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littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not normally a huge fan of spy novels for some reason. This time around I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a Viennese born actor who has made a career in Hollywood who finds himself caught up in the tensions between Germany and France while in Paris to film a movie. The story took some time to get going but once it did I was hooked with enough tension to keep me turning the pages. The characters were accessible and the behind the scenes of the movie business added a nice touch.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
2.0
Got halfway through this mystery and it felt like nothing had happened, nor did I care what would happen. So I stopped.
bookishbunnyb's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Not as intriguing as I would have hoped; characters were pretty flat.
bhouse's review against another edition
3.0
not sure how this ended up in my queue, but pretty good spy thriller
spaffrackett's review against another edition
3.0
Stands in the middle of the pack when compared to Mr. Furst's other efforts.
heritage's review against another edition
3.0
While in Paris working on a film, a famous American movie star gets caught up in politics, propaganda, and espionage in the months leading up to Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.
Having read most of Alan Furst's novels about espionage in World War 2, I'm starting to think he's covered the most interesting aspects already. There's very little new territory uncovered in this one, save the film-making process circa 1938 and a bit of insight into the propaganda machine Hitler had in place in Paris in preparation for war. Unfortunately that second one, which should have lead to a great deal of suspense, didn't really evoke much intrigue or interest from me. It seemed to lack punch or any sense of immediacy.
Like "Spies of the Balkans", this one seems as if it was phoned in. The sex was still good, and the protagonist Frederic Stahl was unusual for a film star--but not unusual for a Furst novel--but the whole novel was merely okay. Not bad. Not great. Just okay.
Having read most of Alan Furst's novels about espionage in World War 2, I'm starting to think he's covered the most interesting aspects already. There's very little new territory uncovered in this one, save the film-making process circa 1938 and a bit of insight into the propaganda machine Hitler had in place in Paris in preparation for war. Unfortunately that second one, which should have lead to a great deal of suspense, didn't really evoke much intrigue or interest from me. It seemed to lack punch or any sense of immediacy.
Like "Spies of the Balkans", this one seems as if it was phoned in. The sex was still good, and the protagonist Frederic Stahl was unusual for a film star--but not unusual for a Furst novel--but the whole novel was merely okay. Not bad. Not great. Just okay.
alexsiddall's review against another edition
4.0
Alan Furst's pretty good. Serious research, believable plots, locations, and people, well-constructed stories, and plots that motor along with urgency and humanity. This is at least as good as the others of his I've read.
slhandy45's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of good atmosphere but not the most gripping story.
jeremyxjones's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
banjax451's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. Not my favorite Furst novel, but even so it was highly enjoyable and filled with the moody atmosphere and "dealings in the dark" that you come to expect from one of the most literary espionage writers. Also filled with his incredibly realized minor and/or throw-away characters who eat up the pages. Like others, I found the movie-making business of the B-plot somewhat less interesting, but it's hardly a major flaw by any means. Highly recommended.