Set sail for murder

Monday, April 4, 2016

Too Bad To Die by Francine Mathews

Francine Mathews has written a spy novel in Too Bad To Die. She recreates the drama around the Cairo Conference with chief players Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In her fictionalized version she has Ian Fleming working as a Naval Intelligence officer becoming involved in the protection of the three players that are to meet in Tehran, Iran in the coming days of 1943. It is Franklin D. Roosevelt's first meeting with Joseph Stalin. Word is out that there is an assassination plot to kill all three in Tehran as Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin work out the details of the western invasion of Europe to conquer Htitler. The thriller suspense novel is excellent, the pacing is suburb and the details of the locale all standout to make an excellent novel. Many characters are drawn in the drama, some fictitious but many are drawn on real players at the time. Churchill is traveling with his daughter in-law, Pamela Churchill and his daughter Sarah Churchill Oliver. He also has his communication specialist who helps Ian Fleming send and receive messages to Alan Turing, who has broken the Enigma Code. Ian Fleming learns there is a spy among the American and British entourage and he goes undercover to learn the identity and protect Churchill. "Absolutely marvelous! This novel masterfully weaves fact and fiction into a high-pitched thriller that keeps us spellbound from the very first pages. Great plotting, exotic locales, and historical characters who positively come alive on the page, with some delightful sly winks along the way." Jeffrey Deaver, New York Times 

No comments: