restless

exciting spionage story - smartly presented in two devoured plot lines, whereas the inital plot is settled in world war II. it's about a woman working as a spy for britain, basically trying to manipulate the public opinion in the united states concerning the war. the other plot line plays at about thirty years later, when the daughter of the former spy finds out about her mother's history and the still lasting impacts on their lifes.

great turn arounds, exciting and interesting to read about the circumstances as the leading lady becomes and lives as a spy in world war II. also the story is for the most part compelling. truly recommended.

If an espionage thriller with terror tentacles reaching from pre-World War II to the present can be called a cozy, this is it. Boyd's latest novel moves back and forth from the heart of the British countryside and misty, romantic Edinburgh to prewar Paris and into various capitals during the conflict itself--all with a satisfying, Agatha Christie atmosphere. This is also a mother-daughter story set in 1976, with the daughter of an eccentric mother trying to figure out who wants to kill her mother, Sally Gilmartin. Boyd introduces a rather clunky literary device of having the mother give her daughter a manuscript that details her life as a WWII spy for the British Secret Service. Boyd's focus on Gilmartin's spy training and her behind-the-scenes propaganda work in New York to steer public opinion toward U.S. involvement in the war is fascinating. A somewhat clumsy narrative enlivened by some expertly generated suspense. (Connie Fletcher)


author: william boyd
publisher: berlin verlag (german), bloomsbury (english)