A fantastic debut novel. In a City of Spies - who can you trust? When her SOE cover is blown our heroine escapes to Lisbon where intrigue, networks and people are not what they seem. One of the best books I have read for a while.

Mara Timon's debut is a blend of fact and fiction, historical fiction set during WW2, featuring widowed SOE agent, Elisabeth de Mornay, codename Cecile, operating in Paris, only to be forced to flee when her cover is blown by a neighbour. Her intention is to try and connect with members of the French Resistance, only to find herself having to fight and kill in her efforts to survive. She comes across RAF officer, Alex Sinclair, joining forces with him, only for tragedy to occur and Elisabeth finding herself in ostensibly neutral Portugal, deployed by her godfather, Matthew Harrington, to work for the allies. In Operation Black Cat, Elisabeth poses as the well to do French Madame Solange Verin, living amongst the ex-pat community in Lisbon, notoriously known as the city of spies, full of refugees, where no-one is who they claim to be.

There is a large presence of Germans, the Nazis being covertly supported by Salazar in numerous ways, such as supplying the essential element of Tungsten or Wolfram, needed to fuel the German war machine. There is concern amongst the allies at the number of their ships being hit, hoping to infiltrate and expose Nazi espionage operations and uncover traitors amidst the rank of the allies. In her search for the necessary intelligence, Elisabeth befriends her neighbour Claudine, married to Christophe, and before long starts to connect with a number of Germans, including Major Eduard Graf, military hero and member of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence unit. She finds herself drawn to Graf, a dangerous liaison in the war, but just cannot help herself. Finding herself under constant surveillance, warned by the PVDE, the state police, Elisabeth must rely on her wits, instincts and her SOE training in her battle to survive, her life in danger, yet unable to trust anyone, helped by a East End thug.

Timon successfully conveys the levels of intrigue that existed during WW2 in Lisbon, and the importance of Portugal to both the Allies and the Germans, which explains the numbers of spies in Lisbon. Elisabeth making an exciting central protagonist, a fearless, adventurous, and bright woman, operating in a man's world, willing to do whatever it takes to play her part in bringing down the Nazi regime. This is not a historical novel where I learnt anything new in terms of Lisbon during WW2, due in part to my historical knowledge and the fact that I have read a number of novels set here in this time period, some of greater depth, such as Robert Wilson's A Small Death in Lisbon. Nevertheless, it is a engaging and entertaining read, and those unfamiliar with Lisbon's history during the war will find it informative. Many thanks to Bonnier Books for an ARC.

A most enjoyable and engrossing read of a most fascinating character, a Female blue stocking SOE agent, typical of those recruited during WW II.
A charming lady, a control freak, impetuous and sentimental there is never a dull moment in her life. As an Agent in France she is betrayed and runs with the gestapo at her heels until she escapes into Lisbon. There she is assigned a new role to swan around Lisbon’s high society as a well to do French widow to see what information she could learn. Mingling with all nationalities and aristocratic Portuguese and German officers she can’t resist delving into leads that she should have left to others and just escapes death. What with narrow scrapes, falling in love, getting married. before being recalled to London for a new assignment after her husband is recalled to Berlin, what a girl, can’t wait to meet up with her again.

City of Spies by Mara Timon was a cracking read. Suspend a little disbelief at Elizabeth’s derring do and luck but when you read that of 39 females sent into France by SOE 26 returned, you have to give respect where it’s due.
This is a story of delightful characters - not necessarily nice ones but certainly interesting and well rounded in their personalities and political actions. A bit of a love story with the apparent enemy adds a distinct frisson of tension to the storyline. I personally just loved Harrington, despite Lisbet’s dismissive contempt of his motives and actions in most of the story.
A great historical read with human interest is one of my favourite genres. Learning something while enjoying a good yarn- what’s not to love! Allow a lot of poetic/dramatic licence in the interest of a good story and, as another reviewer has suggested, definitely get Netflix on this one It’s a winner!

Excellent wartime thriller. A British female SOE agent stationed in Paris as a wireless operator, with .a life expectancy measured in weeks ever vigilant against the occupying Germans and in particular the Gestapo and their informers. Capture means torture and exxecution. By chance see spots a known informer with the Gestapo outside her appartment she has no alternative to go on the run.
There follows a tense chase as she travels south to try to meet up with another resistance cell constantly on the alert for Germans and being betrayed by nazi sympathisers .She meets a downed RAF pilot and has to decide is he genuine or a gestapo plant looking to uncover resistance groups there follows many a twist and turn before she escapes France and lands in neutral Portugal.
Its Lisbon the 'City of Spies' full of intelligence officers from all over Europe she has her bona fides checked and is ordered to remain to uncover a German group responsible for the sinking of Allied ships. Here the plots really thicken and come quick and fast,doing her duty and also fighting against her physical attraction to a German Intelligence officer ,this perhaps the one slightly sour note for me as she proves herself utterly ruthless the rest of the time.
But all in all this is a terrific read ,it depicts the tension and stress of living undercover in the midst of a cruel and terrible enemy and it will make you think twice the next time you see one of those lovely little grey haired old ladies talking so self deprecatingly about their wartime experiences with SOE on tv.
Loved it!

This a fun to read; serious subject though. Elizabeth Mornay is an SOE agent in France when her covered is blown and she has to escape from the Gastapo. But London don't want her back there so they send her to Lisbon. There she becomes a rich widow, Solange. Her mission is to find out who is telling the Germans where British ships are before more sailors are killed. She spends her time with diplomats and socialites and even high ranking German officers at endless cocktails and parties. But among these characters who is her friend? Who is on her side? Maybe not even her godfather.

Thanks so much to @netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for letting me read City of Spies in advance! I'm a big fan of espionage novels and a female-led Second World War story just sounded like a dream.
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I didn't love this book, but I did still enjoy it! Perhaps it's inevitable when the very first espionage books you read are John le Carré (who is, after all, the best of the best) that the rest will follow as a bit of a disappointment. I think my issue with this book is less about the spy parts of the story, though, so if you're a fan of more straightforward plotty spy stories then this might be one for you!
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Elisabeth is a SOE agent parachuted into occupied France, acting as a wireless operator and a go-between for the French Resistance. At the very beginning of the novel, she's compromised and reported to the Gestapo, and is forced to flee for her life. After a series of incidents, she ends up in Lisbon, where she is recruited to work undercover.
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I guess my main issue with this book is that I don't understand why the first fifth of it was set in France? At the very beginning of the novel, we are plunged right into the action and introduced to characters who will never appear again, and I felt like there wasn't a huge amount of connection between events, and that a lot of Elisabeth's backstory felt rushed over. Things with her family and past are hinted at but never explored, and it would have been great to learn more about her background. I enjoyed the actual spy part of the story: Lisbon was a dangerous place to be during the war, with a mass of intelligence and counter-intelligence and refugees and diplomats of all nationalities, and Elisabeth does a lot of sleuthing and undercover work, even if the characters did feel a bit stereotypical and clunky at times.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Books UK for the ARC.
I did so enjoy this book; fast-paced, well-written with good dialogue and excellent characters, thoroughly engrossing!

It's early June 1943 and Elizabeth de Morney, working for the SOE under the name of Cecile, knows her cover is blown and she needs to leave Paris. She joins the Resistance's pipeline of couriers to get to Spain, traversing enemy territory, witnessing the brutality of the Gestapo, living with the fear of discovery and having to call on all her considerable personal resources of courage and bravado in the most nail-biting of circumstances. Her exhausting journey gets her to the British Consulate in Madrid whilst the Consular-General checks out her credentials. She's suddenly removed from the house where she is a 'guest' and is chauffeured across country to Portugal, then further on to Estoril near Lisbon to a beautiful villa. Here she is surprised by the presence of her Godfather, Matthew Harrington - he has a job for her to do - Operation Black Cat - where she is tasked with mingling with the ex-pats, social society and the Germans. The place is teeming with spies of all nationalities. Someone is giving information to the Luftwaffe regarding allied ships and a mineral smuggling operation is flouting war-export rules.
She becomes involved with a German Officer and Military attaché, Eduard Graf, but fears for her safety when she sees him talking to a man she recognised from France - a Gestapo officer who could recognise her. But someone has her in their sights, literally, as she's targetted twice. Graf is becoming involved and protective of her, despite the questions in the back of his mind.

This is a complex action-packed story of love, betrayal, secrets and lies; misdirection and detailed resourceful fieldcraft, more than ably carried out by this thoroughly competent exponent of her craft. Absolutely fascinating!

I am so looking forward to more of Elizabeth's adventures.........

After the death of her husband Elisabeth de Mornay joined the SOE determined to do something with her life. After her cover getting burned in France, she makes her escape to Portugal where she meets a man from her past and finds herself mixing with German soldiers in the hope to obtain information vital to the British war effort. Not knowing who she can trust, she always must be on her guard to ensure her safety. Things get decidedly more complicated when she gets close to one specific officer and the lines between truth and fiction become blurred.
Its hard not to like this book and its main character Elisabeth. She is a strong and feisty female who is determined to live her life in the best way possible after her family disowned her when she married. She is certainly quick to think on her feet and is handy with whatever weapon she has to hand, and this is quite often what saves her life, time after time. Her intelligence enables her to adapt to circumstances as they quickly change, and I think it is this intelligence that draws German Officer Major Eduard Graf to her. Despite his clear mistrust of her, he still feels the need to protect her even if it means putting his own life and career in danger.
The book is quite fast paced, keeping your interest from the first page right through to the last as you follow the array of interesting and devious characters. The backdrop of Portugal and the mix of both real and fictional events add to the intrigue throughout. Even those who are not necessarily fans of spy thrillers will find that they will enjoy City of Spies.
This is the debut novel by Mara Timon and I have to say that I cant wait to see what comes next, but I hope it’s a continuation of the exploits of Elisabeth as the ending certainly lends itself to more adventures.

We hit the ground running in this thrilling novel. Elisabeth de Mornay, a SOE agent, has to flee Paris when someone informs on her. The journey back to Britain is fraught with danger both from the Germans and the Resistance. Trust is a long-lost virtue in wartime. Surviving is a day-to-day occurrence. When she finally makes it to Lisbon, supposedly neutral, Elisabeth is given a new task and a new alias as Solange Verin, a wealthy French widow. Instead of evading the Germans, she has to get up close and personal, something which will take nerves of steel.

It’s abundantly clear that Mara Timon has done her research. There’s a cast of characters provided at the beginning which is a mixture of fictional characters and real people. Often the real people are only name-checked but it provides authenticity. Likewise part of the plot is based on true events that happened in Portugal but I don’t want to give any spoilers away!

This is a fast-paced story. Solange may appear to be living it up in neutral Lisbon but the spy is constantly on the look-out and discovers the Germans aren’t her only enemies. The threats weave in and out of each other. Surviving with a smile on her face doesn’t prove easy. As well as being fast-paced, the tension is constantly there. Will Solange get the information she needs? Will her cover be blown? Will she survive and make it back to Britain? Of course I can’t tell you what happens, you’ll have to read it for yourself.

I’m not normally a fan of spy fiction but I enjoyed this hugely, not least because the ending suggests a sequel. I really hope it does. Elisabeth de Mornay is too good a character to restrict to one book and the war isn’t over yet.

This is a debut novel which often feels like it is a sequel as there are so many references to previous events. The story is suitably complex, to reflect the changing loyalties and shifting politics at a critical time in WW2. Although ostensibly neutral, Portugal is a hotbed of intrigue with people of all nationalities mixing socially and for "business" purposes. I love a historical thriller with plenty of authentic background, and this meets the mark. There is also plenty of action, with a female lead! Mara Timon should write a prequel as well as a sequel to this novel. A great read.

A wartime espionage novel that draws you in and doesn’t let go. The main character is fearless and enterprising, and the plot leaves the readers breathless.

I loved this book about Elizabeth who is a spy/resistance member.It was set in France, then moved onto Lisbon in Portugal which was neutral in WW2.
Some very interesting characters in this and would highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for an A.R.C.

Page one was a hooker. This feisty young woman is everyones idea of the best of the SOE heroes we know about from the second world war. She runs through her own life at a speed that takes away the readers breath and becomes imperilled more often than Pearl White (who almost always ended up tied to a railway track in the silent movie era). I could not put the book down, a page turner of the highest quality. Not quite the Le Carre cool style perhaps closer to Len Deighton but timelines were clear and plotlines blurred enough to make a thriller of the first quality. This deserves to be a hit and a female action movie might suit the current desire. Jason Bourne eat your heart out because Claudine of St Clares meets Ian Fleming head on here.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story is gripping, the main characters are engaging and well depicted - definitely one to recommend! Maybe a little too action packed in parts, and perhaps a little rushed in the early part of the book (the events taking place in France), but overall a very interesting and well told story . I am definitely looking forward to the next chapter in the story and the to the adventures of Lisbeth and Eduard!

I liked the idea of this book, but there was a clunkiness to the writing that prevented me from engaging in the subject matter. I have given up a third of the way through. The first fifth of the book is taken up by the narrator's journey from Paris to Lisbon. During that time (spoiler alert), she kills a couple of Nazi soldiers, meets and makes love to an RAF airman who was shot down in France. He is subsequently killed after shooting at German soldiers who are kicking to death a young woman who is a member of the resistance. All of this is completely uninvolving due, I think, to the clichéd characters and lack of anything surprising. I think with a good screenwriter, the story could make an interesting television drama, as there is plenty of incident. For example, in Lisbon: "In the last twenty-four hours alone I'd discovered my godfather is running intelligence network of whores out of the Baixa. almost got strafed by a trio of Focke-Wulf fighters, narrowly escaped a scorpion's bite... oh and stumbled on some sort of smuggling operation". Unfortunately i really didn't care or believe in any of the characters. If you are looking for a genuinely exciting second world war espionage story, I would recommend Manda Scott's " A Treachery of Spies" which is complex and fascinating.

What is there not to love about this book? A strong woman lead, spying, glamour, treachery, romance it has the lot! I would have liked more time spent on Elizabeth's time in France as that seemed to be slightly rushed, maybe there could be a prequel? And with that ending there definitely has to be a sequel! This is a great page turner, perfect as a holiday read and would make a great Netflix series.

Absolutely brilliant read! I found this book fascinating. WW2 in Lisbon, Portugal, a supposedly neutral country but in reality no one is neutral, everyone is playing their own game. This story revolves around the spies and listeners that flooded Lisbon during this period in history, full of intrigue, murders, glamour and a very serious endgame. The author’s writing really brings the period to life and allows the reader to picture themselves there in the midst of the story. Elisabeth, a spy for SOE, finds herself in Lisbon having left France in a hurry. She Is quickly enveloped in the social scene, a mix of Germans, English and Portuguese and her curiosity soon leads her into danger. With spies, danger and a good love story, this novel has everything you could want. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it highly. Can not wait to read the next one!

Wow. How is this a debut novel? I have loved it.

This book has completely gripped me from the very beginning and I have been completely addicted to reading this book. I haven't been able to put it down. This has a completely unique plot from anything I've read previously.

This is definitely an author to watch out for. Not only is this a fantastic read, but her writing style is engaging and will captivated you so that you become fully lost in the pages.

This book is filled with likeable characters and at times, I have had James Bond feels whilst reading this book. I definitely could picture this book as a movie or series. This is a fantastic read, which is highly deserving of five stars.

Public review to follow on blog tour

I really enjoyed this book. It starts in 1943 Occupied France and moves to Lisbon - the City of Spies. There are lots of shady characters who are playing a double game. You never know who can be trusted. The main protagonist is a feisty and likeable woman. I was happy with the relationship that she develops with a German as not all 1940's Germans were Nazi's. The narrative describing the location in and around Lisbon has given me the desire to visit that part of Portugal. I did not realise that it was to be a series and I wait for the next book with bated breath.