Gripping ... Jenoff breathes life into the tale of a committed 'Band of Sisters' who displayed boundless courage in the face of historically dire circumstances, creating a compelling and exciting read.
Emotional profundity is sadly lacking in Jenoff’s latest ... a gauzier, more florid and awkwardly romantic account ... Jenoff has at her disposal a great, mostly untold story of heroism and espionage, both about the woman who trained an elite force of operatives and then spent years looking for them after their death, and also about what it was like to be one of those women, but the result has all of the tension of a Hallmark card. This is a slight re-telling of a remarkable story and an unusual slip-up from the dependable Jenoff.
The author, a lawyer and former diplomat, is clearly familiar with the thrill of the chase for the right piece of paper, the right research document, the challenges of circumventing red-tape. Genuine suspense is generated often, and unusually, in these papers by the seemingly mundane tasks of evading bureaucracy, and skimming through classified papers ... Readers interested in [themes like guilt, sacrifice, loyalty, betrayal and redemption], historical fiction set during this era, and interesting women as protagonists, will want to add this book to the shelf.
In any spy thriller clear timelines are essential: Jenoff’s wartime chronology is blurred by overly general date headings (e.g., London, 1944) and confusing continuity. Sparsely punctuated by shocking brutality and defiant bravery, the narrative is, for the most part, flabby and devoid of tension. Overall, this effort seems rushed, and the sloppy language does nothing to dispel that impression ...A sadly slapdash World War II adventure.
Terrific ... a smartly constructed narrative ... Jenoff allows [the characters'] distinct personalities to shine. This is a mesmerizing tale full of appealing characters, intrigue, suspense, and romance.
