Publisher: 7th September 2022 by HarperCollins Australia
Pages: 390 pages
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
My Rating: 5 cups
Synopsis:
A world in chaos. Two very different women. And the mystery of the man who may connect them. The stunning new novel from beloved Australian storyteller Belinda Alexandra.
Paris 1946: Sabine Brouillette is a war crimes investigator with the French secret service. She lost her family, including her young son, when her Resistance circuit was betrayed near the end of the war. New evidence comes to light that the traitor was a British double agent who went by the codename 'the Black Fox'. Now her quest for revenge has a single focus: find the Black Fox and kill him.
Sydney 1946: Landscape designer Diana White has been waiting six years for her husband, Casper, to return from the war in Europe. Her son, Freddy, was only a baby when his British-born father joined the RAF. But Casper is a changed man when he returns from the convalescent hospital in England where he has spent the past year under mysterious circumstances. No longer the easygoing personality Diana fell in love with, he is now darker and more secretive.
Soon Sabine and Diana find themselves on a collision course - one seeking vengeance, the other willing to go to any lengths to protect her family.
My Thoughts
Can Belinda do it all? It would seem, yes she can! The French Agent is a stunning story that held me captivated all the way through. From plot twists and turns that I knew had to come and couldn’t wait to see how Belinda would ultimately place the puzzle pieces for her readers; to simply exquisite writing that was both lyrical and mystical; to research that ever so beautifully captured a love of the natural environment - this book has it all!
‘Investigating war crimes was like delving into the mind of evil. Every evening, when Sabine went home, she took a bath even when the water was freezing. She had to wash that evil off herself.’
Firstly the plot is ever so clever as readers weave through timelines with such sublime segues that Belinda made it look easy. Whether it be 1920s flashbacks, to during the war, to after the war - Belinda effortlessly guided her readers to collecting breadcrumbs towards the final revelation and action. Secondly, Belinda’s knowledge and obvious love of nature, art and music is rich and rewarding. Whether I was strolling through an art gallery or listening to a sonata, Belinda took me there. However, it was the delivery of Belinda’s knowledge, not only on horticulture, but also the importance of the natural environment that I lapped up.
‘Diana had learned to appreciate silence. The pauses between notes of music, the quiet of the stars, the way paintings spoke without using words.’
Other themes are pursued - espionage, war tragedies and trauma, PTSD, Sydney - housing crisis and town planning after the war, domestic violence and family drama - this certainly is a tale that is rich and highly engaging for its readers. So I state once more … can Belinda do it all … yes she can!
‘We are here to appreciate beauty,' she continued. 'When people forget that, they create strife and wars and all manner of ugly things. They destroy what is beautiful and precious instead of appreciating and respecting it.’
I have loved all Belinda’s books and she just seems to get better and better with each one. The French Agent being such a well rounded novel with love and loyalty, secrets and spies and a story that will sit with you long after turning the final page. I highly recommend this to not only historical fiction lovers but anyone who wants to get lost in a great story.
“To honour her I try to live by her favourite proverb: "One today is better than ten tomorrows.”
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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