Black Roses - Hardcover

Jane Thynne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1849839832 ISBN 13: 9781849839839

Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2013

Synopsis

Berlin, 1933. Warning bells ring across Europe as Hitler comes to power. Clara Vine, an attractive young Anglo-German actress, arrives in Berlin to find work at the famous Ufa studios. Through a chance meeting, she is unwillingly drawn into a circle of Nazi wives, among them Magda Goebbels, Anneliese von Ribbentrop and Goering's girlfriend Emmy Sonnemann.

As part of his plan to create a new pure German race, Hitler wants to make sweeping changes to the lives of women, starting with the formation of a Reich Fashion Bureau, instructing women on what to wear and how to behave. Clara is invited to model the dowdy, unflattering clothes. Then she meets Leo Quinn who is working for British intelligence and who sees in Clara the perfect recruit to spy on her new elite friends, using her acting skills to win their confidence.

But when Magda Goebbels reveals to Clara a dramatic secret and entrusts her with an extraordinary mission, Clara feels threatened, compromised, desperately caught between her duty towards — and growing affection for — Leo, and the impossibly dangerous task Magda has forced upon her.

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

`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 and Schuster
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1849839832
• ISBN 13: 9781849839839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 480