The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer ~A Review

by Susan Roberts

Kelly Rimmer’s dramatic new novel follows two female SOE operatives whose lives will be determined by a double agent in their midst.

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

July 2023; Graydon House; 978-1525805080
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); historical fiction

The Paris Agent is a well-written and well-researched dual timeline novel that not only looks at the dangers of the war but also delves into the way the memories affected people years after the war was over.  

1970 - Noah and his daughter live in Liverpool.  His wife has just died and he decides that he wants to thank someone for saving his life during the war.  His daughter never knew that he'd been an SOE agent in France during the war.  Despite her surprise at his confession, she tries to help him connect with people who can help him find the agent that saved his life.  Along the way,  many secrets are uncovered that lead to the discovery of a double agent very close to him during the waning days of the war.

1943 - As the novel begins, Chloe and Fleur are handcuffed and on a train heading toward an unknown destination.  They had survived the beatings and the interrogation and now they are hoping for freedom.  The following chapters tell about their training and the day-to-day stress of keeping their identities hidden while working to undermine the German soldiers.  They constantly had close calls of getting found out and things got even worse when it began to look like one of their own was really working with the Germans and putting the agents into even more danger. 

The author did considerable research to write this book and it was apparent in the day-to-day lives that the SOE members lived through never being sure if it would be their last.  The characters were well-written and believable. My only problem is that the agents changed names frequently as they changed their identity and it took me a while to sort them out.  That problem was quickly solved by making a list at the beginning.  It was a story about war and courage, family and loss and I highly recommend it.

Buy The Paris Agent at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.  You can connect with her on Facebook.

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