I got this hardcover from the ongoing charity-sale shelves at a local Hannaford's. Set in 1936 at the onset of the Spanish civil war, it features unlikely detective duo Lord Edward Corinth and gritty correspondent Verity Browne - who's in love with a leading Communist leader, putting her at odds politically with Edward, who for some reason finds himself in love with her. (He finds himself in love with several people, as it happens - none of them very convincingly, I'm afraid!)

The book opens with a flashback to a traumatized boy's days at Eton, in which he suffers abuse from a cruel older boy and his friend - and just when he seems to have found a champion in another boy, events go horribly wrong. And then we jump to the present-day characters and events, none of which I found as interesting as the preamble, even though it set the stage for the rest of the book.

Conflicting motives, confusing details, repetitive character confrontations... I wasn't enthralled by this one, and I found the resolution(s) rather frustrating.

I donated this book to the ongoing book-sale shelves inside the supermarket. (They sell donated books for low prices, with the proceeds going to local charities.) Hope the buyer enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes release challenge. ***