A Hero of France - Alan Furst

A Hero of France

By Alan Furst

  • Release Date: 2016-05-31
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 263 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling master espionage writer, hailed by Vince Flynn as “the best in the business,” comes a riveting novel about the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST

1941. The City of Light is dark and silent at night. But in Paris and in the farmhouses, barns, and churches of the French countryside, small groups of ordinary men and women are determined to take down the occupying forces of Adolf Hitler. Mathieu, a leader of the French Resistance, leads one such cell, helping downed British airmen escape back to England.

Alan Furst’s suspenseful, fast-paced thriller captures this dangerous time as no one ever has before. He brings Paris and occupied France to life, along with courageous citizens who outmaneuver collaborators, informers, blackmailers, and spies, risking everything to fulfill perilous clandestine missions. Aiding Mathieu as part of his covert network are Lisette, a seventeen-year-old student and courier; Max de Lyon, an arms dealer turned nightclub owner; Chantal, a woman of class and confidence; Daniel, a Jewish teacher fueled by revenge; Joëlle, who falls in love with Mathieu; and Annemarie, a willful aristocrat with deep roots in France, and a desire to act.

As the German military police heighten surveillance, Mathieu and his team face a new threat, dispatched by the Reich to destroy them all.

Shot through with the author’s trademark fine writing, breathtaking suspense, and intense scenes of seduction and passion, Alan Furst’s A Hero of France is at once one of the finest novels written about the French Resistance and the most gripping novel yet by the living master of the spy thriller.

Reviews

  • Decent

    4
    By Jimmy452
    Didn't give it the 5 because ended pretty quickly but over all a good read, worth the money
  • Awful

    1
    By Ajareins1267
    Worst book he ever wrote. Too many gaps and ridiculous editing. No tie in to actual events. Seems like it was written in a week and edited in a day. Total garbage. What happened to Alan the highly praised artist? Seems like someone else used his name for this one. Don't buy it.
  • Easy to put down

    1
    By ScubaDyer
    If one reads the preface, he/she will learn that nothing is true or "historical" in this book. I like to think I might learn something from an historical novel, but the preface says non. I'm not a Francophile. I think only a Francophile might enjoy this book.
  • Tepid Fluff

    1
    By Lukester2012
    Fall asleep in your seat kind of thriller. Hardly up to snuff for standard commonplace to Furst. Characters relatively dull and plot neither coherent nor intriguing.
  • Thin

    3
    By Adam G23456
    With little character development and not much of an ending, "thin" applies to more than just the lack of pages.
  • More of a novella.....

    3
    By BlueDog70
    A beautifully written little slice of the life of a French resistance fighter during the period of German occupation in WWII. HOWEVER.....It does appear that Mr. Furst and his publishers now have a strategy of providing us with less for our money given the length of his latest offerings. A sceptic might conclude that he is tired of this genre so he is now just phoning it in.....or just taking advantage by passing off short stories as full novels. This chef used to offer a delicious full meal now he only serves tasty little appetizers...