Mara Timon

The majority of the WW II thriller, City of Spies by Mara Timon is set in Lisbon, Portugal. As the only European capital that was both neutral and a port city, Lisbon became a centre for intrigue during World War II. With the German Embassy just across the street from the British Embassy, there was a constant flow of espionage, subversion, sabotage and reconnaissance. The city was overflowing with refugees, exiled aristocrats, diplomats, businessmen and, spies from all countries.

Into this show more city arrives, Elisabeth, a female SOE agent who just narrowly escaped capture in France. She is given the disguise of Solange, a French woman sympathetic to the Germans. Her mission is to get close to the Germans and pass her gathered information on to the British. In a city where no one can be trusted, Elizabeth must work her wiles with both skill and care.

I really enjoyed City of Spies, but would definitely call it “Espionage Light”. There is as much attention given to fashion and romance as there is to politics and danger. I was relishing the book right up to the last page when I suddenly realized that the story was going to be left somewhat hanging and there would be at least one more book to come. Since Elizabeth was fun to read about, I immediately went and secured myself a copy of the next book, Resistance. show less

Resistance by Mara Timon is the second historical thriller that carries us back to the days of World War II. Once again we follow British Agent Cecile as this time she is dropped behind enemy lines in France. It is just weeks before the Allied invasion, but German-occupied Normandy is a very dangerous place. We follow Cecile as she sets up as a radio operator and helps her friends as they align with the local Resistance to prepare for the coming invasion.

There is a suspicion that someone in show more the Resistance is working with the Gestapo and passing on information and names. Cecile soon becomes a target of this traitor but luckily her identity has been kept a secret and she is soon involved in a cat and mouse game to see which one will expose the other first. She also comes face to face with her husband, Eduard Graf, who is an aide to Rommel and involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler and other anti-Nazi activity.

I enjoyed the complex and clever plot lines as the author connected us to her characters, bringing back some that we first met in the previous book, and introducing new ones that helped to carry the story forward. The last third of the novel is intense as it features the D-Day landings and many pieces of the story come together during the chaos and betrayals that ensue. I thought Resistance was an excellent sequel to the original, City of Spies. The ending was left fairly open so there could possibly be another book in the future which I would love to see. show less

I actually read "Resistance", the second book in this series first, then this novel. However, I didn't feel disadvantaged in any way because of it. SOE agent, Elizabeth de Mornay, code name Cecile, was a great protagonist - fiery, intelligent and capable. There was also a large cast of secondary characters who all added to the story in one way or another.

The author did an excellent job blending fact and fiction together to create an engaging story and I enjoyed learning about the important show more role Portugal played during WWII. There were plenty of twists and turns, and the tension definitely builds to the final chapters. The ending left readers wanting to scramble for the next book. Overall, a very entertaining, thrilling read. show less

It was only after I finished "Resistance" that I realised it was the second book in a series but I did not feel disadvantaged for not having read "City of Spies" first. The author did a great job with the backstory and "Resistance" turned out to be a good historical espionage novel with convincing female protagonists who had to learn to trust each other with their lives. Narrated by Elisabeth (codename Cecile), the action and tension ramped up the more I read and I admired her resilience, show more bravery and determination. I also liked how the plot focused on how English spies were sent to help the French Resistance. However, the end was sand. An enjoyable read. show less