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jennms_qkw's review against another edition
4.0
This was the rare book written by a man that I have read this year. It was a nice spy novel, adventurous and tidied up.
duffypratt's review against another edition
4.0
I've generally liked Furst's books and this is the one I've enjoyed most. All of his strengths are on display. Strong atmosphere, nice characterizations, genuine intrigue. This book felt crisper to me than some others.
zena_ryder's review against another edition
2.0
It was OK. Simplistic story, simplistic structure, simplistic characters, simplistic language. I don't think I'll bother with any more Alan Furst. I much preferred David Downing's Zoo Station for pre World War II Europe, and I look forward to reading the second one in that series.
scorpio53's review against another edition
2.0
Not the sort of book I'd normally read and not one I'd read by choice.
It's a reasonable enough read to start off bu the last chapter seems to just tail of with many loose ends. Maybe that's what makes a good espionage tale but certainly not to my taste.
It's a reasonable enough read to start off bu the last chapter seems to just tail of with many loose ends. Maybe that's what makes a good espionage tale but certainly not to my taste.
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
How an unassuming actor finds himself in the middle of a true thrillers. Nicely done espionage thriller set just before World War II
gabriellaleblanc's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, but I think that Furst could have done a better job if he would have really included more of the Nazi German politics rather than the not-as-stimulating scenes of movie-making processes. It would have been much more suspenseful throughout the entire book rather than just the last few (slightly confusing and vague) pages of the book. But overall, it was a good story, and I enjoyed reading a spy novel for the first time. Good read.
jess1green's review against another edition
The premise of this novel is better than the execution. It's an historic novel based in 1938 Paris when Germany was growing in power and had heavy influence in France. The main character, an American-Austrian actor in Paris to act in a film becomes part of German political propaganda. The build up of the story mostly involves the introduction of characters with some development of the main character. I would have liked for more of a story line and development of some of the other characters. The ending was disappointing -- just wrapped up too quickly; seemed rushed.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly what I've come to expect from Furst: shadowy, pre-war European settings, somewhat mysterious characters, evil Nazis, and a little sex. This one scores a bit higher on the scale since so much of it takes place in Paris.
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
3.0
Perfectly fine little spy story, with good guys and bad guys and a handsome sexy movie star, who has all the sex he wants.