Sundin combines thrilling narrative with keen awareness of historical detail to present a story that kept me up until the wee hours promising myself "just one more page". Although I had heard of Sundin before, with historical fiction being a personal favourite genre, this was my first true introduction to Sundin's work and what an introduction!
First, I was so impressed with Sundin's ability to balance the elements within her narrative.
Let's be honest, the action/suspense was wonderful. I loved how aware Sundin is in this novel of her pacing to maximize the suspense and, in my opinion, reader enjoyment. Even though everyone is familiar with what was coming a few short months after the story occurs Sundin still captures so much tension as Lang and Brand pick their way through the rapidly changing landscape.
That said, Sundin equally captures the emotion of the time as readers are led through the sorrow and fear of the Gold's or the hope that grows out of Lang and Brand's encounters. As exciting as the suspense/adventure elements are, I was glad Sundin gave equal time to the human element of the story to give depth and character growth.
Which is probably why I enjoyed the book's two leads so well (the villian was well written too but I don't want to focus on that too much due to spoilers).
Evelyn is every inch the spunky lead in this story and I think her efforts to be respected in her field are still, sadly, relatable today. I did find hers too be an interesting journey as she delved into her family history and how her growing awareness of her family affected how she interacted with the events around her.
On the other hand, I think Peter's story was the one that sucked me in, Sundin's use of Peter to show how different political and societal events had originally made some sympathetic or ignorant of what was happening in Germany in that period was an angle I don't often see used for one of the main protagonists but I found Peter's journey to be far more interesting as a result.
In the end, Sundin has given readers a thrilling outing in pre WWII Europe with an extremely satisfying ending.
An easy 5 out of 5 stars for me.
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