Tightrope

More about the book

An historical thriller featuring Marian Sutro, an ex-Special Operations agent, explores her romantic and political adventures in post-World War II London, as the Cold War begins to reshape loyalties. In spring 1945, as Allied forces approach Berlin, Marian emerges from the devastation of Germany, having last been known to her British handlers in autumn 1943 in Paris. A survivor of the Special Operations Executive, she has endured arrest, interrogation, and the horrors of Ravensbrück concentration camp, but at a significant personal cost. Returning to an unfamiliar England and a confusing postwar world, Marian seeks to ground her life amidst family and friends, yet she is haunted by her past and the guilt of her role in the war, which contributed to the atrocities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When Major Fawley, who disrupted her wartime mission, reappears, he entangles her in the complexities of the Cold War. This presents Marian with a chance to atone for her past while seeking her true identity. The narrative unfolds as a tale of divided loyalties and mixed motives, revealing a woman's quest for personal fulfillment that leads to shocking decisions.