Mystery/Thriller -- 2 1/2 stars
Elena Standish - Book 1
World War I is finally over, and sisters Margot and Elena are on vacation on the Italian coast where Elena, a budding photographer, falls for a handsome stranger and disappears with him after telling her sister she is going to Paris. Unbeknownst to her sister or her father, an ex-member of Britain's super secret M16 spy network, Elena is charged with delivering a message to Britain's ambassador in Berlin. With Hitler on the rise, her task is more perilous than she can know. ----- I love Anne Perry's William Monk books, but with the start of this new series, it seems like she is trying too hard. Situations don't ring true, and problems are solved in a manner bordering on glib, all while one main question of loyalty never gets answered. If Elena is to be the focus of more books, she is going to need to be a more substantive character, not the thinly veneered person presented here. There is a nice surprise at the end, but in light of what came before, it felt forced.
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