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Product Description
Review
`John Lawton finds himself in the same boat as the late Patrick O'Brian-a sublimely elegant historical novelist as addictive as crack but overlooked by too many readers for too long. Like O'Brian, he inhabits his periods - 20th-century tipping points witnessed by the rich and richly ambivalent sleuth Troy - with an ownership that leaves most history-bothering authors looking like day-trippers.' --Daily Telegraph
`Lawton writes with authority. His characters convince, and so does their world. Admirable, ambitious and haunting, this is the sort of thriller that defies categorisation. I look forward with enthusiasm to the next one.' --Spectator
`John Lawton's books contain such a wealth of period detail, character description and background information that they are lifted out of any category. Every word is enriched by the author's sophistication and irreverent intelligence, by his meticulous research and his wit.'
--Literary Review
`Lawton writes with authority. His characters convince, and so does their world. Admirable, ambitious and haunting, this is the sort of thriller that defies categorisation. I look forward with enthusiasm to the next one.' --Spectator
`John Lawton's books contain such a wealth of period detail, character description and background information that they are lifted out of any category. Every word is enriched by the author's sophistication and irreverent intelligence, by his meticulous research and his wit.'
--Literary Review
Product Description
'Observe in what an original world we are now living: how many men can you find in Europe who have never killed; or whom somebody does not wish to kill?'
Vienna, 1934. Ten-year-old cello prodigy Meret Voytek becomes a pupil of concert pianist Viktor Rosen, a Jew in exile from Germany.
The Isle of Man, 1940. An interned Hungarian physicist is recruited for the Manhattan Project in Los Alomos, building the atom bomb for the Americans.
Auschwitz, 1944. Meret is imprisoned but is saved from certain death to play the cello in the camp orchestra. She is playing for her life.
London, 1948. Viktor Rosen wants to relinquish his Communist Party membership after thirty years. His comrade and friend reminds him that he committed for life...
These seemingly unconnected strands all collide forcefully with a brazen murder on a London Underground platform, revealing an intricate web of secrecy and deception.
The ensuing events have personal significance for Scotland Yard Detective Frederick Troy. He finds himself pursuing a case with deadly and far-reaching consequences that ultimately threaten the balance of power in Europe.
Moving seamlessly from Vienna and Auschwitz to the deserts of New Mexico and the rubble-strewn streets of London, 'A Lily of the Field' is a fast-paced, thrilling addition for fans of the series and a captivating introduction for new readers of Lawton's work.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'Lily of the Field' is the 7th or 8th novel by John Lawton in the 'Troy' series. Beautifully written, it takes you from Vienna prewar, and the times of the Chrystalnaght, to the late 40's and the cold war. Characters from his other books cleverley interweave with the new, with the activities Troy the detective in the Mets Murder squad and delightful snapshots of his family.
An excellent story, well worth a read; as well as being a facinating reminder of the trials of modern times - it is a must for those who have an interest in modern history.
An excellent story, well worth a read; as well as being a facinating reminder of the trials of modern times - it is a must for those who have an interest in modern history.
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"A Lily of the Field" is the first John Lawton book I've read. In fact, despite being a prolific reader of British WW1 and WW2 era mysteries, I had never heard of him or his books. The problem with stepping into a series in mid-stream, as I have done here, is that I feel I am not as knowledgeable about Lawton's on-going characters as I would have been had I read his backlist.
"Lily" starts out as an espionage story and changes midway through to a police procedural. Not that, in theory, there's anything wrong with writing like that, but it does rather change the pace and some questions and characters introduced in the first part of the book are not answered in the second. It feels somewhat "incomplete". The story(ies) are both quite good and Lawton gives an excellent description of post-war London and Paris, as well as pre-war Vienna, and war-time Los Alamos and New York, and Auchwitz. I just couldn't stop thinking, as I finished this book, that there was a lot left out that should have been included, in terms of plot and characters.
I have ordered several of Lawton's backlist of his Inspector Troy series so I have some idea of the Troy family and their position in London society and the back story of some of the other characters in "A Lily of the Field". As a stand-alone novel, as I read it, I thought it was a four-star effort. Maybe, after reading some of Lawton's previous work, and seeing where "Lily" fits in, I'll come back and change this to a five-star rating.
I did enjoy this book, though, and can heartily recommend it.
"Lily" starts out as an espionage story and changes midway through to a police procedural. Not that, in theory, there's anything wrong with writing like that, but it does rather change the pace and some questions and characters introduced in the first part of the book are not answered in the second. It feels somewhat "incomplete". The story(ies) are both quite good and Lawton gives an excellent description of post-war London and Paris, as well as pre-war Vienna, and war-time Los Alamos and New York, and Auchwitz. I just couldn't stop thinking, as I finished this book, that there was a lot left out that should have been included, in terms of plot and characters.
I have ordered several of Lawton's backlist of his Inspector Troy series so I have some idea of the Troy family and their position in London society and the back story of some of the other characters in "A Lily of the Field". As a stand-alone novel, as I read it, I thought it was a four-star effort. Maybe, after reading some of Lawton's previous work, and seeing where "Lily" fits in, I'll come back and change this to a five-star rating.
I did enjoy this book, though, and can heartily recommend it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
All of us have authors (mostly writers of fiction) that we connect with, no matter the subject. John Lawton is one of those guys for me. There is something about how he evokes a sense of place, develops his characters, paces his stories and "period hops" that appeals to me pretty much through his entire literary output, and certainly when talking about the very excellent Inspector Freddie Troy series. "A Lily of the Field" is another John Lawton winner, in my opinion.
While this excellent new Inspector Troy murder/espionage novel stands very well on its own, it is something of a sequel to the last book in the series, "Second Violin". Both books focus, to a large degree, on the political and intellectual refugees who fled Austria to Britain in the 1930s (and after) and how they were treated at the hands of a very nervous British wartime government. An important sub-story here is an insightful look at the Holocaust and the treacherous and destructive way it operated in Austria and other countries. Like the other eight Troy stories, "A Lily..." is an intelligent mix of politics, culture and police procedural that spans places and periods from 1934 Vienna to 1948 London. Driving events are the Nazis moving toward domination of Europe and extermination of European Jewry and the expansion of the Soviet Union's efforts to carve out a protected and privileged position for communism in Europe and elsewhere. The characters in this novel are a mix of Lawton's regular subjects (the Troy family, old paramour, Larissa Tosca, the regulars of the London Police Force, etc. AND fictionalized versions of well-known musicians and scientists of the period. I suspect the extensive focus on music and musicians that is peculiar to this book reflects the author's own interest in classical and jazz forms. Whatever the reason, the references give the storyline added interest (in my opinion).
This is an intelligent novel with a lot of bells and whistles to hold the reader's attention, and it has a satisfying conclusion with the promise of more to come. Couldn't ask for more. Highly recommended.
While this excellent new Inspector Troy murder/espionage novel stands very well on its own, it is something of a sequel to the last book in the series, "Second Violin". Both books focus, to a large degree, on the political and intellectual refugees who fled Austria to Britain in the 1930s (and after) and how they were treated at the hands of a very nervous British wartime government. An important sub-story here is an insightful look at the Holocaust and the treacherous and destructive way it operated in Austria and other countries. Like the other eight Troy stories, "A Lily..." is an intelligent mix of politics, culture and police procedural that spans places and periods from 1934 Vienna to 1948 London. Driving events are the Nazis moving toward domination of Europe and extermination of European Jewry and the expansion of the Soviet Union's efforts to carve out a protected and privileged position for communism in Europe and elsewhere. The characters in this novel are a mix of Lawton's regular subjects (the Troy family, old paramour, Larissa Tosca, the regulars of the London Police Force, etc. AND fictionalized versions of well-known musicians and scientists of the period. I suspect the extensive focus on music and musicians that is peculiar to this book reflects the author's own interest in classical and jazz forms. Whatever the reason, the references give the storyline added interest (in my opinion).
This is an intelligent novel with a lot of bells and whistles to hold the reader's attention, and it has a satisfying conclusion with the promise of more to come. Couldn't ask for more. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Moving
Avery moving story of fortitude and endurance by the heroine. If anyone gets the chance to visit Austvist ( now a museum) do go, your life will be changed.
Published 2 months ago by R. C. Tuck
A Lily of the Field
A very interesting fictional account of the escape from Nazi Germany of those concerned, first, in the making of the first atomic bomb and, at the same time, spies who had also... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gotlieb
Book
Was not too sure about this book but there was a story to it in the end i enjoyed the read.
Published 3 months ago by hobnob
Brilliant book
This isn't my usual 'type' of book but I found I couldn't put it down and I'll definitely be buying more John Lawton books.
Published 3 months ago by E. Roberts
unusual but gripping book of two halves
The first half of the book is a fascinating story of life in Vienna before WW2 and the strife suffered by families as Hitler invaded. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brian Swinton
Intriguing stuff
This espionage story switches into a police procedural, as already noted by other reviewers, but it is seemless: I only noticed some time after it happened. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jonathan Lake
Another cracker.
Once again John Lawton produces an hugely enjoyable novel. The latest in the ongoing 'Troy' series, despite the fact that he does not appear until the second half of the book. Read more
Published 10 months ago by M. J. Nash
Wonderful Tale of The Wars....
There is a quote on the front of this book citing John Lawton as being one of the "hidden treasures" of spy writing. I can only agree. Read more
Published 11 months ago by M. Stevens
Are these social comment, political histories, spook thrillers or...
The 'Troy' novels are not easy to categorize; Are they social comment, political histories, spook thrillers or crime novels? Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ms.B.Itch
A tight package
Ah, a good old spy story. Or is it a police procedural?
The less-than-impressively titled Lily of the Field turns out to be both, and it's all done quite brilliantly, tripping... Read more
The less-than-impressively titled Lily of the Field turns out to be both, and it's all done quite brilliantly, tripping... Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. Wise
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