The highly anticipated new historical adventure from the bestselling author of The Champagne War.
Evie, a widow and stationmaster’s daughter, helplessly looks out for the weekly visit of the handsome man she and her sister call The Southerner on their train platform in the wilds of northern England. When polite salutations shift to friendly conversations, they become captivated by each other’s reticent manner. After so much sorrow, the childless Evie can’t believe love and the chance for her own family has come into her life again.
With rumours coming out of Germany that Hitler may be stirring up war again, local English authorities have warned against spies. Even Evie becomes suspicious of her new suitor, Roger. But all is not what it seems.
When Roger is arrested, Evie comes up with an audacious plan to prove his innocence that means moving to Germany and working as a British counter-spy. Wearing the disguise of a dutiful, naïve wife, Evie must charm the Nazi Party’s dangerous officials to bring home hard evidence of war mongering on the Führer’s part.
But in this game of cat and mouse, it seems everyone has an ulterior motive, and Evie finds it impossible to know who to trust. With lives on the line, ultimate sacrifices will be made as she wrestles with her patriotism and saving the man she loves.
It was only in June this year that Fiona McIntosh captivated readers with the release of her gripping new DCI Jack Hawksworth novel, Mirror Man. Now, the prolific author returns to historical fiction with The Spy’s Wife, a heart-stopping story of love and espionage. After reading her last historical novel, The Champagne War – which made the 2021 Better Reading Top 100 – it’s safe to say I had high expectations going into this. And believe me, I was not disappointed.
Whenever I read one of McIntosh’s novels, I know I’m about to be whisked away to an exciting period in history, and The Spy’s Wife is no exception. The novel follows protagonist Evie as she infiltrates the Nazi Party, crossing paths with infamous figures such as Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels. As Evie comes to know these men, we see a different side to them, adding an extra layer of depth and complexity to the novel. As far as protagonists go, Evie is one of McIntosh’s best. Her bravery is inspiring and her actions save many lives throughout the war. History often leaves out the immense role that women played in the war, so it’s a joy to read stories with a protagonist like Evie.
Like her previous books, setting plays a big role here. From the windswept moors of the Yorkshire dales to the noisy beer halls of Munich, McIntosh breathes so much life and detail into the storyworld. Her ability to transport us into her stories is extraordinary, and it’s why I find myself always coming back to her novels.
The Spy’s Wife is a tense, powerful story with a brave and captivating heroine at its heart. With a suspenseful plot and plenty of intrigue, this is a lively, high-stakes historical thriller that will keep you second-guessing until the very end.
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