A Hero of France was on the Washington Post's list of best mysteries of 2016. It has seemed to me that over the past few years, each newly released Furst novel of wartime Europe has been widely reviewed and greatly publicized. After reading The Nightingale, The Paris Architect (by Charles Belfoure; I recommended it for its wonderfully clever premise, its clearly motivated characters, its detail and suspense), All the Things We Cannot See and The City of Women, I thought it was a bit surprising that I'd never read Furst.
Furst's novels are often described as spy novels, and his most loyal readers are probably those who have enjoyed LeCarre, MacDonald, and Follett. I don't see A Hero of France as a spy novel, however. There are a few spies, and some spy characters who recur from other of Fursts' novels, but this novel is primarily about the leader of French resistance cell who is in contact with English spies and bringing downed British pilots out of German-occupied France.
Reviews that I read suggested that this is not Furst's most accomplished novel, and I found myself feeling that it did not quite make sense that the cell leader was so trusting, especially when he characterized himself as a shrewd judge of nature. I found suspense slow to build but did find the middle of the novel very suspenseful. The novel does have a very happy ending indeed, something that I am sure will please many readers.
Furst's novels are often described as spy novels, and his most loyal readers are probably those who have enjoyed LeCarre, MacDonald, and Follett. I don't see A Hero of France as a spy novel, however. There are a few spies, and some spy characters who recur from other of Fursts' novels, but this novel is primarily about the leader of French resistance cell who is in contact with English spies and bringing downed British pilots out of German-occupied France.
Reviews that I read suggested that this is not Furst's most accomplished novel, and I found myself feeling that it did not quite make sense that the cell leader was so trusting, especially when he characterized himself as a shrewd judge of nature. I found suspense slow to build but did find the middle of the novel very suspenseful. The novel does have a very happy ending indeed, something that I am sure will please many readers.
