⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A well-crafted novel of espionage, murder, mystery, a dash of romance, and a lot of suspense.” Kayla L.

Hampshire, 1943.

Kim Maxwell has been languishing in the ‘cooler’, the fate of agents regarded as being no longer fit for active duty, after being captured— and tortured — by the Nazis, before being freed by Resistance fighters and smuggled back into England. Now she is sent for by the head of SOE. This is her chance to prove herself.

A fellow agent has been found murdered. It would seem that Lilian Harvey heard something she shouldn’t have and that her murder was a warning. Setting out to uncover the culprit, Kim spots a strange zigzag pattern on the wall above the bed where the body was found, which Lilian drew using her own blood as she lay dying.

Before Kim knows it, she uncovers evidence that there exists a dark society working in the shadows and she realizes the Nazis are not England’s only enemy.

When she meets the mysterious yet captivating Roland, aka Red Fox, they embark on a mission to solve the murder — all the while being drawn to each other and further into trouble.

But in order to expose this dangerous web of deceit, Kim must go back into the heart of occupied France — and into the hands of the enemy . . .

This unputdownable and atmospheric Second World War novel will grip you to the very end. Perfect for readers of Rhys Bowen, Jeffery Archer, Rory Clements, Gretta Mulrooney, Kate Quinn and Lucinda Riley.

July 1943, Beaulieu, Hampshire

The woman had been dead for at least two days, Inspector Wilson reckoned. The blood that had soaked into the bedclothes had dried to a rust-coloured crust and had attracted a hoard of flies, which rose in a buzzing mass when he waved his hand over them but returned as soon as he stepped back. The room stank of blood and excrement and decomposition. A bloodied kitchen knife lay on the floor. He looked down at the body.

 

‘Terrible waste! She must have been a real looker before . . .’

‘Yeah, I guess she must,’ his sergeant agreed. ‘What do you reckon? Suicide?’

‘Looks like it, from the cuts to her wrists. If it is, we can expect to find a note.’

‘No sign of one so far.’

‘Well, have a thorough search and see if you come up with anything. Do we have a name?’

The sergeant consulted his notebook. ‘Mrs Lillian Harvey, according to the lady next door.’

‘Who found the body?’

‘She did, she and her husband. Seems the deceased had a cat. She heard it mewing outside the door and thought it was odd that it wasn’t let in.’

‘What’s the neighbour’s name?’

‘Mrs Janice Godley.’

‘Where is she now?’

‘I got PC Francis to take her back to her house. She’s a bit shaken up.’

‘Not surprising. OK.’ The inspector turned to the door. ‘There’s nothing more we can do here until forensics have finished. I’ll go and have a chat with Mr and Mrs Godley. In the meantime, organize a house-to-house. See what the other neighbours can tell us. Who were her friends? Did anyone have any reason to think she might top herself? You know the sort of thing.’