A review by nonna7
Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst

4.0

I'm not usually a fan of spy novels, but the period prior to WWII has always interested me and the description was intriguing. The book takes place during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, a war that has also been referred to as a rehearsal for WWII since it was, essentially a training ground for Fascism. The book's central character is Cristian Ferrer, an attorney with a well known law firm with offices both in Paris and New York. They are sympathetic to anti fascist causes. Ferrar's boss flew in WWI. Ferrar's family fled Spain when the civil war began. He is the only breadwinner for the family which consists of his father whose main purpose in life is to track down rare stamps, his mother, his religious sister and his Abuela (grandmother) who really runs the household and is the only one, other than Cristian, who is grounded in reality. Cristian is approached by a member of the Spanish Republican government to assist with arms shipments to Spanish soldiers. It's all but impossible for the Spanish Republic to get the arms they need thanks to British and American laws, but apparently Franco gets everything he needs from his fellow Fascist. Even war and intrigue can't stop Cristian from having an active love life though. The descriptions in the book are both elegant AND erotic. The book is rich in detail also. What food they are eating,the music, the clothing and more. I can picture this as a really well done HBO or British miniseries also.