18160218Book Synopsis “A Treachery of Spies is an espionage thriller to rival the very best, a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse, played in the shadows, which will keep you guessing every step of the way.
An elderly woman of striking beauty is found murdered in Orleans, France. Her identity has been cleverly erased but the method of her death is very specific: she has been killed in the manner of traitors to the Resistance in World War Two.
Tracking down her murderer leads police inspector Inès Picaut back to 1940s France where the men and women of the Resistance were engaged in a desperate fight for survival against the Nazi invaders.
To find answers in the present Picaut must discover what really happened in the past, untangling a web of treachery and intrigue that stretches back to the murder victim’s youth: a time when unholy alliances were forged between occupiers and occupied, deals were done and promises broken. The past has been buried for decades, but, as Picaut discovers, there are those in the present whose futures depend on it staying that way – and who will kill to keep their secrets safe…“

My Review

Wow this was so good, and definitely one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year!

Set in France in 2018 and during WW2 and just after, it’s a brilliant police procedural/espionage thriller that hooked me from the very first lines! I was invested right from the beginning and wanted to know who this elderly woman was, and why she was murdered in such a vicious way.

I’m normally not that keen on police procedurals, but this had just the right amount of detail and back story for me to stay focussed. I liked Inès Picaut and her team in 2018, and although I didn’t feel I got to know them that well, I was still rooting for them and hoped they’d solve the murder before anything else untoward happened.

The WW2 story was fascinating and thrilling in equal measure, as I learnt about a particular group of French Resistance fighters aka the Maquis. It was such a fantastic story with so much detail that I felt like I was a fly on the wall at times. Some of the situations they found themselves in were horrific, which I imagine was quite true to life, going by the author’s note and bibliography at the back of the book.

I loved how the two storylines veered towards each other as more and more of the mystery was revealed. I kept thinking about the book when I wasn’t reading it, trying to work out what was going on and who was responsible. Apologies for being so vague, but I really don’t want to give away any spoilers if you think you might read it. Which of course I’m highly recommending that you do!