Mission to Paris

by Alan First

Mission to Paris is the 12th book in Alan Furst’s Night Soldier series. The historical espionage series is a look into the characters and the missions they carried out from 1934 to to 1940 as Europe moved towards world war. These novels stand on their own and really portray the individuals and the atmosphere of fear and mystery of the rise of Fascism and the brave men and woman who fought against it. I really enjoyed the series. The Mission to Paris is one of my favorites, so I’m starting with this one first.

It takes place in Paris. An American film star, Fredric Stahl, goes to Paris to make a movie for Paramount France. His accent had been cultivated over the years and was his trademark {think Peter Lorre and Cary Grant). Warner Bros. publicity bio described him as having wandered the world, which suggested romance and adventure. He was born Franz Stalka forty years before in Vienna to a Austrian mother and Slovakian father. Over the years since left home at 16, he had transformed himself. It’s 1938 and there is a small but determined fascist element eagar to change France and avoid the unavoidable, another war with Germany.

Since, Stahl was told to remain neurtral by his studio, he was careful not to voice his opinions. However, the pro German agents in Paris see an opportunity to control him. He tries to avoid them. But after seeing what the NAZIs are doing, he knows that he must stay far away from them.

However, Stahl sympathizes with the people in France who have esaped from the East and finds he can help them if he is discreet. He walks a fine line, and yet becomes involved not only in the espionage, but romantically as well. The book follows Stahl as they make the movie. As well as the difficult ways the producer and director have to deal with the government. The making of the movie is fascinating as they navigate the dangers of competeing political factions.

I found the book to be gripping, the romance steamy, the chacacters interesting. It read like a Humphry Bogart movie. I highly recommed this books as well as others in the series.