You have heard the cliché “Never judge a book by its cover!” Thank goodness I did. I saw the cover at a recent writers conference. It had a couple of icons that I recognized– Big Ben in London, WWII aircraft and a woman dressed as a WWII spy. In the cover copy, I saw the word “paranormal” and almost put it down. I am not a fan of paranormal thrillers. I am so glad I let my original instincts carry the day. The book is more a pre-WWII spy thriller than anything else and a darn good one at that.
Kim Tavistock is the daughter of a successful Yorkshire gentleman and his divorced American wife. Kim has returned to her Father’s estate after living for more than a decade with her mother in Philadelphia. She had started a career in journalism that she hopes to expand in England. The time is 1936. Europe is gearing up for war, again. A madman is ruling Germany. Kim’s brother had been killed during a cavalry charge early in 1914 at Ypres in Belgium and that hangs heavily over her. He was older than Kim by several years and was her idol.
After the end of WWI, many people in Europe started developing psychic powers called Talents. Their abilities were ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. Kim’s Talent is The Spill, getting people to tell secrets without their knowledge. Her skill level is 6.5 which is significant. Kim and her father, Julian, are somewhat estranged. Kim thinks Julian is actually working for German interests. Both the British and Germans are working on special projects to develop these skills as weapons. Both countries have operatives in the other’s homeland trying find out what the other is doing. It is this spy versus spy that gives the story its focus.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this story. Do not be turned off by the word “paranormal,” because that aspect is underplayed but is important to the story. The atmosphere of England under the threat for yet another war is told magnificently. Although the book is about 400 pages, it is a page turner.
GO! BUY! READ!
–Jim Harris, retired book sales rep
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