This book was so cool! A network of lady spies during WWI, and then a mission after WWII to find a woman that brings it all full circle. Romance, espionage, intrigue — this book would make one hell of a movie.
The story is told from two perspectives. In 1915, Eve Gardiner finds herself recruited into a network of spies, where her young looks and persistent stammer allow her to pass as a nervous waitress in a restaurant full of Nazis. She keeps her eyes and ears open and her mouth shut as she gathers information and sends it back to her boss. Eventually she gets involved with the owner of the restaurant, in an attempt to learn more, and things go very badly. 30 years later, an American girl named Charlie St. Clair shows up on Eve’s doorstep, trying to find out information about her missing cousin. Eve, now a bitter alcoholic with badly broken hands, blows her off until Charlie says a name that catches her attention. Along with Eve’s driver/handyman, the women set out on a mission to find out more.
I really liked this one — it was well-written and fascinating. The whole story of the spies, smart women trained to find out as much as possible without giving anything away, was so interesting. Apparently the Alice Network is based on a real ring of female spies. Eve is such a chameleon, and watching her character change over time (during WWI and then when we re-encounter her in the 1940s) was the best part of the book. And Charlie holds her own against Eve, a bright young lady with a penchant for math and her own host of troubles. Quinn’s follow up, The Huntress, was equally good.