You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I lost interest halfway through this book. I didn't have much vested in the characters, and I found myself not caring what happened, so I stopped reading.
Too much is thrown at you, without explanations. Ideologies, names of people, it feels like reading a short text book, it’s not part of the narrative like in the Shardlake novels. After almost a hundred pages, I still do not know/understand the situation in Spain: what were they before the civil war, what were they fighting for during the civil war, what’s the German involvement? Socialist, communist, fascist, republic, are terms that are used, but never in context.
The main character Harry feels kinda flat.
Apparently later there will be a love triangle, hard pass!!!
The main character Harry feels kinda flat.
Apparently later there will be a love triangle, hard pass!!!
Harry Brett had been at Dunkirk, but was narrowly missed by a shell that killed the next soldier along. He has been discharged as an invalid and is approached by SIS. They are asking him to spy on someone he knew from his former school, Sandy Forsythe, who has financial interests in Spain and the British government want to know how closely linked he is to the Franco regime. He is dispatched to Madrid with his cover as a translator, and starts to make contact.
Forsythe’s wife is a lady called Barbara, someone who Brett had met before as well. She is there to try and locate her first love, a man called Bernie, who was fighting with the communists against Franco, but had been declared missing presumed dead. Brett starts to see the couple more and more, with the hope of discovering more about the scheme that he is involved with. Barbara is informed that Bernie is alive and that one of the guards would be happy to help him escape, but he requires a large payment. Brett is being tailed by the Spanish authorities, but ends up helping the guy who was trailing him after he is attached by dogs. He takes him home, and starts to fall for the guys sister.
Forsythe starts to trust Brett, and shows him the potential mine, but Brett may have just lost that trust. The diplomats at the embassy are furious, and Brett realizes he is a pawn in a larger game between them.
Sansom has written a story set that combines love, hate, betrayal, tragedy and friendship. It does take a while to get going, by around page 150 I was wondering if I should continue or not. I was glad that I did, and the complex tale that he has written is well worth it in the end. Some of the twists are really good, though possible one too many in my opinion. I have given four stars, but it is realistically a 3.5 star book.
Forsythe’s wife is a lady called Barbara, someone who Brett had met before as well. She is there to try and locate her first love, a man called Bernie, who was fighting with the communists against Franco, but had been declared missing presumed dead. Brett starts to see the couple more and more, with the hope of discovering more about the scheme that he is involved with. Barbara is informed that Bernie is alive and that one of the guards would be happy to help him escape, but he requires a large payment. Brett is being tailed by the Spanish authorities, but ends up helping the guy who was trailing him after he is attached by dogs. He takes him home, and starts to fall for the guys sister.
Forsythe starts to trust Brett, and shows him the potential mine, but Brett may have just lost that trust. The diplomats at the embassy are furious, and Brett realizes he is a pawn in a larger game between them.
Sansom has written a story set that combines love, hate, betrayal, tragedy and friendship. It does take a while to get going, by around page 150 I was wondering if I should continue or not. I was glad that I did, and the complex tale that he has written is well worth it in the end. Some of the twists are really good, though possible one too many in my opinion. I have given four stars, but it is realistically a 3.5 star book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
informative
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great insight in Spain's civil war packaged in a easy to read thriller. You can also wait for the movie; it's bound to come!
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated