I wish I had read this when I first received the NetGalley ebook. I did read this long book quickly and intensively over a few days. It is a compulsive read. I have thought about it whilst I was reading it and afterwards.

One criticism I have is that the Resistance members were in their nineties. Elodie and Patrice were nearly 60 and so some of the characters were more active than seems realistic. That said the characters in the modern police team were well drawn.

Like another reviewer I did not realise this was a second in the series about Picaut. I shall be finding the first one and will enjoy reading it.

The web of the spies during the war and later was very interesting. A good historical novel combined with a murder mystery, plenty of drama and tension.

I have been unable to review this book as it disappeared off my shelf to download. This is disappointing as I believe it was a wonderful book from the reviews I have read.

Scott successfully transports the reader between the Second World War and 2018 with 'A Treachery of Spies'. Her careful reflections and descriptions of places, events and characters (not least their feelings and emotions) ensure your feeling of being there. My only problem was that, at times, the descriptions sometimes felt unnecessarily too detailed and the introduction of so many elements of the secret services added somewhat to the overload and detracted from the continuity of the plot. However, this was a book that was extremely difficult to put down and, especially if you like detective mysteries and World War Two Resistance action plots, is a definite must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Press (Penguin Random House) for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley, Random House UK, and the author Manda Scott.
I really enjoyed this thriller, a fantastic story which jumps between 1940s France during WW2, and present day Orleans. The second half of the book moved a lot faster, and my only slight criticism is that at the beginning of the novel it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, and what their involvement was within the plot.
It was clearly meticulously researched, and so I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical and crime fiction. 4.5*

A complex thriller set in present day and 1940s occupied France. Thought provoking with regard to where Fascism (and Fascists) went after the war, and the role of espionage in politics. The story is gripping and the characters (with some excellent female protagonists), are well rounded and believable. The two time frames are pulled together into a compelling and satisfying narrative.

An excellent Spy Thriller. I had not read Manda Scott before but will definitely be reading more. Told in 2 timelines which wove fascinatingly together. Both periods of time raised questions around the nature of patriotism, heroism and revenge. A book that gave me something to think about whilst not detracting from the rollercoaster pace at which it proceeded. A vivid description of both characters and a period in time. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this free reading copy and introducing me to a new favourite author.

DNF at 21%.

I really struggled to get into this book. I found it quite difficult to follow the plot because of the switches between the plot in the past and the plot in the present. It was incredibly complicated and quite confusing.

A good thriller full of suspense and an interesting read. Well worth the read and a good discovery of this new author

Sometimes you are depressed when you finish a book; you want it to go on you are so caught up in the story and the characters.
I am so delighted to have finished A Treachery of Spies by Manda Scott.
Firstly, it is such a wonderful historical novel with a modern crime drama to finish it means I can write a review to urge everyone to read this tremendous book.
Secondly, I have had a love for this author for a number of years. I had bought Into the Fire on its release as it combined my passion for history and crime drama. It was a signed edition direct from a local bookstore to the author. Sadly, I have never got round to it. Indeed in reading this latest novel I did not fully realise it was the second in the Police captain Inès Picaut series. So I am doubly happy since I will now be able to read this and revisit my familiar police team in the French city of Orléans.
Thirdly, and perhaps finally the book is a great jumping off point to think about and research more about the realities of war during the occupation of France in World War II. The author leaves us a comprehensive bibliography of where else to read.

The book is a stand alone, but the character of Picaut so intriguing that one will like me do to Into the Fire for a next read.
The book is in effect two stories in one. The historical resistance fight against the German forces of occupation and torture. And the modern event that brings it all back into focus and shows that the killing has not stopped. Within the French Resistance were units of rural guerrilla fighters, the Maquis. This is the story of such a group whose loyalties were forged in battle but who were betrayed by one of their own.
They quest for vengeance failed 12 years later and in modern France it seems the fight has been re-joined.
Breathtakingly real with a great sense of place where SOE agents join the bands of locals to fight. A task always with danger and the fear of capture, more urgent and risky just prior to and following D-Day.
A modern democracy in France trying to unravel the past through normal police methods while the spooks of today seem to be on hand to thwart, confuse and hinder a thorough investigation.
No recent book I have read has gripped me so; the narrative is tense and true to its time whether in the past or amid the technology of today’s police force.
The mystery of an unmasked traitor holds the piece together and the slow understanding brings little clarity. In the process you are fully engaged dodging bullets and warming to people in their youth who live on today in their nineties or through their descendants with bonds that seem unbreakable.
It seems the TV show to remember their wartime acts has frightened a Judas in their midst who has a new political desire to let the past be remembered without blame. Those of the Maquis who are left seem no longer able to defend themselves or their friends. Can the investigative team discover the truth someone wants to keep secret?
Totally believable; a very satisfying read by an author who is not only sensitive to the past but poses questions to keep us guessing but also enlightened to the things done in the name of expediency by the governments of the day.
I am delighted and angry. Pleased in every part of this story and the historical undying of the book. Enraged by the duplicity of regimes that allowed not just scientists to escape Germany but many Nazi’s whose beliefs did not die in the Berlin bunker.
Thoughtful stuff, comprehensively delivered in a fiction that keeps one thinking long after the story’s end.

An impressive tale that skilfully weaves between wartime and present day France, 'A Treachery of Spies' will provide excitement and interest aplenty for most readers. The story unfolds along two parallel timelines, set in the wartime adventures of SOE agents and the French resistance and a criminal investigation into murders in 2018 in Orleans, France. Transitions between the two intimately connected narratives are skilfully handled, although the complex stories involving many characters require the reader to pay careful attention if they wish to avoid too many excursions to re-read previous chapters! For the most part the history is handled well and there is a degree of authenticity that is sometimes lacking in stories set in wartime France, although there was an odd 'Routemaster' moment when the author appears to suggest the single seater Me109 fighter had multiple crew members. Towards the end the author's geopolitical allegiances may have been exposed to the slight detriment of the narrative, but not sufficiently - in this reader's opinion - to spoil the enjoyment. This book repays the time and concentration required to reach the denouement that brings the past and present into a stark confrontation. Highly recommended..

Excellent wartime conspiracy resurrected in the modern world. Fully recommended if you 'd rather sit on the circle line than get off and go to work..

Although this didn't somehow engage me personally, it's immensely interesting so I continued to read about serious double crossing with patina here of authenticity but read it in fits and starts. It's getting great reviews so I'm halfway going along with other readers on this. The theme is totally timely.

It all started off as a really exciting read but then I quickly got lost in the the switching between past and present times and characters. I have to admit that I have put this book down for now but I haven’t given up on it because I can see it has the makings of a very good tale of espionage and treachery. I just need to find the time to sit down and read it straight through so that I can concentrate on it. I will then edit this review accordingly.

An interesting mix of two story lines, set in the present day and World War 2. What happened all those years ago need to be re- examined to answer the crime committed in the present.
It is a pleasant change that the investigator is female although there is obviously a back story in another novel.

Found it harder to get into than I expected; maybe it was jumping from one era to another.
It was a tense story that unfolded and it really does reinforce the admiration we should feel for both men and women who worked undercover in WWII.
I did like the character of Picaut who is leading the investigation in Orleans in the present day.
It wasn't all engrossing which is a shame as I really wanted it to be and I was really looking forward to reading this.

A tour de force of the spy thriller genre. In 2018, Sophie Destivelle is found dead; in the 40s she was a key member of the Maquis in France. In 2018, is it coincidence that a film company is producing a documentary on the Maquis? Who was Sophie?

Packed with many intriguing characters, and seamlessly flitting between the present day and the past, A Treachery of Spies is a complex puzzle with many pieces - pieces which slowly fit together to reveal the answers. A brilliant read, highly recommended.

An elderly lady is found shot dead in Orleans, the victim of what appears to be a professional hit. The local police captain brought in to try and solve the murder finds connections, which take the reader from the modern day back to the early, then later years of the Second World War. Intrigue and intelligence are intertwined to form a complex and compelling mystery with its origins in the Second World War.

There are some strange aspects to the book - the author proposes a thesis that modern politics is run by those who espouse the politics of the Nazis and who are trying to run a world where communism (apparently a force for good) has been turned into the enemy so that the Nazis in charge can persuade the populace to go along with their views. A rather odd view of the 20th century, which does detract from the excellent mystery being woven throughout the book.

Almost a really great book, but not quite.

A Gripping Tale

This is a very worthwhile read with tension maintained to the very end and carefully woven detail throughout the story enriching the tale.
The sordid post-war history of the Allies is exposed – pragmatism being the watchword as a new threat from the East emerged and my ‘enemy’s enemy is my friend’ became the mantra for organisations like the CIA and European intelligence agencies.
I look forward to further books by Manda Scott.
This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Note : Reviewed on Amazon on 13 August 2018 https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2V32OWPIO5ZD7/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Manda Scott, in 'A Treachery of Spies,' mixes some of my favourite genres: crime fiction/thriller, historical fiction and espionage and does so in a way that makes the story completely seamless. The combination of genres works extremely well here. I find I am always dubious regarding testimonials from big names in the publishing world, and here industry favourites Lee Child and Mick Herron have both given glowing reviews of this book. I admit, on this occasion, all of them were correct.

When the body of 92-year-old Sophie Destivelle is discovered in a car close to the railway station with her tongue cut out, the method of mutilation echoes that used against traitors to the Resistance (The Maquis) during the German/Nazi occupation of France in World War II. Orléans police detective Capitaine Inès Picaut, who we were first intriduced to in 'Into The Fire,' is called in to investigate the killing and finds out that there have been other similar deaths within the local vicinity. Who exactly was this elderly lady? Why was she murdered in this particular manner? This is Picaut's first case after coming back from time away having being badly burned in a fire (in 'Into The Fire'), and it is certainly a complex one. She soon discovers that wartime activities are to blame for the brutal murders, and that in order to solve them, she will have to revisit France's past.

This is a seriously complex book, and I found that there were rather a lot of characters to keep track of throughout the story, however, it didn't spoil my overall enjoyment. There is no doubt that Manda Scott has carried out a great deal of meticulous research in order to make this as close to reality as possible, and it certainly was a triumph, in that respect. We learn how wartime agents were trained and about the use of ciphers, or codes, which was intriguing. Unfortuntely, some parts of the plot are difficult to follow, and the plot becomes quite convoluted, making it a bit of a hard slog in places. That said, this is the best historical/espionage/crime fiction I have had the pleasure of reading in a while. It is well worth investing the time in. Fast paced with action aplenty, this is a great read!

Many thanks to Bantam Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A great spy novel very well written. It took me sometime to get into and I found remembering who was who with the switch between times in history quite a challenge. However you really need to persevere and the reward is in knowing you have just been one of the first to read a future classic.