by Alan Furst
Part of Night Soldiers, book 4
First published 2002
Jean Casson produces films in Paris when the Germans arrive in 1940. His comfortable upper-class existence survives the occupation through careful compromise and well-placed connections. Money and influence keep the wine flowing and the restaurants open. But Casson carries something deeper than survival instincts. When British intelligence approaches him with a mission, his buried idealism surfaces. He accepts what seems like straightforward work for the secret service. The operation fails. Casson faces a stark choice between the safety he has built and the principles he has discovered. His career hangs in the balance. So does the woman he loves. So does his life. The decision will test whether a man accustomed to comfort can find the courage to risk everything for a cause larger than himself.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, espionage
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Paris, Britain
Period: 1940
268 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group