Summary and Reviews of Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst

Media Reviews

Boston Globe Furst's most richly textured and, arguably, finest espionage novel.

New York Times Astonishingly, Alan Furst is not yet a household name. But perhaps the sixth of his supple, elegant European spy novels will do the trick, what with its beguiling sophistication, knowing political overview and utterly assured narrative tone. Mr. Furst is not one of those spy writers who have to strain, name-drop or cook up mind-boggling feats to assure the reader that his hero is an interesting man.

New York Times Book Review Furst's latest and most impressive novel, Kingdom of Shadows, offers several forays across the political quicksands of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and France just before the Second World War. This densely atmospheric thriller begins in the gilded world of the Parisian haute bourgeoisie, where men look through sheer curtains at the ''ecstatic gray light of a rainy Parisian morning,'' drink from bottles of 1922 Echézeaux and employ the services of courtesans with names like Mimi Moux... Kingdom of Shadows is undeniably intelligent and harrowing.

Library Journal Furst has earned deserved acclaim for his lapidary espionage novels (The World at Night, Red Gold), set just before World War II. An exceptional piece of writing, with engaging characters and moments of sharp, unexpected violence, this is recommended for all public libraries.

Publisher's Weekly The desperation of stateless people trying to escape the Nazi redrawing of the European map in the late 1930s pervades Furst's marvelous sixth espionage thriller. This is Furst's best book since The Polish Officer, and in it he proves himself once again a master of literary espionage.