Here we are again in Western Europe, now 1938. Lots of spies about, lots of mischief afoot. Our hero, Italian Carlo Weisz, is a writer with Reuters, the international agency. That employment is also a cover for some of his other activities: writing for an underground anti-Fascist, anti-Mussolini newspaper published in France and distributed by a group of volunteers, mostly young people.
The story begins with the murder of Mr. Bottini, the editor, of Liberazione, the title of the paper. He was the victim of OVRA, the Italian secret police abroad, founded by Mussolini in the '20's to carry out clandestine operations abroad against Mussolini's perceived opponents and enemies. These actions were intended to put fear in the heart of those Italians who sought refuge in foreign countries.
The question immediately arises: can the paper survive the outside pressure from OVRA? Author Furst now weaves his tale through European capitols: Paris, of course, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid. Long train rides, night flights, dark nights, and characters of slight description all add up to a good read. This novel was one of Furst's best, and was a NYT best seller.
These historical novels of Furst capture the period, and provide background on the world war that is fast approaching and nobody seems able to put on the brakes. In this particular work, Furst introduces a few characters that will appear in some of his later work. There's a lot of intrigue here for the spy novel enthusiast. Enjoy.
4 Stars ****
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