Night Flight to Paris by Cara Black ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Kate Rees became a top-notch sharpshooter on her father's ranch in Oregon. When WWII breaks out, she hopes she can get a job training marksmen. But when her husband and daughter are killed in a German air raid, all she wants is to get revenge - kill as many Germans as possible. A secret branch of the British military can use someone with her skills and soon she finds herself involved in clandestine missions.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free audiobook was provided for an honest review.

March 2023; Recorded Books; 9781705088203
audio (7h 48m), ebook, print; historical fiction

Night Flight to Paris picks up two years after the first book in this series, Three Hours in Paris. My digital library had Three Hours in Paris so I listened to it before starting on Night Flight to Paris. While I enjoyed book 1, I don't think it is necessary to read it to enjoy book 2.

I read a lot of WWII fiction. I didn't feel like either book really brought anything unique to the genre. I've read several books about female spies during WWII but none of them have been about a female sniper. But being a sniper is only a small part of the novel. Intelligent services were in their infancy during WWII so spies that were dropped behind enemy lines had to largely live by their wits. Even when there were plans they often went sideways as information was often old by the time the operative was on the ground.

While the higher-ups were convinced of Kate's ability as a sniper, I don't think they were as confident in her ability to be a spy. In the first book, they relied on her anger to accomplish the mission but I don't think they expected her to come home.

In book 2 it seems to be more of the same. Because this mission requires more than just her sniper skills they prepare her a little more to make the escape back. But of course, everything goes crazy and Kate doesn't know who to trust and must rely on her wits to survive.

Perhaps it was because I listened to the books back-to-back, but book 2 felt like "some song, second verse". While the storyline was different - she goes to Paris but also to Cairo, she's tasked with smuggling an agent and child out of France. Yet, the double-crossing, not knowing who to trust, getting caught up in another mission, etc. was almost exactly like book 1. It felt a little too cookie-cutter, or formulaic, for me.

The narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers, does a great job. I didn't have any trouble following the story while doing other tasks when listening to the book.

If you read and enjoyed book 1, then you will enjoy Night Flight to Paris. It isn't often that there is a WWII-era historical fiction novel that is a series. Most, at least of those that I read, are single novels. I liked that we get to see Kate through different points, I just wish she had shown more growth between book 1 and book 2. 

If you are looking for a lighter historical fiction/WWII novel that is suspenseful, then this book is a good choice.

Buy Night Flight to Paris at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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