Winter in Madrid
A Gripping Historical Espionage Thriller Set in Wartime Spain
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- €6.99
Publisher Description
'An unsentimental and utterly fascinating portrait of Spain in 1940 . . . Superb' – The Guardian
A vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom is a compelling historical novel that grapples with the profound impact of impossible choices.
1940. The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined. Now, as General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war, Britain stands alone against Germany's relentless march through Europe.
Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of an old school friend turned shady Madrid businessman, Harry soon finds himself involved in a dangerous game – and surrounded by memories he would rather forget.
'A convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller' – The Sunday Times
'Sansom's action-packed thriller is a classic tale of old loyalties pitched against new ideologies' – Daily Mail
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The playing fields of Rookwood did little to prepare reluctant spy Harry Brett for the moral no man's land of post Civil War Spain that awaits him in this cinematic historical thriller from British author Sansom (Sovereign). But those halcyon days have made him one of the few people likely to win the confidence of fellow old boy Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Franco associate and object of intense curiosity to British intelligence. Despite his reservations, Brett whose best friend from Rookwood, Bernie Piper, disappeared in Spain a few years earlier while battling Franco with the International Brigade accepts the assignment as his duty, and almost as swiftly regrets it. For the Madrid he finds has become a mockery of the vibrant, hopeful place he and Bernie visited during the dawn of the Republic. As in his Matthew Shardlake mystery series set in Tudor London, Sansom deftly plots his politically charged tale for maximal suspense, all the way up to its stunning conclusion. A bestseller in the U.K., this moving opus leaves the reader mourning for the Spain that might have been and the England that maybe never was.
