A Polish aristocrat, Captain Alexandre de Milja, finds himself plunged into war in September 1939. This is the story told to us by Alan Furst. This officer will experience unimaginable adventures. From Poland to Romania, then to France, he belongs to the Polish secret services, sets up networks, and manages radio relays.
The author takes us along with the covers, the fake papers, the adventures, the bombings. France is occupied, but there is the emerging resistance. It needs to be structured, organized. Operations are set up against the German army. One must be wary of everyone. Everywhere there are spies, then in 1941 comes Hitler’s attack on Russia. Stalin is no longer the enemy, even if the Poles do not like the Russians. Our hero finds himself on the eastern front.
This espionage novel is written like a romance. There is love, life, the beauty of landscapes and places. It reads with passion, and Alexandre, a man of many facets, is always a romantic hero. War becomes an adventure.
Alan Furst introduces us to this period between 1930 and 1940, where Europe was partly mired in pleasures and partly in rearmament. The Polish officer takes us from the plains of Eastern Europe to the shores of Normandy and Brittany, from Paris to the French countryside. Both a historical testament and a guide to discovering magical places marked by history.
Thierry Jan, writer
