PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewFurst’s descriptions of occupied Paris are certainly sinister ('Eyes searching the darkness, he had to move slowly, pausing at doorways where he could hide if necessary, hurrying to cross a narrow street, and listening intently for the telltale sounds of the police patrols'), but his is a Paris where the people never seem to give up hope, where their love for France and for their beloved city inspires them to take defiant risks. Furst’s novels are immensely popular, perhaps because, despite their European setting, they can be read in the tradition of the American western. Like Shane, Furst’s heroes tend to be loners — Marlboro men, we used to call them in the days of cigarette ads. They take on the burden of an entire city or country. And while they may work with a group, as Mathieu does, they carry the responsibility of that group on their own shoulders.
