Clayton, Meg Waite

A true gem in an oversaturated category, and a testament to the power of good. Recommended for fans of Ariel Lawhon’s Code Name Hélène or Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls.

With its well-developed characters and race-against-the-clock plot, this fantastic novel should have broad appeal, especially with fans of historical fiction and thrillers. [See Prepub Alert, 3/4/19.]

Listeners will wish to know more about Martha Gellhorn's (1908–98) life before and after Hemingway. Recommended. ["The writing is rich with detail, the exotic locales from Madrid during the Spanish Civil War to D-day on Omaha Beach to the couple's home in Cuba are vividly portrayed, and major figures of the day from Eleanor Roosevelt to Gary Cooper make an appearance": LJ Xpress Reviews 6/29/18 review of the Lake Union pb.]

As she did in her best-selling The Wednesday Sisters, Clayton here explores female relationships but far less engagingly. Instead of true characterization, Clayton resorts to literary quotes, legalese, and Latin verbiage to give her characters unique voices. Still, fans of Elizabeth Noble, Ann Hood, Elin Hilderbrand, and other luminaries of female friendship fiction will find much to captivate them. [Author tour; library marketing.]