retrieve for the owners for the arbitrarily fee of 40%.
The story opens slowly and keeps that pace throughout the mystery. Lucas is hired by Tom Patersen, a criminal defense attorney he works for on regular bases, to look into the case of a couple of kids arrested for stealing a fancy car. Armed with a pen, a notebook, a smartphone and a gun without a serial number Lucas sets up to clear their names. He gets them off and subsequently gets into the good graces of the father of one, Anwan Hawkins, a noted drug dealer up on trafficking charges. Lucas agrees to also help him and find what has happened with a drug shipment gone bad. As Lucas chases down the stolen drugs and navigates through D.C. violent underbelly and inevitably gets tangle up in a world of thieves, gangsters, crooked cops and hit men.
The story is sparsely written and has top notch dialogue but the plot and the characters never thoroughly grab my total attention and failed to keep me fully captivated. Lucas doesn't seem real, he never do recon of crime scenes, spends his time biking, kayaking, working out, drinking, eating and is every women cat’s meow. The only action is when he starts fighting the bad guys and never is he in any short of danger. The story lack climatic effects expected in shootouts and by the time the last chapters come the twists become nonsensical and I lost interest and got extremely bored…..I was happy to see the end….this mystery was definitely not for me..
Mr. Wharfe’s first novel is a good hunk of a novel, approximately 445 pages long but in no means a taxing read. The saga is an interesting exploration of five interesting and intriguing women who lived in England during the turbulent years of the first half of the twentieth century.
