Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer

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4.5

 Finished reading: June 27th 2023


"Maybe history is powerful not just for the lessons it can teach us, but for the perspective it can bring."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Graydon House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I absolutely loved my first experience with Kelly Rimmer's writing when I read The German Wife last year, and I've been looking forward to read more of her work ever since. I've been meaning to tackle her backlist, but somehow time slipped away and before I knew it a new historical fiction title was about to be published. I couldn't resist adding The Paris Agent straight away, because the premise sounded simply fascinating. I have been looking forward to dive in, and it turned out to be another excellent piece of historical fiction!

The Paris Agent uses a dual timeline, which can go both ways for me as I usually tend to much prefer one over the other. In this particular story, I could really appreciate how the two timelines complemented each other though. Part of the story is set during WWII and uses two POVs: Josie and Eloise (codenames Chloe and Fleur), two woman SOE (Special Operations Executive) agents working in France. Then we have the part set in 1970, where we see the events through Charlotte's POV. She is the daughter of former SOE agent Noah, helping him to track down the man who saved his life during the war. While I slightly preferred the war chapters, the 1970 timeline had a lot to offer as well and I enjoyed seeing past and present being slowly connected.

This is a story of brave women facing extremely dangerous situations with sometimes only a short time of training to prepare them. I enjoyed learning more about the SOE agents, how they worked and what dangers they faced... Both while they work and what happens if/when they are captured. I loved that this story focused on female spies, and both Josie and Eloise make for fantastic characters. Both have different backgrounds and reasons for doing what they do, and I loved spending time with both. Their characters give more dept to the story; their bond and even the romance incorporated into Josie's POV help balance out some of the darker moments in the plot.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot to avoid spoilers, but there is no doubt that The Paris Agent has some surprises in store. I did see most of them coming, but I still liked what they added to the plot and how everything came together in the end. There is a lot of focus on the SOE work, giving this story that spy thriller vibe with lots of secrets, intrigue and even double crossing. There is also focus on what happened to SOE agents after they are captured and the way they were treated... There is no doubt that there are certain scenes that can get pretty dark, so make sure to brace yourself.

All in all The Paris Agent turned out to be a very successful dual timeline story and the perfect balance of war, espionage, romance, family, hope and danger. The different elements just all came together splendidly, and it's a story that will stay with me for quite some time. I can't wait to read more of her backlist soon! If you like WWII fiction, The Paris Agent is a must-read. 
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