The fourth novel in Anne Perry’s breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring British secret agent Elena Standish, who will need every ounce of her strength and ingenuity to survive what lies ahead…
It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty.
Meanwhile, her grandfather’s old adversary Johann Paulus has risen to power as an adviser to Hitler. By his side is his loyal supporter Hans Beckendorff, who is married to Elena’s childhood friend. But when Hans witnesses the bloodshed and atrocities of the Night of the Long Knives, he is torn between ambition and the realisation that he must protect his family from harm.
It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty.
Meanwhile, her grandfather’s old adversary Johann Paulus has risen to power as an adviser to Hitler. By his side is his loyal supporter Hans Beckendorff, who is married to Elena’s childhood friend. But when Hans witnesses the bloodshed and atrocities of the Night of the Long Knives, he is torn between ambition and the realisation that he must protect his family from harm.
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Reviews
Masterful! It's exceedingly rare for an author to have the talent to blend classic elements of a thriller with compelling family dynamics and geopolitical intrigue, but Anne Perry pulls it off ... And I guarantee you'll love Elena Standish! Brava!
Readers will root for the forceful, independent Elena, who will appeal to Maisie Dobbs fans. Perry knows how to ratchet up the international intrigue
The perfect time period to showcase a family's impassioned defence of democracy and social justice in the face of rising totalitarianism. . . At turns heartbreaking and action-packed, this gripping and superbly written story proves Perry still has what it takes
Elena's many narrow escapes and Perry's immersive re-creation of Nazi-era Europe will keep readers enthralled...but it is the smart, gritty heroine herself who will ensure that readers eagerly anticipate the next in the series
Reminiscent of works by Eric Ambler and Graham Greene. Perry conjures the mixed emotions and misplaced optimism of a period when many Establishment figures were desperate to avoid another world war