- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: John Murray (Sep 17 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1848540329
- ISBN-13: 978-1848540323
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 14.8 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 200 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,020,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"A gripping thriller . . . precision and grace . . . rich authenticity. Let's hope Monroe finds an American readership and the book becomes more readily available here soon." —Orange County Register
"It's really quite wonderful." —Linda Fairstein, author, The Deadhouse
"An impressive novel with an extraordinary, dreamlike atmosphere. . . . The next can’t come too soon." —Financial Times
"A splendid debut . . . terrific and convincing historical atmosphere; I am delighted that she is writing more Peter Cotton novels." —Times
"Her writing is skilful and evocative . . . a stylish and impressive debut." —Economist
"Accomplished debut . . . Monroe’s portrait of Cadiz in the aftermath of the civil war is atmospheric, and in a surprising twist the mild-mannered Cotton turns out to be as devious as his adversaries." —Sunday Times
"Cotton’s investigating is clever and fascinating." —Guardian
"Addictive." —Sunday Telegraph
Product Description
Sent to Spain in 1944 to arrest a rogue spy, British agent Peter Cotton expects an easy first assignment. But he arrives to find his quarry dead and all of Cadiz awaiting his arrival. In a hotbed of scandal and murder, Cotton must navigate a labyrinth of international conspiracies, shifting political allegiances, and a mysterious local expatriate community to discover the truth. What he unearths could just tilt the emerging balance of post-war power and the course of history for ever.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Espionage in wartime Spain, Nov 30 2008
By S. McGee - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Maze Of Cadiz A Peter Cotton Book (Paperback)
You can order this spy novel from Amazon.co.uk, and I'd strongly recommend that anyone interested in noir-ish fiction set in 1940s Europe (think Alan Furst), should do so.Peter Cotton is dispatched to Cadiz to discover just what agent-in-place Ronald May has been up to, but finds that May is dead (drowned? murdered?) and a host of mysterious individuals, ranging from the local head of Franco's secret police, Ramirez, to the German wife of a Spanish industrialist, seem very interested indeed in Cotton, his mission, his objectives and even his opinions. Indeed, a lot is at stake. In September 1944, Franco's former ally, Hitler, is clearly losing the war and Spaniards wonder what will happen next. Will the Allies turn their attention to punishing Spain?
Monroe is an expert writer, never disclosing more than she must and maintaining a level of suspense throughout as much through her spare writing style and evocative descriptions as through the action itself. There are few heroes in the war-weary Spain that she describes; even as the Allies are on the verge of triumphing over Nazi Germany to the north, Cotton's travels in Sapin show just how elusive winning the peace is in the wake of such massive conflict. It is clear that, regardless of Cotton's own fate, Europe will have no "happy ever after" ending to the wartime story. From an antiquarian to a naive Irish nanny, she has a knack for portraying the different personalities caught up in conflicts not of their making.
Monroe's ability to portray character as well as come up with a compelling plot makes her a superb writer who deserves the comparison to Alan Furst (although the latter prefers to focus on the prewar 1930s). This, the book jacket says, will be the first in a series of Peter Cotton novels, and I intend to snap up the next one as soon as it appears.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A NEW AGENT ENTERS INTO THE REALM OF ESPIONAGE FICTION, Oct 6 2011
By MONTGOMERY - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Maze of Cadiz (Paperback)
During the first week of September 1944, Peter Cotton, a 25 year old intelligence officer and fluent Spanish speaker, arrives in Madrid from London. Upon arrival at the British Embassy, he begins to undertake what, prima facie, appears to be a straightforward and clear-cut mission: travel to Cadiz and replace the British agent there (R.A. May), who, through the consulate, had spent over a year gathering information on shipments of raw materials vital to the German war effort. (As a matter of historical record, Spain, though officially neutral, had lent some material support to Germany.) But Cotton soon learns that things are not all that they're cracked up to be. May also engaged in some questionable activities in terms of his personal life, which compromised his role in Cadiz. He spent lots of money allotted to him without authorization. For that reason, his handlers asked him to explain his actions. Their requests went unanswered. And so, the decision was made to have May recalled to London. Cotton had arrived in Madrid and expected to meet May in Cadiz and relieve him on the spot. But he soon learns that May had apparently drowned and his body was fished out of the Bay of Cadiz.The author provides a fascinating view of Cotton's long and at times arduous train trek southward to Cadiz. There Cotton shows that he has mettle and grit. Through the help of a local agent (a man of culture and refinement, whose resourcefulness reaps dividends for Cotton) and in spite of the tacit hostility of the British consul to his mission, he uncovers much more than he bargained for.
For the lover of espionage fiction and of the carefully crafted and engaging story, you won't go wrong here.
2 of 7 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
No Action, No Logic or is it Me?, May 20 2010
By Diana L. Cohen "donaquijote" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Maze of Cadiz (Paperback)
I just finished the Maze of Cadiz looking for the texture and grit of post-Civil War Cadiz/Spain. I did not find it, but found instead the pace plodded, the dialogue dragged, and the logic of the mystery alluded me completely. I have always thought myself to be a perceptive and sophisticated reader who has read a lot about Spain and the Spanish Civil War but I found this story a slog. I didn't even enjoy the writing. Sorry to have to report this and if anyone who reads this book can explain it to me, please do because I am completely baffled. Not fun! But I am willing to have someone enlighten me and I will happily retract my comments.Diana Cohen
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