“The Guardian of Lies” brings us back to 1953 in the South of France, a time when the peace between the West and the Soviet Russia was fragile and volatile. This is the story of one family torn apart by secrets and conflicting allegiances.
It is hard not to be spellbound by the sense of place and times that utterly take us at the heart of Camargue during the Cold War. In the 50’s the south of France had become a battleground between the Americans and the Soviets. By establishing a nuclear airbase with the intent on stopping the spread of Communism, the Americans turned the small town of Arles upside down and caused conflict within its residents.
The author has taken writers privilege in her fiction and has placed the airbase in the south of France rather than in the north where the tactical air units where located during that time. Having said this, although the actual area may have been changed the story nevertheless reflects the challenges those affected had to go through.
The main character is Eloise Caussade, a courageous young Frenchwoman raised on a bull farm who followed her brother André to Paris after he became an intelligence office working for the CIA. Her dream was also to become a CIA operative but instead worked at a PI Agency. When her life was thrown into turmoil she headed back home only to find a town in a state of unrest. What happens in the town is a wonderful tale of courage, subterfuge, love, betrayal and murder.
The story maintains a steady pace and the author keeps it jogging throughout the entire novel. The narrative is as deceiving as the spies who played roles. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, it is easy to get fooled ……eventually, what is slowly revealed is a twisty plot full of switches and a scheme Eloise is drawn into.
This is an enjoyable read
I received this ARC from Simon &Schuster Canada via NetGalleys for my thoughts
Ivy Nash Thriller book #3
Redemption Thriller #9
Although “In Doubt” can be read on its own, you really should read the previous books in this series in order to better understand why the characters are the way they are.
Following the events of the previous book Ivy is paranoid, jumpy and has no desire to take on new cases until Christina (recurring character) gets her the perfect job…..Ivy is asked to protect an adorable little girl from a wealthy egomaniac hell-bent on revenge.
Mr. Mefford has a way of drawing his readers into the story and making you feel like you are a part of it. He writes seamlessly jumping between characters without hesitation. The drama is told with confidence and is very descriptive. It is just like watching a movie. The characters display a wide range of behaviour from good to bad, from manipulative to abusive and they have to deals with all sorts of situations. This plot is on the dark side, complex and has multiple threads that slowly builds tension till we reach the thrilling climax. If you need a break and enjoy being entertained without the need of a dictionary Mr. Mefford provides clear and concise phrases in all his mysteries. The story moves at a steady pace and at times gives you the shivers but it is not as thrilling as in the Alex Trout series.
“In Doubt” is good but it is not my preferred in this series having said this I still was a pleasure to read. Next book to read “Break In” book #4
What a story, if I could give this book 10 star rating I would. Once again Mr. Miller confirms why he is one of my favourite authors.
New Orleans, 1926
August Chevalier, a ruthless businessman with questionable morals is found murdered, investigative reporters Justice Harper and Remy Moral are determined to flush out the killer. Working alongside the police, they narrowed down the list of suspects to three:
The Sinner, Blaze Barbeau, a real estate magnate with a checkered past
The Saint, Lucinda Boyd, a pillar of New Orleans society
The Serpent, Belladonna Dede, a well-known voodoo queen
One potential suspect:
A mafia gangster: Nicky the Knife
This is a story rich in content written with a cinematic perspective approach. It is vividly told through rich dialogue. The narrative is incredibly fast-paced and the prose sails smoothly throughout making this one of those stories next to impossible to put down. It is so filled with tension I was trying so hard to figure who may be the killer. Justice and Remy did such a good job interrogating each one of the suspect that it was hard to pin point the guilty. They all had a reason to do the deed. Mr. Miller is definitely a master of plot twists and he threw some doozies to surprise us. I was on the edge of my seat from page one and so captivated trying hard to figure where the author was going with his story. Would we finally have the killer identified….or would we be kept guessing. By the epilogue Mr. Miller give us the most mammoth twists of all and what an ending….I never saw it coming.
The author created sub-plots for the other characters what essentially happens in their life when they are not part of the main plot. Serenity Dupree, a sultry jazz singer is one of the secondary players along with Barbeau, Boyd, DeDe and Knife’s contribution all make a delightful reading adventure. Of course we also have the police investigators trying to solve the case.
A special note as for the main characters:
Justice is a man of deep morals, very diplomatic hard not to like him. Remy is a complete darling, she is one to speak her mind with absolutely no filter whatsoever. At times Justice wanted to strangling her….Their interaction makes an excellent read.
I love this mystery it provided all the entertainment one can wish for. What a page turner you provided Mr. Miller, well-done.
I received a ARC from Lume Books via Netgalleys for my thoughts
