Solitaire: A captivating novel of intrigue and survival in wartime Paris - Hardcover

Thynne, Jane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 147115579X ISBN 13: 9781471155796

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2016

Synopsis

June 1940: the first summer of the war. Berlin is being bombed and nightly blackouts suffocate the city. Then France falls and a shadow descends. A shadow has fallen over Clara Vine's own life, too. She is an Anglo-German woman in a country that hates England. Virulent anti-British propaganda is everywhere. Then she is summoned to meet the Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels who has decided that Clara should adopt a new role - as his spy - and that she must go to Paris on a mission. Much as she dislikes the idea, Clara realises this might be the chance to find an escape route to England. But Goebbels has other ideas and soon Clara is drawn into a web that threatens to destroy her. As everything she holds dear is taken as ransom, she must fight to protect her family - and to survive...

About this title

About the Author

Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English and joined the BBC as a journalist. She has also worked at The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, as well as for numerous British magazines. She appears as a broadcaster on Radio 4. Jane is married to the writer Philip Kerr. They have three children and live in London. Find out more at www.janethynne.com connect with her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @janethynne

Review

'With a clutch of romantic complications thickening the plot, the pace is sprightly throughout. Thynne's extensive research is breezily deployed, and enjoyable digressions cover everything from the etymology of glamour to the origins of Prussian blue. Add in numerous, radiantly detailed mise-en-scenes and the result is an absorbing yarn that's a pleasure to wolf down.' * Daily Mail * 'Absorbing fiction, the sort you might happily read on a beach...it's pacey, well put-together reading...Those who like a good serving of history with their novels will be deeply satisfied. Thynne has a journalist's magpie eye for interesting asides and the fruits of her research pack each page. Evocative period detail.' * The Times, on Faith and Beauty * `This is the fourth of the addictive `Clara Vine' novels, set in Berlin on the eve of war. Clara is a half-German British agent with access to the inner circle of Nazi wives. Portraits of women such as Magda Goebbels and Eva Braun are ruthlessly truthful, but drawn with compassion. It is early 1939, and Clara is drawn into investigating the murder of a girl at the League of Faith and Beauty finishing school. Brilliant' * Saga magazine on Faith and Beauty * 'Darkly brooding horror hangs over Germany; an irresistible page-turner packed with historical detail and told from a most unusual perspective' * Kirkus Reviews on Faith and Beauty * 'A tale of suspense and intrigue...Thynne's grasp of the period is first-class, and she has woven in a tender wartime love story' * Mail on Sunday on A War of Flowers * 'Pre-war Germany's atmosphere of reprehension, terror and Nazi hubris is vividly evoked in a gripping but sad tale' -- Jessica Mann * Literary Review on The Winter Garden * 'So convincing one forgets that it is a piece of fiction' * The Lady on The Winter Garden * 'A thumpingly good read with a strong denouement' * Mail on Sunday on The Winter Garden * 'An absolute cracker of a read...Thynne expertly maintains the suspense, while evoking the tension of Berlin as the city gathers its strength for war' * The Times on The Winter Garden * 'Both historically fascinating and a proper thriller' * Reader's Digest on The Winter Garden * 'A thoroughly enjoyable read: fast-paced, atmospheric and genuinely suspenseful' * Mail on Sunday on The Winter Garden * 'Fast-paced and gripping' * The Sunday Times on The Winter Garden * 'Jane Thynne's smooth writing, sensitive understanding of the era and sharp observations combine into an excellent historical thriller' -- Jessica Mann * Literary Review on Black Roses * 'Terrific' -- Elizabeth Buchan * The Sunday Times on Black Roses * 'This well-researched story unfolds with utterly knuckle-whitening suspense, and it was my favourite escapist read of the year' * Saga Magazine on Black Roses * 'A thoughtful but fast-moving novel' * Reader's Digest on Black Roses * 'The perfect fusion of history, suspense and high romance' * The Times on Black Roses *

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 147115579X
• ISBN 13: 9781471155796
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 464