The Secretary by Deborah Lawrenson
The Secretary
by Deborah Lawrenson
The Secretary by Deborah Lawrenson was published by The Book Guild. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part on the book tour.
Synopsis
Moscow,
1958. At the height of the Cold War, MI6 secretary Lois Vale is on a
deep cover mission to identify a diplomatic traitor. She can trust
only one man: Johann, a German journalist also working covertly for
the British secret service. As the trail leads to Vienna and the
Black Sea, Lois and Johann begin an affair but as love grows, so does
the danger to Lois.
A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright young working class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.
Authentic and historical details are provided by the 1958 diary kept in Moscow by the author’s own mother, who worked for British intelligence.
A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright young working class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.
Authentic and historical details are provided by the 1958 diary kept in Moscow by the author’s own mother, who worked for British intelligence.
My Thoughts
Set at the height of the Cold War in 1958 this is a gripping thriller of espionage told from: the perspective of a bright young woman recruited into M16 to discover a mole in Moscow. Lois Vale as the main character is a strong determined young woman in a world that is historically dominated by men and she sure has many of them to cope with. The research that has gone into writing this gripping book is second to none as it covers everything about what it was like to live through the Cold War era as well as the main story of Lois as a British Secretary working undercover in Moscow.
Deborah Lawrenson has drawn on information that she found in her mother’s diary and experiences in Moscow in 1958 which is fascinating and consequently shows why there is such a great understanding of what it was like living in Moscow during that time.
The developing relationship between Lois and Johann is beautifully written and draws the reader in to the danger that Lois starts to find herself in . Who does she trust ? Who can she trust? What does/ should she do as the world turns colder around her .
Most books centred around espionage in Russia and the Cold War are centred around male characters and The Secretary is a welcome and excellent read to see it from a highly intelligent female perspective.
A definite 5 star read.
About Deborah
Deborah Lawrenson spent her childhood moving around the world with diplomatic service parents, from Kuwait to China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore. She read English at Cambridge University and worked as a journalist in London. She has written eight novels and her writing is praised for its vivid sense of place. The Art of Falling was a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick in 2005. The Lantern was published to critical acclaim in the USA, chosen for the Channel4 TV Book Club in the UK and shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year 2012. Her novel 300 Days of Sun, set in Portugal, was selected as a Great Group Read for the WNBA National Reading Group Month in October 2016 in the USA. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages.
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Website: https://www.deborah-lawrenson.co.uk/
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