by Rhys Bowen

I have to admit, it was mostly the cover that drew me in at first. Then, it was the characters. Think: Downton Abbey meets Dorothy Sayers. It’s a mystery! It must have been a sleepy moment for me when I picked up the book, because I had no idea until I started reading. Have you ever started a book without knowing the genre? Kinda fun, actually.

So this story is about a rich family (like the Crawleys), living in the country (like Downton) in England, all doing their part during WWII. And then a body is found on the estate, with an unfurled parachute on his back. Is he a German spy? Is he one of ours? Was it an accident or murder? So many questions. And a child is the first to discover the body.

Just when I thought there was nothing that could possibly capture my interest that I have not already read about concerning WWII, this book comes up with a fascinating piece of history to keep me reading. But it’s not just the history, it’s the story, the people, even the places. And unlike so many other stories, this entire story takes place before the US joins the war. Will Germany invade England? Will they win the war? It’s a great place to set a mystery, since everything about the setting is a giant question mark to the characters.

Maybe I’m not used to reading mysteries (I’m really not). But one thing I enjoyed about this story is that every time a clue was revealed, or an insight into one of the characters, I would begin to make a judgment . . . is she the one? Is he? And then the author would throw something else into play, which would call into question the thing I just decided was true. Clue, question, doubt, clue, doubt, more questions, the whole way through. Kept me guessing and re-guessing the whole way through.

A fun read. Recommend!

If you’d like to grab a copy for yourself, click here: http://amzn.to/2wfftUV