First Line: It had been unusually hot all summer.
World War II has come to the great estate of Farleigh Place, home to Lord Westerham and his five daughters. A large portion of the country house has been commandeered by the Army. While Lord Westerham blusters about being shut away in the most inconvenient wing of the house, oldest daughter Livvy is living at home with her small son while her husband is abroad with the Duke of Windsor. Second eldest Margot is pursuing fashion design in Paris, which is under German occupation. Middle daughter Pamela is working at Bletchley Park, and while eighteen-year-old Diana complains to anyone who'll listen about missing her debutante season, the youngest, Phoebe, tries not to miss a thing that's going on at the estate.
And there's plenty going on. A soldier falls to his death on the property when his parachute fails to open, but inconsistencies found on the body raise the suspicions of MI5. Family friend Ben Creswell is sent on a covert mission to find out if the man was a German spy. Ben soon finds himself following a trail of spies and traitors, and with the help of Pamela, he hopes to avert disaster.
Rhys Bowen has painted a broad canvas, and it's filled with action, suspense, and the period detail and fascinating characters that she's known for. With a length of almost four hundred pages, I am happy to report that I wanted it to go on for at least another hundred. There are many characters in this story, and although I didn't have a speck of trouble keeping them all straight, inevitably one or two whom I was most interested in got (what felt like) short shrift.
Two of the period details that I really appreciated were Bowen's giving readers a feel for living in an English country house during the war, and how there were so many clandestine agencies at work in England-- and they were all trying to keep what they were doing secret from all the other agencies.
Even though there's not really anything trailblazing in In Farleigh Field, it is such a joy to read that it doesn't matter. Danger. Spies. Traitors. Romance. Everything combines for an absorbing read that is finished much too quickly. Readers can pit their skills at playing Catch the Spy and form their own close attachments to one or more of the characters. My favorites? The youngest daughter, Phoebe, and her partner-in-crime Alfie, a young Cockney boy evacuated to Farleigh Place due to the Blitz.
Are there any fellow fans of Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series reading this? I think you'll love In Farleigh Field (and so will most of the rest of you)!
In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen
ASIN: B01HBKAYMA
Lake Union Publishing © 2017
eBook, 398 pages
Historical Mystery, Standalone
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
You're so right, Cathy. Bowen writes some great characters, doesn't she? And I do like her ability to evoke a place and a time. She does that with her Molly Murphy mysteries, too. Glad you enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteShe is a very talented writer, isn't she?
DeleteI'm so excited about reading this book and will feature it next Tuesday on the 'first paragraph' event of Diane's. I may 'cheat' a bit about the 'first' part. Anyway, this reminds me of not only the Maggie Hope books (big fan), but also of Foyle's War. I love anything related to Bletchley Park and just read some background info from Rhys on Jungle Reds about her writing and inspiration for this book. Are you going to the PP tonight for the launch party?
ReplyDeleteYes! Foyle's War is a good comparison, too. Unfortunately, today is booked solid, and I won't be attending the launch party. My day started bright and early with the installation of a new heat pump. At least there will be heat in the house tonight-- a sure sign that it will immediately start warming up again!
DeleteI was shying away from this because I didn't realize it was a standalone! Heading to the library website right now to reserve it! I am a fan of Maggie Hope too, this looks quite good.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm back--#171! Obviously other people jumped on this much more promptly! Doesn't matter, of course, this style of book is great to read any time of year!
DeleteShe was asked at The Poisoned Pen if this was going to stay a standalone, and the answer was yes. This book has been #1 at Amazon for a while because of pre-orders, so I knew it would be popular as far as waitlists went!
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