MISSION TO PARIS

Paris of 1938 is exquisitely rendered by Furst and Daniel Gerroll as war looms, yet life goes on. Frederic Stahl, an American film star, is the target of Germany's political warfare of bribery, intimidation, and ultimately violence in France. Gerroll smoothly moves among Paris's exotic émigrés, the beautiful women, and the film crew with elegant pacing and accents. His coarse American accents punctuate the fluid European tones of the French, Russians, and Hungarians on both sides of the shadowy world. Gerroll delivers the subtlety of Furst's suspense with the quiet menace of the best spy fiction. Intimacy and romance are effectively woven throughout as the listener moves among the extraordinary characters. The idea of "gentleman's treason" makes an intriguing frame for Furst's latest novel, as powerful as ever, in audio. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]