The author of TV Book Club's SPIES OF THE BALKANS returns with a hugely evocative thriller set in wartime Paris. Includes Reading Group Notes.
'In a class of his own' William Boyd
'Brilliant' Robert Harris
'Dazzling' James Patterson
'I cannot wait for my next Furst' Independent
'The most talented espionage novelist of our generation' Vince Flynn
Frederic Stahl, born of Viennese intelligentsia, ran away to sea at the age of seventeen. Embarking in America, his matinee idol looks and Old-World charm took him to Hollywood, and a life of movies and women.
But by autumn 1939, the unease in Europe has spread even to Stahl's glamorous enclave. War has been declared, and though bullets and bombs are yet to fly, his decision to shoot a film in Paris seems ill-advised. The Parisians know this is their last spring and a time to be passionate.
Soon after his arrival, Stahl is drawn into a clandestine world of foreign correspondents, exiled Spanish republicans and, of course, spies of every sort. For as a celebrity from neutral America - who can travel across the continent freely - Stahl could be very useful indeed ... Returning to the Brasserie Heiniger, and some of the colourful cast from THE WORLD AT NIGHT, this is a headily atmospheric portrait of a continent in the grip of The Phony War.
"In the world of espionage thrillers, Alan Furst is in a class of his own" - William Boyd
"One of the best novels of the year... brilliant" - Robert Harris on Spies of the Balkans
"Furst's characters have the foibles, frailties and fears of humanity under pressure... I cannot wait for my next Furst" - Independent
"The writing in Mission to Paris, sentence after sentence, page after page, is dazzling. If you are a John Le Carré fan, this is definitely a novel for you" - James Patterson
"As delicately crafted as John le Carré at the start of his George Smiley years, it is a delight from first page to last... Seductive, unexpectedly sexy... it's told with an elegance that reverberates long after it's finished: it is quite superb" - Daily Mail on Spies of the Balkans
"I am a huge fan of Alan Furst. Furst is the best in the business -- the most talented espionage novelist of our generation" - Vince Flynn
"A pacy read with plenty of intrigue and glamour." - TELEGRAPH & ARGUS
"A pacy, atmospheric spy story in the typical Furst style." - GOOD BOOK GUIDE
