THE LIBRARIAN SPY

THE LIBRARIAN SPY by Madeline Martin

I am quickly becoming a Madeline Martin fan. It was her fabulous book The Last Bookshop in London that got me started on The Count of Monte Cristo. Now I've just completed my second book of hers entitled The Librarian Spy.

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but let's just start with this book is squeaky clean. There wasn't a word or a scene that needed flipped past! Next, Martin is spectacular at bringing other literature into her books. As mentioned earlier, Last Bookshop contained references to other works including The Count of Monte Cristo. The Librarian Spy does the same.

The Librarian Spy is set during WWII and initially follows two storylines. The first is following Elaine in France while under Nazi occupation. Following members of the Resistance who are sending coded messages through printing you really get a feel for what they were going through and how their lives were in constant danger. The second storyline is following Ava in Lisbon who is working as a spy trying to decode messages and pass information along to the Allies. The two stories eventually come together in a single thread.

I am really going to tiptoe around the details, because I don't want to give away any of the story. Just know that Martin is a master at developing her characters. You know them. It is as if you were a part of the two groups. Unfortunately, since this is a war story, there is tragedy. I will end with this. If you are a historical fiction fan, you will want to add this to your reading pile!

HEADS UP- Be prepared for some torture. While not bloody, it is gut-punching.