A review by bookmadlibrarian
The Emerald Spy by Nicola Cassidy

emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

“On the brink of World War II, who can you truly trust?”

I read this book in December and absolutely adored every single page. Nicola transports the reader to the little village of Termonfeckin in Co. Louth in 1939. 

A group of traumatised evacuees from Vienna are brought to Newtown House where they struggle to settle in. Gisela is tasked to act as a companion for the unruly spoilt daughter of the house, Nola de Freyne. With the surprise arrival of a German agent, Gisela and Nola find themselves caught in a plot of espionage and IRA politics. Who is the Emerald Spy and what are they looking for in Newtown house?

Beautifully written, Nicola brings to light an unknown story of Ireland’s history in the 1940s. I didn’t know that Ireland had taken in evacuees and it really resonated with me, particularly with what is happening at the moment. The Irish response to the refugees in this story- one of distrust and stereotypes, thinking things couldn’t be as bad as they said- it all sounds a bit like deja vous. The local people were removed from the horrors of mainland Europe. 

I loved how Nicola brought the refugees to life on the page- their detailed backstories and the horrors they endured were hard to read but capture the reality of life for Jewish people at this time. Nicola dealt with this story with empathy and delicately, a true strength when writing about a history that isn’t so far in our pasts (my grandad fought in WWII and there were so many horrific moments he saw and couldn’t fully tell us about).

My favourite characters were Gisela and Hans. Hans was such an interesting figure and a man who wanted to do right by those he loved. The inclusion of the German agent/IRA plot was intriguing. 

This story works on so many levels and it was one of my favourite reads of 2022. A must read for fans of Kate Quinn. Thank you to Nicola and Poolbeg for sending me a copy of The Emerald Spy.