A Darker Reality - Anne Perry

 A Darker Reality - Anne Perry

She read

Set in the 1930s, young MI6 agent Elena Standish is visiting Washington DC with her parents for her wealthy grandparents anniversary. She barely knows them, having met them only when she was a child.Her British father’s role as ambassador around the world prevented many visits. During the anniversary party, which President Roosevelt and Elenor attended, a young woman, Lila, is killed The evidence points to her grandfather and he is arrested. When Elena discovers the dead woman was a British spy, she works with another agent to uncover the truth. Could her grandfather’s right wing ideas and participation in the Free America movement have played a role in his arrest and just what information was Lila privy to? After all, her husband is a scientist working on splitting the atom and perhaps developing a powerful weapon of war. 

More than a mystery, this is an important book because of the social and political issues raised. Perry captures well the conflicting political views prior to the US entry into World War II.

Although published in 2021, this book may be more pertinent now given what is happening worldwide. The Free America organization in the novel seems to parallel “America First”, a slogan often used to promote racist, xenophobic and isolationist ideas. Pointing out the wide difference in political views, a character notes that “this is healthy, but not when it turns violent.” There are some wonderful quotes in the text of this novel; one that has stayed with me is “patriotism is pretty universal and has been the justification for some of the worst acts on earth.”

There is some beautiful prose in this novel, especially when describing the landscape. Yes, there is some repetition, but I was able to easily overlook it for the message that this book conveyed.

This is the third in the series. Although I have read quite a few of Anne Perry’s many novels, I did not read the first two Elena Standish stories. This did work well as a standalone.There are two subsequent entries in the series; Anne Perry passed away in 2023.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @RandomHouse for the DRC.

*****