1953, the South of France. The fragile peace between the West and Soviet Russia hangs on a knife edge. And one family has been torn apart by secrets and conflicting allegiances.
Eloïse Caussade is a courageous young Frenchwoman, raised on a bull farm near Arles in the Camargue. She idolises her older brother, André, and when he leaves to become an Intelligence Officer working for the CIA in Paris to help protect France, she soon follows him. Having exchanged the strict confines of her father's farm for a life of freedom in Paris, her world comes alive.
But everything changes when André is injured - a direct result of Eloise's actions. Unable to work, André returns to his father’s farm, but Eloïse’s sense of guilt and responsibility for his injuries sets her on the trail of the person who attempted to kill him.
Eloïse finds her hometown in a state of unrest and conflict. Those who are angry at the construction of the American airbase nearby, with its lethal nuclear armaments, confront those who support it, and anger flares into violence, stirred up by Soviet agents. Throughout all this unrest, Eloïse is still relentlessly hunting down the man who betrayed her brother and his country, and she is learning to look at those she loves and at herself with different eyes. She no longer knows who she can trust. Who is working for Soviet Intelligence and who is not? And what side do her own family lie on?
Many thanks to ED PR for my copy of The Guardian of Lives and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Guardian of Lies has for me now leapfrogged many of Kate Furnivall's previous books and is jostling for position as one of my all time favourite by this author amongst one or two authors. This is a book that you literally don't want to leave out of your hands as it is spellbinding in its intensity with a storyline that takes you on an exhilarating journey packed full of suspense, tension, surprises, threats and danger. Kate Furnivall really can turn her hand to any period in time or setting and I love how the tone and themes of her books are always so varied as she takes us back in time to various points in history. You'll easily read this new book in one sitting and I am kicking myself that I read it so quickly, I should have lingered longer over the pages instead I couldn't get through the chapters quick enough as I was so keen to uncover just what was going on.
It truly is a book that you wish could go on for much longer as you are so caught up in the whole tangled web of lies and secrets that are on every page of this breathtaking book. This is a fast paced story, not so much that you would be confused about what is going on but still everything is kept moving along at a cracking pace with shocks, intimidation and deceit arising with every turn of the page. So much was happening and countless times the reader is lead up the garden path by the author where you confidently feel that you have everything all sussed out but then you realise no it's Kate working her magic and spinning a complex and compelling tale that leaves the reader attempting to piece the pieces of the puzzle together right until the very last chapter. You believe one person's action or words but then a few pages later your opinion is thrown into doubt and disarray.
It's difficult for an author to make you feel like you are at the centre of the story right form the opening chapter but Kate does this with ease in The Guardian of Lies. There is no messing about with long winded introductions or surplus scenes instead we delve straight into the action in chapter one and you barely come up for air until you have finished the last word of what was a beautifully crafted, thrilling and powerful book. I've read so many books set during World War Two that it was refreshing to see the period featured in this book would focus on 1953 and the Cold War that was raging between Russia, America and other European countries. Yes I had heard about this time in history but had never really read anything about it or delved deeper into the reasons behind it or what exactly went on at the time.
Now Kate brings this unsettling, anxious and dangerous time to life as a deadly game of cat and mouse unfolds with the most alarming of repercussions and consequences. Intelligence and secrets are the name of the game and everything is not all as it seems, rather more cloak and dagger and hiding behind smoke screens. You never know whom to trust nor whom to take at face value. There are layers upon layers, secrets upon secrets and it is Eloise Caussade who wants to get to the bottom of them. She is determined to right a wrong, to find justice, to ease the guilt she feels deep inside hammering away at her. Revenge is a dish best served cold but can she get to the inner circle, to the heart of the network of intrigue and lies to enact the retribution that will not rest until she has found the answers and the person who has caused such upheaval and danger to encroach upon her life.
The opening scenes to The Guardian of Lies are action packed and the result of said trauma, danger and anxiety form the basis for the remainder of the story. Eloise feels immense guilt that she was the one who put her older brother Andre in the danger that led to him being hurt in a way that deeply affects how he exists on a day to day basis. Andre works for the CIA in Paris seeking out information that will help put a stop to the Russian's plans to extend their reach of power and dominance. There is a Cold War ongoing with so many strands to it that sometimes people are better off not knowing what is going on.
For as long as she can remember Eloise has wanted to follow in her brother's footsteps. She has learned many of the tricks employed by intelligence agents and she feels she would be a good fit. But Andre has dissuaded her, instead she works for a private detective agency in Paris run by a woman. But an incident which causes further upheaval and change to the Caussade family means Eloise must delve further into seeking the truth and to locate the person who has caused such damage to Andre. She soon comes to understand that she is but small fish in the sea and that there is a much larger game being played of which she soon becomes a pawn.
For Eloise it was all about loyalty to her family and her brother but through this passion she becomes embroiled in danger at every turn. Violence, threats and intimidation are second nature to the big players and she soon realises she will have to use all her wits, know how and cunning to be one step ahead all the time. She alongside many others is working hard to change the world with heart and soul but sadly destruction, death, crisis and instability stand in their way. I loved how the action moved fairly quickly from Paris to the Carmague region of France where Eloise's family have lots of land and her father raises bulls and where wild horses are free to roam the marsh plains. This was in stark contrast to the busy streets of Paris but it seems danger can follow where ever one treads and the family are not immune to what is going on. The actions of Eloise's father Aristide put her family in the spotlight and make them even further prime candidates as targets for unspeakable horrors leading to devastation and loss.
The area where Eloise's family lived seem like almost another world, deep in the French countryside and clearly Kate undertook extensive research to bring this setting to life. You would think the area was a quiet, sleepy backwater but as with the overall tone of this book the action followed Eloise and never slowed down at any stage. Eloise's quest becomes a relentless hunt where she has to place herself in danger time and time again despite warnings to leave and return to Paris. She was one strong, determined, courageous and gutsy woman whose loyalty to her family knew no bounds. Although at the same time she was not adverse to showing a more vulnerable side when things got too much and it seemed as if terror and hatred awaited around every corner. A family friend from childhood, Leon, is now Captain of the local police force and as we move deeper into the story and the layers are begun to be peeled back Leon plays a very important role in more ways than one. Can Eloise and Leon work together to overcome all the obstacles and lies constantly thrown in their path or are they part of just too big a game to ever emerge the winners? I eagerly read on to discover all the answers so engrossed was I in the character and plot twists that undoubtedly will long live on in your mind.
The Guardian of Lies is an utter triumph from beginning to end for Kate Furnivall, you can tell how much she really enjoyed writing this book.The blend of imagination with historical fact provides the reader with a story packed full of adventure, danger and complexity featuring a fascinating time in history which needs to be written more about in womens historical fiction. The characters are all brilliantly drawn and you feel as if you are alongside them even lurking in the shadows as events unfold. As I have already said you never know what awaits you with the next turn of the page and on more than one occasion I was left gasping out loud at what I had just read. The big reveal when it came was brilliant. I had never guessed a thing and those final action packed scenes more than lived up to all that had previously occurred. There was not one aspect of the book overall that was a let down, instead it went from strength to strength as the pace and mystery only intensified. The only disappointment I had was that I now have to wait another year for more from this superb author. The Guardian of Lies lived up to my every expectation and it has the hallmarks of a best seller written all over it. Buy it and read it as soon as you can, you won't regret it.
No comments:
Post a Comment