The Mozart Code
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
No matter how you might try to hide in a war to escape your past, it is always close at hand.
Lady Sophia Huntington Villiers is no stranger to intrigue, as her work with Alan Turing’s Bombe Machines at Bletchley Park during the war attests. Now, as part of Simon Barre’s covert team in post-war Vienna, she uses her inimitable charm and code name Starling to infiltrate the world of relics: uncovering vital information that could tilt the stakes of the mounting Cold War. When several influential men charge her with finding the death mask of Mozart, Sophie wonders if there is more than the composer’s legacy at stake and finds herself drawn to potential answers in Prague.
Simon Barrington, the illegitimate heir of one of Sussex’s oldest estates, used the previous war to hide his insecurities about his past. Now, he uses his high breeding to gain access to all four allied quarters of the ruined city in an attempt to slow the fall of the Iron Curtain. He has been in love with Sophie Villiers since the moment he met her, and a marriage of convenience to save Simon’s estate has always kept her close. Until now, when Sophie’s mysterious client in Prague forces him to wonder if her allegiance to him—and their cause—is in question. Torn between his loyalty to his cause and his heart, Simon seeks answers about Sophie only to learn that everything he thought he knew about his involvement in both wars is based on a lie.
“Murky espionage and burgeoning passion twine beautifully together in The Mozart Code’s superbly evocative prose—an enchanting read!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code
“Vienna is the new Paris in The Mozart Code, a World War II spy novel with deft, chess-like plotting, and plenty of old-fashioned romance.” —Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope novels and Mother Daughter Traitor Spy
“The Mozart Code is a smart, luscious romance, a thrilling suspense, and a thunderously good read. McMillan is a rising star in historical fiction.” —Aimie K. Runyan, bestselling author of The School for German Brides
“Rife with secret codes, haunting melodies, betrayal and sacrifice, at its heart this is a story about the courage it takes to love and be loved. Highly recommended!” —Kimberly Brock, author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
“Beautifully lush and atmospheric, The Mozart Code is a novel full of nuances and brimming with danger, romance, and intrigue.” —Jenni L. Walsh, author of Becoming Bonnie and The Call of the Wrens
“The Mozart Code left me breathless.” —Joy Callaway, international bestselling author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society and The Greenbrier Resort
Post World War II historical romanceStand-alone novel (features characters from The London Restoration)Book length: 95,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McMillan (The London Restoration) spins a gripping story of Cold War espionage as two British operatives in a marriage of convenience become immersed in a dangerous mission. In 1946, Simon Barrington, illegitimate son of the aristocratic Barringtons of Sussex, works in Vienna to uncover the secrets of the Eternity spy ring. Meanwhile, he pines for his wife, Lady Sophie Huntington-Villiers, a woman he's loved for years despite the strictly platonic terms of their marriage, which was engineered to save Simon's inheritance. Sophie is also in Vienna, using the code name Starling to hunt down rare antiques and artifacts for the highest bidder. After one of Sophie's contacts dies mysteriously, Sophie is contacted by a client seeking Mozart's death mask, an artifact that Sophie is not sure exists—and the search plunges her into danger. Simon fears for her safety when he learns of a double agent, leading him down an equally thorny path in his efforts to uncover the traitor. McMillan's vivid descriptions of a postwar Vienna add allure to the simmering, romantic mystery. Readers will be riveted from the very first page.
