A sweeping and intricate tale of war, loyalty, and hidden motives that’s sure to satisfy history buffs and mystery fans...
This historical suspense novel follows the overlapping missions of an American and a German spy near the end of World War II.
The end of January 1944 finds the Allied powers busily planning Operation Overlord, the tactical invasion of continental Europe that will hopefully result in Germany’s ultimate defeat. Meanwhile, a covert intelligence mission is in the works to aid the operation: An uncommonly multilingual American is to be sent to Sweden to intercept a German admiral (codenamed Galileo) who used be a double-agent for the Soviets, but who currently refuses to cooperate with either the Americans or the British. The goal is to make him think he’s working for the Soviets again; in reality, he’d be carrying out British and American orders. The American chosen for the mission is Linnea Thorsell, the daughter of a Russian and a Swede who’s only worked as an analyst for the Office of Strategic Services for a year, but who possesses the language skills necessary to maintain the deception; she’s paired in the field with Gabriel Verrick, an OSS operative. Meanwhile, German naval officer Willie Mauer receives a seemingly impossible task. German interrogators recently tortured and killed a captured British naval officer—a direct violation of the Geneva Convention—and now Mauer is in charge of deciphering the man’s final words, which appear to be in code and which could reveal where the Allies plan to attack next. Linnea’s and Mauer’s journeys weave together as the stakes grow more dangerous for all involved.
Wallace delivers a top-notch wartime thriller that features a masterful blend of real-life figures and fictional political players. The author never loses sight of the humanity of his characters, imbuing them with all the messiness of ordinary people—something that many authors overlook in historical fiction of this kind. For example, as Linnea role-plays as a member of the Soviet Union’s interior ministry in preparation for her mission, a fellow operative, Avry Khilkov of MI-6, stresses how she must do more than simply learn her part—she must embody it: “Listen, you’re not a chambermaid here to change out the dirty ashtray, you’re a bloody Chekist professional,” Avry explains, as he role-plays the German admiral. “To you, I’m not a German admiral, I’m an agent, and you’re the one who controls me. From the instant you step in, you dominate the scene.” Her development from a spirited young OSS junior analyst to a full-fledged spy is a highlight of the novel. Wallace also drops hints about the true nature of both Linnea’s mission and Mauer’s attempts at codebreaking, and tuned-in readers will figure it out before the conclusion. If not, a rather long-winded monologue explains the plot in the final act, which satisfies every question that the book poses—perhaps a bit too neatly for some readers. Intricacies of WWII politics combine with detailed descriptions of tactical maneuvers to make for a slow-burn read that remains compelling to the very end.
A sweeping and intricate tale of war, loyalty, and hidden motives that’s sure to satisfy history buffs and mystery fans alike.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A debut novel with bright spots, but unbalanced and lacking in finesse.
A high school senior pursues an affair with her teacher.
Seventeen-year-old Waldo, the narrator of McCurdy’s fiction debut, lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her mother, though she’s long been the parent in their relationship. She heats her own frozen meals and pays the bills on time while her mom chases man after man and makes well-meaning promises she never keeps. Waldo blows her Victoria’s Secret wages on online shopping sprees and binges on junk food, inevitably crashing after the fleeting highs of her indulgences. Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher, has “thinning hair and nose pores”; he’s 40 years old and married with a child. Nevertheless—or possibly as a result?—Waldo’s attraction to him is “instant. So sudden it’s alarming. So palpable it’s confusing.” Mr. Korgy professes to want to keep their friendship aboveboard, but after a sexual encounter at the school’s winter formal that she initiates, an affair begins. Will this reckless pursuit be the one that actually satisfies Waldo, and is she as mature as she thinks she is? Waldo is a keen observer of people and provides sharp commentary on the punishing work of female beauty. Readers of McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022), will surely be curious about the tumultuous mother-daughter relationship, and it is one of the novel’s highlights, full of realistic pity and anger and need. (“I want to scream at her. I want her to hug me.”) Unfortunately, the prose is often unwieldy and sometimes downright cringeworthy: When Waldo tells Mr. Korgy she loves him, “The words hang in the air in that constipated way they do when you know that you shouldn’t have said them.” Waldo frequently lists emotions and adjectives in triplicate, and events that could be significant aren’t sufficiently explored or given enough space to breathe before the novel races on to the next thing.
A debut novel with bright spots, but unbalanced and lacking in finesse.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593723739
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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