Appointment in Paris – Jane Thynne

 

My introduction to Jane Thynne was via her two dystopian novels, Widowland and Queen High, under the name C.J.Carey. Both stories had mind blowing premises; the former saw the UK having submitted to Germany and the latter, a sequel, where Wallis Simpson is the reigning monarch! Both stories make for thought provoking reads. 

So, I jumped at the chance to read Appointment in Paris which appears to be a second story featuring Harry Fox and Stella Fry, the first being Midnight in Vienna.

 

Whilst a distinctly different genre there were recognisable elements of style and narrative that I had come to enjoy and admire from Thynne/Carey’s work.  Appointment in Paris is an espionage thriller set in those dramatic days before the outbreak of WWII. Set in both the UK and France the catalyst for the story’s evolution is Trent Park, a stately home once owned by Siegfried Sassoon’s cousin, Philip Sassoon. After Sasson’s death the house was requisitioned by the government to house captured Germans and extract information from them via ‘listeners’.

 

Everything is thrust into disarray when the body of a Luftwaffe officer is found in the grounds and on that same day one of the ‘listeners’ goes missing.  Fears that they could expose the entire operation ignite a desperate search to find them ensues. MI5 step in to engage the services of Harry Fox and pair him up with his previous associate, Stella Fry. 

 

What follows is a work of historical fiction, diligently researched, an authentic atmosphere palpably created and populated with believable characters which moves along at a steady pace. It is not a white-knuckle thriller but it is very much a thriller. Something I admired was how subtle and underplayed some of the events, were creating a sense of unease and impending danger that seemed all the more thrilling for not being thrust obviously in the readers’ path. Something of a mystery story, too, as identities and motives are unfurled. I had to chuckle in some places for as I came to a realisation or conclusion it was often echoed by Harry, and I ended up thinking that he and I would make a good team! 

 

The relationship between Stella and Harry is adroitly depicted. There’s an element of will they, won’t they, but there’s no, shall we say, exclusivity!

 

Something else I found quite delightful was the inclusion of real-life characters. And I am loathe to identify them here because I would see that as a spoiler. It was something else that reminded me of the C.J. Carey books, where Wallace Simpson is Queen of England.

 

The conclusion is satisfying yet there is a sense of an unresolved connection between Fox and Fry so it paves the way potentially for more from Harry and Stella. I hope so. In the mean time I shall seek out a copy of Midnight in Vienna.

 

My thanks to Emily Patience and Quercus Books for a gifted copy and spot upon the blog tour.