Publication August 15, 2023
I'm hooked. It took me awhile to warm up to Fiona Figg but this book definitely put me on her team. She's smart, not to mention smarts under the thumb of the male dominated espionage career she aspires to, and while she makes some mistakes, she's also full of heart and compassion. I'm not sure the latter is a good trait for a wannabe spy but, well, it is what it is. Moral dilemmas are the worst, even in the middle of a war, it seems, for Fiona. She's also not particularly patient but, then, neither is the somewhat mysterious Kitty whose spy talents are formidable.
I also liked Clifford, who Fiona calls her chaperone, so to speak, but is surely more. I mean, he's friends with Fredrick Fredricks, the master spy that Fiona and Kitty are rather obsessed with capturing. Kitty because, well, it's her job, at least that's what we're meant to think, and Fiona because....well, uh, because he makes her blush and her heart pound when he's near. We get to see more of the human side of him this go-round, too, I'll note.
The mystery itself is fun, full of interesting characters and quirky humor. Like what? Well, how about Fiona being barely aware of a than new author, Agatha "Crispy". That's the sort of subtle humor the author excels at, some of which is almost past you before you suddenly come to a pause, re-read, and grin. Toss in Kelly Oliver's talent for sprinkling historical events and characters about in her stories -- we've even got an arrogant Benito Mussolini this go-round - and this history lover was in her element reading. Oliver sent me to Google, too, when I wondered if the amazing female aviator introduced rather dramatically into the story, Marie Marvingt was a real person or not. Oh, she was real and what an amazing person she must have been. That said, I'll simply say do a search on her as I don't want to take up this entire review gushing about her many, many accomplishments, among them being the force behind the creation of air ambulances.
But, oh, yeah, back to the mystery. Well, there are several. Who will ultimately win Fiona's heart. Let's just say her "official" beau, Archie, didn't exactly help himself this go-round. How many times can Conti die, only to suddenly come alive again? That was a bit of a stretch, yes, but added to the mystery. Could Mussolini be the killer? If not, why did someone identify him as the killer? Why can't they find the weapon? Who is that quiet, subdued lady who basically says nothing? How good are you at deciphering codes? Not as good as Fiona, probably. I know I wasn't. And, will Fiona manage to find an excuse to don a disguise? I mean, even Marie seems to appreciated her array of disguises.
In other words, there is a ton of stuff going on. And, I haven't even mentioned the rock throwing, poisonings, wolverine, and the dilemma of trying to catagorize what is good and bad in wartime service. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, that's for sure, and was ready for the next even before peeking at the teaser chapter at the end. Thanks #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for letting me tag along on Fiona's last assignment.
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