Synopsis:
From the bestselling master espionage writer, hailed by Vince Flynn as “the best in the business,” comes a riveting novel about the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.
1941. The City of Light is dark and silent at night. But in Paris and in the farmhouses, barns, and churches of the French countryside, small groups of ordinary men and women are determined to take down the occupying forces of Adolf Hitler. Mathieu, a leader of the French Resistance, leads one such cell, helping downed British airmen escape back to England.
Alan Furst’s suspenseful, fast-paced thriller captures this dangerous time as no one ever has before. He brings Paris and occupied France, to life, along with courageous citizens who outmaneuver collaborators, informers, blackmailers, and spies, risking everything to fulfill perilous clandestine missions. Aiding, Mathieu as part of his covert network are Lisette, a seventeen-year-old student, and courier; Max de Lyon, an arms dealer turned nightclub owner; Chantal, a woman of class and confidence; Daniel, a Jewish teacher fueled by revenge; Joëlle, who falls in love with Mathieu; and Annemarie, a willful aristocrat with deep roots in France, and a desire to act.
As the German military police heighten surveillance, Mathieu and his team face a new threat, dispatched by the Reich to destroy them all.
Shot through with the author’s trademark fine writing, breathtaking suspense, and intense scenes of seduction and passion, Alan Furst’s A Hero of France is at once one of the finest novels written about the French Resistance and the most gripping novel yet by the living master of the spy thriller.
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
Wow…immediately this powerful novel intrigues readers’ senses with fear, courage, and revenge. Alan Furst knows exactly what his readers expect and what they will want to read. His talent is found on every page of this fast-paced thriller. I loved how Alan Furst created a masterpiece surrounding the events of World War II. History fans will definitely enjoy reading this spy novel. As with all wars…the stakes are much higher in this war than any other. One of the world’s most evil dictators is behind all the murders, chaos, and fear that spreads like wildfire through France and the rest of Europe. A Hero of France brings to life one of the most popular historical moments of all time…World War II. Hitler is rising…and many brave souls are determined to bring down the Nazi leader. But it will be more than just going for justice…it’s revenge. The sacrifices that will tear at readers’ hearts.
A Hero of France is about a man who leads a group of people in a resistance against the Nazis and to bring down Adolf Hitler. Going after this goal will prove difficult since they are all under surveillance. Members are separated and taken and it will take everything they have to come out of it all alive. The suspense builds as readers turn the pages. Every moment could be the destruction of them all. Amazing how one man was capable of changing his appearance so much that no one could recognize him at all. It made the Nazis search for him rather hard. Then there’s the romance…or true love between Joelle and Mathieu, the leader of the rebel group. He promises to come back to her and their home…but he must continue on his journey of getting out alive. Danger…the threat of death is strong enough to keep readers guessing what will happen to or what happened to the some of the members. Some disappeared so well…that there are only rumors of what may have happened to them. The ending was brilliant…I enjoyed reading this historical thriller, and I highly recommend it to readers worldwide.
Urban Book Reviews 