By: Jane Thynne
Clara Vine #3
ISBN: 9780553394405
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 9/6/2016
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 3 Stars Perfect for fans of Alan Furst, Kristin Hannah, and Jacqueline Winspear, here is the next exciting historical novel featuring Clara Vine, the actress and British spy in prewar Germany who maneuvers through the treacherous Nazi society gathering intelligence—and discovering a deadly secret. Berlin, 1937. Clara Vine's star is on the rise. The British-born, half-German actress is about to take her first leading role in a movie produced by the Nazis' official film studio. Even as she moves through the upper echelons of the Third Reich, Clara never stops acting. At cocktail parties hosted by Joseph and Magda Goebbels, she collects key information for Britain, risking her life for the cause. But soon it is another young woman's life, and its abrupt end, that draws her attention. Clara knew Anna Hansen as a dancer and artist's model in the heady days of the cabaret scene. But Anna left that all behind when she became engaged to an SS officer. Attending one of Hitler's notorious Bride Schools, she was being groomed as the perfect Nazi wife.
When she is found murdered on the school grounds, her death is hushed up, one casualty among many in the lead-up to war. But Clara cannot fathom why Anna's death would be concealed. Was it simply an embarrassment to the regime, or did Anna know something that hastened her demise? Clara must tread carefully to unravel the truth—for the Gestapo is one step behind.
Previously published in the U.K. as The Winter Garden
Praise
for Jane Thynne's first Clara Vine novel, The Scent of Secrets “A brilliant tale of spies and secrets, of intense psychological drama, of edgy climax and one extraordinary heroine.”—Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers “A compelling story of love and betrayal in Hitler's Berlin . . . Peppered with real-life characters, this series offers a fascinating glimpse of the extraordinary world of the Nazi wives.”—Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress “An alluring blend of thrills, suspense, historic detail, and seduction.”—Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the Maggie Hope series “An extraordinary, absorbing read with an array of characters so real you're there with them as war looms, and a pace that sweeps you from page to page. This is indeed a winner!”—Charles Todd, author of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries
About the Author
I was born in Venezuela in 1961 and grew up with my parents and two brothers in London. After school in Hampton, I spent a year working at the Old Vic Theatre before reading English at St Anne’s College, Oxford.
I then joined the BBC as a production trainee, but after a few years succumbed to a hankering for Fleet Street and moved to The Sunday Times. I spent many cheerful years at The Daily Telegraph as media correspondent, but my single most exciting moment in that time was getting a publishing contract for my first novel.
In particular I have a passion for historical fiction and love the research that involves. IN the UK the Clara Vine series is published by Simon & Schuster. Outside Britain, my novels have been translated into French, German, Greek, Turkish and Italian. In France the series is published by J.C Lattes and in Greece by Kedros. In the US and Canada the series is published by Random House.
As well as writing books I now freelance as a journalist, writing regularly for numerous British magazines and newspapers, and also appear as a broadcaster on Radio 4. I have been a guest reader at the Arvon Foundation and have sat on the broadcasting committee of the Society of Authors. I have three children and live in London.
I also have an active Facebook page where I love to interact with readers. Do please follow me on GOODREADS and add the Clara Vine novels to your ‘Want To Read’ list. Get in touch. It’s great to talk! Read More
