Kate Furnivall

What do I need to say about Kate Furnivall's THE RED SCARF (2008, aka UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY), a recent find at the local thrift store? "I can't believe I read the whole thing" works for me. Because this story of a young woman who endures years of abuse and starvation in a Siberian gulag in 1933, then manages to escape and find her way a thousand miles across frozen wastes to a tiny village where she finds refuge with a mysterious gypsy and passionate love with a handsome, square-jawed show more factory director (with perfect white teeth, no less), and acquires sorta super powers by means of a magic white pebble, and discovers a buried treasure she uses to bribe a corrupt official to release her lover from prison where he's been brutally beaten and tortured (but he's still incredibly handsome and his perfect teeth only sustained a tiny chip), and together they hitch a ride north on an experimental airplane visiting their village, then use more of the treasure to get horses to journey back to the gulag to rescue her dear friend who is at death's door yet survives the thousand mile trek back to the village where they both find true happiness and, one assumes, live happily ever after. Whew! I mean, WHEW!! Ya know? And yup, I read the whole darn thing. I'm so embarrassed.

The truth is, women probably absolutely LOVED this book. I did NOT. But I did keep turning pages, thinking the whole time, this is so STOOpid, so unbeLEIVable! But I kinda wanted to know what happened next too, so ... What this is is a 468-page Harlequin historical romance with a Hallmark-ish ending. Recommended, but don't say I didn't warn ya, okay?

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

The Guardian of Lies is an enthralling story of courage, subterfuge, love and betrayal from Kate Furnivall.

“Trust. The word spiked in my mind and wouldn’t go away. The more it sounded in my head, the louder rang the lies.”

In 1953, as the the Cold War intensifies, the loyalties of the French people are split between America, who liberated the country from Nazi occupation, and the communist ideals of the Soviet Union. Eloïse Caussade supports the alliance with the United States, and is show more disheartened when her application is rejected by both the French Intelligence and the American CIA, but fortuitously finds work with a private investigation agency in Paris. On occasion Eloïse’s skills prove useful to André, the older brother she idolises, who serves as a CIA Intelligence Officer, but a mission gone awry leaves them both with lasting scars.
Eloïse vows to find the men who betrayed her brother, and follows him home to their family farm, Mas Caussade, In the south east of France. There she finds the schism that plagues the country is tearing apart not only her hometown, but also her family. To protect her brother, Eloïse decide who she can trust, and guard against the lies that shroud the truth.

“I think of that moment as a dividing wall. There is what came before. And there is what came after. With that moment standing between them, a wall with death dancing upon it.”

I was surprised at how quickly I became absorbed in this compelling, fast paced, historical tale of intrigue and romance.

Furnivall has skilfully created a complex plot of mystery and espionage in The Guardian of Lies, which kept me guessing. The political unrest in mid century France provides a dramatic background to the story. The tension between rival parties causes a general climate of anger and mistrust, a situation both the American and Soviets are willing to exploit in their quest for Cold War dominance. Like Eloïse, I often wasn’t quite sure who to trust, and there was at least one betrayal I didn’t see coming at all.

“We have to guard against their lies or we lose our grasp of the truth,’ he told her. ‘They buy control with their lies, these people who live in the shadows with their secrets and their threats and their guns.”

Eloïse is a terrific protagonist- intelligent, tenacious and brave. I admired her dogged search for the truth despite the very real threat to her life, and her ability to adapt to the situations she found herself in. I understood her loyalty to her family, even if was somewhat misplaced - neither her father, André, or her younger brother, Issac, show much concern for her. I liked the relationship that Furnivall developed between Eloïse and Serriac Police Captain, Léon Roussell. His strongly held notions of duty and honour are appealing, especially in contrast to the shadowy world of secrets her family inhabits.

A well crafted novel offering engaging characters and a thrilling plot, I really enjoyed The Guardian of Lies, and plan to read more of Furnivall’s work. show less

I discovered Kate Furnivall through TBC on Facebook so joining that group is the best thing I ever did as I absolutely adore her books. As a keen reader of historical fiction, I know how difficult it can be to bring an era to life but Kate Furnivall does this impeccably. What an amazing talent to be able to transport the reader to miscellaneous locations and time periods; whether it's early 20th Century Egypt in Shadows on the Nile, war torn Italy in The Liberation or post-war France in The show more Guardian of Lies I feel as if I'm travelling the world through Kate Furnivall's wonderful books.

In The Guardian of Lies we launch straight into the action with Eloïse acting as a getaway driver for her brother André. With a car chase that would rival James Bond, I had my heart in my mouth and was left breathless as the action unfolds. The pacing doesn't give up there, even when Eloïse and André return to their father's farm in Arles; in fact it felt more dangerous in the idyllic countryside of The Camargue with civil unrest over an American airbase being built on their farmland. With such a great opportunity to spy on the American airforce, Eloïse can't tell which side her family, friends and neighbours are on. The question on my lips throughout the whole book was: who can she trust?

Oh my word, this is another outstanding novel by Kate Furnivall. I almost managed to read it in one sitting, if only I didn't have to eat and sleep! I really couldn't put it down and it's unusual for this to happen to me when reading historical fiction as sometimes it's quite fact-heavy and dry so I need to take regular breaks. Kate Furnivall's writing is so multi-faceted that it awakens the senses as you see, hear and smell every sight, sound and action along with the characters.

I was a little concerned that the story might be confusing, as is often the case with Russian espionage, but I needn't have worried as the story is easy to follow and we aren't overrun with characters. This proves yet again that Kate Furnivall is an exceptional storyteller. I think of Kate Furnivall is a literary knitter; she spins such a good yarn.

The Guardian of Lies is an exceptional novel by one of the finest historical fiction authors I've ever come across; so grab your passport and pick up a copy to be transported to post-war France from the comfort of your armchair. A highly recommended read and one I shall definitely be recommending for a long time to come. show less

Ah Italy. A place that is infrequently visited in my reading, but always a joy to read about. I know very little about the immediate post-World War II period in Italy, so when I was offered the chance to read this book, I grabbed it. I also haven’t picked up one of Kate Furnivall’s novels since The Russian Concubine – was it really nearly a decade ago? Anyway, so many things were pointing to me needing to read this book. At 553 pages, it certainly fits the definition of a chunkster but show more it’s a gripping read that will have the pages turning over quickly. Think of this book as a historical action-adventure with a touch of romance. So much happens and it’s an exciting ride to be on.

Our heroine is Caterina Lombardi, young woman of Sorrento who has been touched by the war like everyone else in Italy. Her father is dead after his wood veneer workshop was bombed by Allied forces. Her nonno is blind and her little brother would rather hang around the soldiers all day than go to school. Like the rest of Italy, they are nearly starving and Caterina crafts music boxes to sell to the soldiers in order to buy food. As for her mother…she left the family years ago amid a scandal that divided two families. But that was then and this is now. Italy is about survival, any way how. But when two soldiers question Caterina in relation to her father hiding and smuggling out Italy’s treasures, she knows she must try to clear his name. In trying to do so, Caterina comes up against some of the most dangerous men in Naples. It’s not a game, but a fight to the bitter end.

The main plot is about Caterina trying to find a jewelled table her father had allegedly made, but nobody reports ever seeing. Inlaid in the surface are a number of precious jewels that both Naples’ mafia and the soldiers trying to recover Italy’s treasures want. Both groups think that Caterina knows more than she’s telling them, which unluckily for her, she doesn’t. But Caterina is an inquisitive character and she will find out the truth, assisted by her ancient revolver. She’s determined and will stop at nothing to protect her family. Jake Parr, a US soldier investigating art theft, recognises this early on and assists Caterina in getting out of some of her scrapes. He also falls in love with this feisty young woman. But don’t start thinking that this is a romance novel, it’s far from it. It’s fast paced action, taking Caterina from the streets of Naples to mansions in Capri and back again. The finale is set in an unlikely place with a twist in the tale – not one I saw coming!

The book captures the atmosphere of the time and the desperation of the Italian people in a broken country but it’s not bogged down in detail. Kate Furnivall tells the reader what they need to know, then returns to the action. This is a book that both men and women would enjoy – it’s edge of your seat stuff that combines intrigue and mystery in a fast paced novel.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

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