- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (31 Oct. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1471172341
- ISBN-13: 978-1471172342
Synopsis
Eloïse Caussade is a courageous young Frenchwoman, raised on a bull farm near Arles in the Camargue. She idolises her older brother, André, and when he leaves to become an Intelligence Officer working for the CIA in Paris to help protect France, she soon follows him. Having exchanged the strict confines of her father’s farm for a life of freedom in Paris, her world comes alive.
But everything changes when André is injured – a direct result of Eloise’s actions. Unable to work, André returns to his father’s farm, but Eloïse’s sense of guilt and responsibility for his injuries sets her on the trail of the person who attempted to kill him.
Eloïse finds her hometown in a state of unrest and conflict. Those who are angry at the construction of the American airbase nearby, with its lethal nuclear armaments, confront those who support it, and anger flares into violence, stirred up by Soviet agents. Throughout all this unrest, Eloïse is still relentlessly hunting down the man who betrayed her brother and his country, and she is learning to look at those she loves and at herself with different eyes. She no longer knows who she can trust. Who is working for Soviet Intelligence and who is not? And what side do her own family lie on?
Review
Kate Furvinall is another of those authors whose books I always look forward to reading, so was very excited to be invited to be part of the blog tour. The Guardian of Lies is set in France in 1953, during the Cold War and with the fear of Communism very real. Elöise moved to Paris to follow her elder brother André, who is working for the CIA. Elöise wants to be part of his world but instead has to settle for working as a Private Investigator and helping him out occasionally. After an accident means he has to return to their farm in the Carmargue, Elöise follows him, intent on finding out those who tried to kill her brother. But events back home are also tense with the expansion of an American Airbase to include nuclear weapons. Tensions are high, double agents are a threat, and no one trusts anyone else in this tense and fast paced read.
Kate Furvinall always has a strong female lead in her books, who can confront adversity head on, and Elöse definitely fits that profile. After her mother’s death she is brought up on the family farm with her father, but it is André her older brother who is the father figure. She is as much at home in Paris chic in her pretty dresses as she is back on the farm, working the land and riding her horse Cosette. In either environment she has a determined work ethic. She feels guilty after her brother’s accident which is what takes her back to the Carmargue, and directly in the line of fire of those trying to kill him. I liked her no fear attitude, her dogged search for the truth, and sense of independence.
There is plenty of drama, action and adventure in this book as well as the underlying tension and suspense. Espionage is at the centre of this book, with the CIA working to stop Russia’s communism coming to Europe, but France is still vulnerable after the Nazi Occupation during the war so not all are happy with the Americans stationed in their country. I found it an interesting and informative read, that was full of detail about the politics of the period, nuclear protests and Russia’s reach into Europe. This period of uncertainty and mistrust is set against the wildness and beauty of the Carmargue with it’s marshes and strong winds, always blowing in change. The sinister undercurrent and mistrust add to the anticipation and drama of the book.
The Guardian of Lies shows Kate Furvinall’s skill as a writer as she knits together an ambitious and dramatic plot with wonderful and multi-faceted characters. Fast paced, full of action this is a thrilling and compelling piece of historical fiction. Espionage, secrets and suspense with a touch of romance make this a perfect read; simply brilliant.
I would like to thank Simon & Schuster for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for The Guardian of Lies.
