Synopses & Reviews
A compelling thriller and love story set in post–Civil War Spain.
Fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind and Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong will fall in love with Winter in Madrid, the arresting new novel from C. J. Sansom. In September 1940, the Spanish Civil War is over and Madrid lies in ruins while the Germans continue their march through Europe. Britain stands alone as General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war.
Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett, a privileged young man who was recently traumatized by his experience in Dunkirk and is now a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of Sandy Forsyth, an old school friend turned shadowy Madrid businessman, Brett finds himself involved in a dangerous game and surrounded by memories.
Meanwhile, Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged in a secret mission of her own to find her former lover Bernie Piper, whose passion for the Communist cause led him into the International Brigades and who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.
In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid is an intimate and riveting tale that offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding and the profound impact of impossible choices.
Review
"Wise and melancholy and, eventually, very tense." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A combination of historical novel and spy thriller, this evocation of a dangerous diplomatic environment, where no one can trust anyone, will have widespread appeal." Booklist
Review
"Sansom's splendid novel is not only similar in backdrop to For Whom the Bell Tolls; it is also written in much the same plain and direct style (though Sansom's descriptive powers, particularly when introducing a change in setting or when portraying winter weather conditions, are quite remarkable)." Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
A vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid presents an intimate and riveting tale that offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding and the profound impact of impossible choices.
Synopsis
A #1 internationally bestselling novel set in post-Civil War Spain by the author of Dominion and the Matthew Shardlake Tudor Mystery series September 1940: the Spanish Civil War is over, Madrid lies in ruin, while the Germans continue their march through Europe, and General Franco evades Hitler's request that he lead his broken country into yet another war. Into this uncertain world comes a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service, sent to gain the confidence of Sandy Forsyth, an old school friend turned shady Madrid businessman. Meanwhile, an ex-Red Cross nurse is engaged in a secret mission of her own. Through this dangerous game of intrigue, C. J. Sansom's riveting tale conjures a remarkable sense of history unfolding and the profound impact of impossible choices.
Synopsis
From the author of Sepharad comes an internationally best-selling novel set against the tumultuous events that led to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Synopsis
October 1936. Spanish architect Ignacio Abel arrives at Penn Station, the final stop on his journey from war-torn Madrid, where he has left behind his wife and children, abandoning them to uncertainty. Crossing the fragile borders of Europe, he reflects on months of fratricidal conflict in his embattled country, his own transformation from a bricklayers son to a respected bourgeois husband and professional, and the all-consuming love affair with an American woman that forever alters his life.
Winner of the 2012 Prix Méditerranée Étranger and hailed as a masterpiece, In the Night of Time is a sweeping, grand novel and an indelible portrait of a shattered society, written by one of Spains most important contemporary novelists.
About the Author
C. J. Sansom was a lawyer but now writes full time. He holds a PhD in history and is the author of Dissolution, Dark Fire, and Sovereign in the Matthew Shardlake mystery series.