‘Appointment in Paris’ by Jane Thynne

Published by Quercus Books,
11 September 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-52943-071-4 (HB)

It is April 1940 and the Phony War is in its last months.  As London prepares for air-raids, Chamberlain’s government is faltering.  Trent Park, a stately home now acting as a prison for high-ranking PWOs, is being used as a secret listening station, where the conversations of the inmates are recorded by listeners (mainly women) and information gathered about Nazi plans.  So, when a body in the uniform of a Luftwaffe captain is found in the grounds and the following day one of the listeners, and a gun from the firing range disappear, it is vital that the missing person is caught before he can wreck this important operation. 

Harry Fox (a former MI5 surveillance operative) is contacted by his ex-boss to assist in finding the missing man.  Harry is keen to be involved in the war effort and agrees that Stella Fry, with whom he has worked on a previous case, is just the person to help.  Stella is recruited to the listening station, where she receives some training, but her real job is the murder investigation.  As the Blitzkrieg moves across Europe, she travels to Paris to see what she can find out about the missing man and his whereabouts.

This is a fast-paced book that holds the interest.  It neatly blends fact and fiction, with real people and actual events informing the plot – for example, Stella meets Noel Coward in his role in the British propaganda office in Paris.  The unrelieved atmosphere of tension and the fears and concerns of the times are effectively transmitted to the reader.  The shadowy world of the spy lurks constantly in the background, as the importance of catching the missing man becomes ever more urgent.  

The characters are well-drawn and the odd partnership of Harry and Stella, established in the first book of this series, continues to develop both personally and professionally, providing a link to their shared past.  The atmosphere of anxiety and fear never falters as the complexities of the hunt are played out.  Though the story is a great stand-alone, the first two books suggest that this is going to be a series to follow, so readers may well wish to read to read the stories in chronological order. 
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Reviewer: Jo Hesslewood

Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English and joined the BBC as a journalist. She has also worked at The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, as well as for numerous British magazines. She appears as a broadcaster on Radio 4. Jane is married to the writer Philip Kerr. They have three children and live in London. Find out more at....

janethynne.com 

Jo Hesslewood.  Crime fiction has been my favourite reading material since as a teenager I first spotted Agatha Christie on the library bookshelves.  For twenty-five years the commute to and from London provided plenty of reading time.  I am fortunate to live in Cambridge, where my local crime fiction book club, Crimecrackers, meets at Heffers Bookshop .  I enjoy attending crime fiction events and currently organise events for the Margery Allingham Society.