Shadowed by a Spy: A Book Review

I love WWII fiction (as anyone following this blog knows!) and especially love when an author integrates true to life, specific events into the novel. Marilyn Turk has done that in her most recent release Shadowed by a Spy that includes Operation Pastorius during which four German spies land in Amagansett, New York. Read on for my thoughts about the story.

Shadowed by a Spy is the second book in Marilyn Turk’s WWII series. I was able to read the two books back to back which I liked being able to do although they are easily read as stand-alones. I enjoyed the books, but struggled a little bit relating to Lexie Smithfield, the young female protagonist, but that may be due to the age difference between us. (I could almost be her grandmother.) 

Lexie struggles with many changes in her life from the death of family members and loss of income to friends going off to war. I like the way the author addresses the issues and shows Lexie’s growth and maturity as the story progresses. Lexie’s fiancé Russell is a stand-up guy, yet has his own insecurities and doubts. I especially enjoyed the segment about his time as a piano player with the USO. Cultural references, slang, and descriptions effective evoke the era, and it’s obvious Ms. Turk did her research. Lexie’s story is mingled with the true story about German spies who landed on Long Island which adds intrigue and depth to the book.

About the book:

In the dead of night on June 12, 1942, four sailors climbed from their German U-boat and make their way toward the coast of Long Island, NY. From there, they board the Long Island Railroad heading into Manhattan. One of the men, Cal Miller, is a US citizen, making him the perfect candidate for a special mission to infiltrate the States and gain access to key economic targets he can destroy.

Three seats ahead, Lexie Smithfield ponders her future as a nurse at Bellevue Hospital and wife to her fiance Russell Thompson. A brief encounter with Cal Miller on the train leads to an unlikely friendship, and ultimately to the fearsome discovery that the handsome, kindly man is not who he appears to be.

When Russell is given an opportunity to work overseas, Lexie reluctantly encourages him to go. But his absence leaves Lexie alone in a strange city where her path becomes increasingly darkened by her unwitting connection to the German saboteurs. As the spies lay plans to destroy American factories and bridges, it becomes clear that only two people can stop them. One is a catatonic patient at Bellevue who must be strapped to his bed and sedated. The other is Lexie herself, a young woman who longs only for the security of marriage while ministering to the war's physically and emotionally wounded.

Can Lexie's unintended friendship with a Nazi spy thwart a terrorist attack? Or will her hopes and dreams--peace on the American homefront--become another casualty of war?

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DJ8VM7K