Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a good mystery/thriller set in the years just before WWII. In this book Elena is sent to Northern Italy on her first MI6 mission to rescue a contact that has important information regarding future plans of Nazi Germany. His handler is missing and MI6 needs to get the information, and rescue their contact if possible. Elena is the only one person that can recognize him – because he’s her former lover Aiden Strother, the man that betrayed her, ruined her reputation, and brought shame on her family.

Elena discovers that a secret group is working behind the scenes to put Austria in the hands of Germany. Meanwhile, her sister Margot is in Berlin to attend the wedding of a friend who is marrying a German man who is in the Gestapo. The girls’ grandfather Lucas Standish, the former head of MI6, is not happy both girls are in such dangerous locations. He’s also got his own mystery to solve when a friend he’s known for over 50 years is murdered and leaves clues that only Lucas could find, detailing a plot in England that most likely got him killed.

Despite the heavy topics and twists and turns, this is a fast and easy read. It is well-written and the author does a good job of creating tension and urgency. I like Elena a bit more this time around because she’s more self-assured and trusts her instincts. Margot also shows some growth and starts to come to terms with the death of her husband. I wouldn’t be surprised if Margot starts to play a bigger part in the “family business”, perhaps even helping Elena on future jobs.

The ending was kind of a cheat and took away from the book a bit. It was also a bit jarring because the book wrapped everything up very quickly and then it abruptly ended. Overall, however, I enjoyed this book and recommend you read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.