February 24, 2014
With this so-so stand-alone historical, Janes takes a break from his St.-Cyr and Kohler WWII series (Bellringer, etc.), which teams a Gestapo man with a Surete investigator in Occupied France. After the war, Lily Hollis is guilt-ridden over having survived Bergen-Belsen when her sister and two children did not. In the confusion of the camp's liberation, it's assumed that she perished as well, a mistake that enables her to assume the role of avenger, sending "little black pasteboard coffins" to her intended victims (apparently valuing instilling fear over making her mission easier). Her targets include a corrupt French inspector who worked hand-in-glove with the Germans, but who seeks to avoid her wrath by noting that he was "cleared" of wrongdoing by the Resistance. Soap opera-ish elementsâbefore the war, Lily's husband slept with her sisterâdetract from the drama. The prose is also not up to Janes's usual standard, as shown by some florid love scenes.