Dragonfly

A quintet of twentysomething Americans, are recruited by “the man in brown” to work on a secret mission, for reasons known only to him. They all accept, for reasons known only to them. After necessary training, they are given new identities and smuggled into Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942. Their team name is Dragonfly. Insinuating themselves into the lives of important officials, they report faithfully to their handler. They don’t realize, however, that unfriendly folks have deduced their true roles and are simply stringing them along. When D-Day arrives, the five are swept up in the rush to survive, and one doesn’t make it to the rendezvous point. Twenty years later, an obscure book seems to offer the reason why. Meacham has previously specialized in romance novels (Roses; Tumbleweeds), and this story has that same sweep and atmosphere. The thrills are tingly rather than electrifying, the leads are superficially satisfying, and the enemies meet their appropriate ends.