The Betrayal (The Guernsey Novels) - Softcover

Allen, Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0992711258 ISBN 13: 9780992711252

Publisher: Sarnia Press, 2017

Synopsis

"An absolutely riveting read 

Book Six of The Guernsey Novels is another dual-time story set during the German Occupation and present-day Guernsey and is likely to appeal particularly to fans of the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Treachery and theft lead to death and love

1940. Teresa Bichard and her baby are sent by her beloved husband, Leo, to England as the Germans draw closer to Guernsey. Days later they invade

1942. Leo, of Jewish descent, is betrayed to the Germans and is sent to a concentration camp, never to return. 

1945. Teresa returns to find Leo did not survive and the familys valuable art collection, including a Renoir, is missing. Heartbroken, she returns to England.

2011. Nigel and his twin Fiona, buy a long-established antique shop in Guernsey and during a refit, find a hidden stash of paintings, including what appears to be a Renoir. Days later, Fiona finds Nigel dead, an apparent suicide. Refusing to accept the verdict, a distraught Fiona employs a detective to help her discover the truth

Searching for the rightful owner of the painting brings Fiona close to someone who opens a chink in her broken heart. Can she answer some crucial questions before laying her brother's ghost to rest?

Who betrayed Leo? 

Who knew about the stolen Renoir?

And are they prepared to kill again?

Book Review

"I have now enjoyed all of Anne Allens novels, and Im becoming a big fan. She is a very lively writer who seems to enjoy giving her readers a wonderful set of characters in a soft, almost velvety setting. Her books also offer a strong historical element, most often World War Two when the Germans invaded the island.

In the sixth novel in the set, Fiona and her twin brother, Nigel, discover hidden artwork in the walls of an antique shop. They attempt to discover whom it belonged to but, when Nigel supposedly kills himself, Fiona attempts to discover the truth.

I must say that The Betrayal has a very different feel to it than the other novels in the set. The island is still lovingly described, the characters just as interesting and well developed, but the underlying mystery is so prominent in this story; in fact, in parts, it is almost a thriller. The pacing is faster right from the opening chapter with Teresa and Leo deciding whether to run from the invading Germans or not. And the ending is just as exciting. All in all, totally unputdownable!

To sum up, this is a wonderful novel, with tons of pace where pace is needed, and a setting so lovingly described, it is almost a character in the book. I am happy to recommend this story, in fact, all of them, to anybody who enjoys a well-plotted mystery populated with convincing and always credible characters." A Wishing Shelf Book Review

The Guernsey Novels will appeal to lovers of the works of Joanna Trollope, Maeve Binchy, and the best-selling book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

About this title

About the Author

Anne was born in Rugby to a Welsh father and an English mother. As a result, she spent many summers with her Welsh grandparents in Anglesey and learnt to love the sea. Now she is based in Devon to be near her daughter and two small grandchildren. Her restless spirit has meant many moves, the longest stay being in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns. Her younger son is based in London - ideal for city breaks! By profession Anne was a psychotherapist who long had a desire to write and Dangerous Waters, her first novel, was published in 2012. It was awarded Silver(Adult Fiction) in TheWishingShelfAwards 2012. Since then she has published three more books in The Guernsey Novels series; Finding Mother, Guernsey Retreat, The Family Divided, and Echoes of Time; winner of The Diamond Book Award 2017, a finalist in Readersfavorite awards and granted a ChillWithABookAward. Book 6, The Betrayal, will be published in October 2017. To find out more about Anne visit her website - www.anneallen.co.uk You can also find her on Twitter - @AnneAllen21

Review

REVIEW
I have now enjoyed all of Anne Allen’s novels, and I’m becoming a big fan. She is a very ‘lively’ writer who seems to enjoy giving her readers a wonderful set of characters in a soft, almost velvety setting. Her books also offer a strong historical element, most often World War Two when the Germans invaded the island.
In the sixth novel in the set, Fiona and her twin brother, Nigel, discover hidden artwork in the walls of an antique shop. They attempt to discover whom it belonged to but, when Nigel ‘supposedly’ kills himself, Fiona attempts to discover the truth.

I must say that The Betrayal has a very different feel to it than the other novels in the set. The island is still lovingly described, the characters just as interesting and well developed, but the underlying mystery is so prominent in this story; in fact, in parts, it is almost a thriller. The pacing is faster right from the opening chapter with Teresa and Leo deciding whether to run from the invading Germans or not. And the ending is just as exciting. All in all, totally unputdownable!

To sum up, this is a wonderful novel, with tons of pace where pace is needed, and a setting so lovingly described, it is almost a character in the book. I am happy to recommend this story, in fact, all of them, to anybody who enjoys a well-plotted mystery populated with convincing and always credible characters.

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review

"I have read all of the books in this series and this one did not disappoint. Whilst each book is a standalone novel, there are characters which appear in all of the books, but it's not a necessity to read them in order. The amount of detail which Anne puts into her books is extensive, yet the books are easy to read but hard to put down as they are captivating.

This book centers around Nigel and Fiona, twins who have bought an antique shop on Guernsey after Nigel's MS diagnosis. Fiona was originally an art researcher at the V&A, so when they find a painting in a previously unknown basement in the shop, Fiona takes it to London to have it authenticated as the Renoir she thinks it is.

Whilst she is away, Nigel is murdered at the shop, by someone who wants the painting. The police think Nigel committed suicide but Fiona thinks otherwise and employs a private detective to help her find the killer but also the owner of the painting.

During her quest, Fiona is drawn into a story from the 2nd World War and the original owner of the antique shop, Leo Bichard.

An absolutely riveting read which I could not put down, much like the rest of Anne Allen's books. Well worth a read".

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Sarnia Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0992711258
• ISBN 13: 9780992711252
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 308