Once a Spy

July 22, 2019
Putney’s exciting fourth Rogues Redeemed Regency series (after Once a Scoundrel) contrasts harsh trauma with sweet domesticity. Suzanne Duval is living in a London boardinghouse when Col. Simon Duval, a cousin of her late husband, arrives at her home. Simon learned from a friend that Suzanne was recently rescued from a harem in Turkey and might need his help. He’s dismayed to discover her reduced circumstances and offers Suzanne a marriage of companionship, asserting that he no longer wants physical intimacy. Suzanne agrees to marry Simon, believing that the abuses she suffered in the harem have likewise destroyed all her intimate desires. When Simon learns that his cousin, Lucas Mandeville, previously believed to be dead, was possibly spotted in Belgium, the newlyweds travel there to search for him. Soon they’re caught up in spying, Napoleon’s return sparks renewed warfare, and Simon is torn between duty and the happiness he has discovered with Suzanne. Putney’s dramatic historical is filled with scintillating romance and tense danger.

A superb performance by narrator Beverley A. Crick makes even the most credibility-stretching events in Putney's fourth Rogues Redeemed series delightful listening. Her voice is lovely, and her ability to slip between British and French accents and classes is impressive. Simon Duval, former British intelligence officer, and his cousin's widow, Suzanne, met once long ago and formed a bond of friendship. After Napoleon's abdication, Simon and Suzanne agree to an unusual marriage based on companionship. Suzanne has been mistreated by men, and Simon believes his capacity for love has been destroyed by the war. Crick allows their blossoming romance to unfold slowly amid the turmoil of Napoleon's escape from Elba and return to power. She handles subplots, dangerous liaisons, history, and backstory with enthusiasm. S.J.H. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine