1944. While war rages in Europe, Fenella Churche is doing her bit in the green fields of England. But when she finds a letter addressed to her on the scrubbed farmhouse table, she knows the news won’t be good. She hasn’t heard from her fiancé Arthur since he was posted to France on a dangerous undercover mission, and from his very first words she knows he may not be coming back.
I fear this may be my last letter to you, my darling, Arthur writes. Fen won’t give up hope and calls the war office, wanting to know if Arthur is still alive; they refuse to tell her anything. Searching for answers, she returns to his letter, but parts of it just don’t make sense. Through her tears Fen realises that her darling Arthur is giving her all the clues she needs to find out what happened to him.
1945. With the war behind them and nothing left for her in England, Fen travels to the deceptively pretty French village where she thinks Arthur might be, but there’s no sign of him. She’s close to giving up when she finds his silver cigarette case and another letter full of clues. But when the local priest is killed, it’s clear someone wants to keep wartime secrets buried. If Arthur, a brilliant spy, was outwitted and betrayed, can Fen stay alive long enough to find out what happened to the man she loves?
A gripping story of war, mystery, espionage and murder. Fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd and Rhys Bowen will absolutely adore this unputdownable World War Two murder mystery.
My Review
What a fantastic read this was. If you enjoy historical murder mysteries, then you won't go far wrong with this one. Set just after the close of the second world war, it focuses on Fennela Churche, who travels to France to see if she can find out what has happened to her Fiance. As she starts to look around the chateau and winery that he was based at, it becomes clear that whatever happened to him is tied up with events that are unfolding at the chateau now.
The book had a great sense of time, atmosphere and place. It wasn't hard to picture the small village in 1940's France and the life that they are trying to put back together after the German forces have left. The characters in this book are fantastic, both those who lead the story and those that are on the edges. It adds a great richness to the story.
As for the mystery itself, it worked well. I had solved it and the reasons behind it before the reveal, but that didn't really matter. I was still caught up in the book and wanted to know if my deductions were correct. The whole thing was well signposted with clues and the odd red herring. I don't think it was too obvious though.
I really liked Fen as a character. She's a great combination of brave and daring, without being unbelievable. She certainly feels of her time and not out of place in the historic setting. I quite liked the way that she has a little bit of a weakness when it comes to her appearance, it's these little things that humanise a character.
I really enjoyed A Dangerous Goodbye and will certainly be reading the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to what Fen might get up to next.
Thanks for being part of the tour today. x
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