- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: John Murray; 1st Edition edition (13 Nov 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1848540256
- ISBN-13: 978-1848540255
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 418,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Maze of Cadiz: A Peter Cotton Book
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Product Description
Review
'The Maze of Cadiz is a splendid debut mystery ... Monroe provides terrific and convincing historical atmosphere; I am delighted that she is writing more Peter Cotton novels'
(Marcel Berlins, The Times )'Aly Monroe has created an impressive novel with an extraordinary, dream-like atmosphere ... only the first of a series of novels about him. The next can't come too soon.'
(Natasha Cooper, Financial Times )'Aly Monroe is a newcomer to crime writing, whose accomplished debut, The Maze of Cadiz, is set in 1944 ... 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'
(Joan Smith, The Sunday Times )'Cotton's investigating is clever and fascinating'
(Matthew Lewin, Guardian )'Addictive'
'Her writing is skilful and evocative...The Maze of Cadiz is a stylish and impressive debut'
'Intelligent spy tale with little action and lots of intrigue ... very atmospheric'
(Bookseller )'I have been quite captivated ...The book had me totally convinced that Ms Monroe knows her Spain and, more to the point, knows the Spain of 1944 ...wonderfully atmospheric, very well-written'
(Shots )'Monroe lines up an array of strong and picturesque characters'
(Edward James, Historical Novels Review )'Fans of convoluted espionage fiction will find much joy in this, the first instalment of a promising new series'
(Mat Coward, Morning Star )'The slow pace of this novel is deliberate and perfectly authentic as it captures the Spanish approach to life ... a joy to read and a real page turner'
(Eurocrime )'It is extremely well written, involving, clever, emotional and satisfying - a debut novel of the very highest promise'
(Nick Hay, Reviewing the Evidence )'First-time novelist Aly Monroe brilliantly evokes the atmosphere of the southern Spanish seaport...this is the first in a promised series of Peter Cotton novels. I can't wait for the next'
'Monroe writes in an intriguing way that is not always easy to follow but does seduce the reader to keep turning the pages'
(Dover Express & Folkstone Herald )'In Aly Monroe's memorable thriller, British agent Peter Cotton arrives in the port to investigate the death of a fellow intelligence officer and immediately finds himself in danger'
(Waterstone's Books Quarterly )'Enormously promising, THE MAZE OF CADIZ moves from the serious and sad to the quirky to the historical to the literary to the near poetic . . . the best historical mystery I have read this year. It is extremely well-written, involving, clever, emotional and satisfying - a debut novel of the very highest promise'
(reviewingtheevidence.com )'Monroe's eye for character and the general atmosphere of the book make it an entertaining read'
Product Description
Peter Cotton, a young Intelligence officer is sent to Spain in September 1944. The war in Europe is drawing to a close; formerly neutral Franco is edging closer to the Allies. Cotton has been sent to investigate the activities - and then, just as he arrives, reports of the death - of a British agent, May, who has spent much of the war in the remote outpost of Cadiz monitoring the Spanish smuggling of raw materials to aid the Axis war efforts, in strict violation of the terms of neutrality. Cotton is briefed in Madrid by Houghton, an agent working at the British Embassy. He also meets Houghton's partner, Marie, half-Jewish, who has helped many Jews escape through Gibraltar. They brief him on Franco, his paranoid fears of assassination, his capricious cruelty and his duplicity. Even as he gets on the train to begin the long, hot journey to Cadiz, it is clear that Cotton is being watched. And when he arrives in the rundown port, almost on the brink of starvation, it is clear that his visit has been expected. Reluctantly allied with the sinister Ramirez, the local police inspector, Cotton has to investigate May's death and what exactly led him to sever all contacts with his London controllers in the months leading up to his disappearance. But Cotton is not the only person with an interest in finding out what May had been doing. Cadiz is a hotbed of rumours and shifting political alliances in this, the final phase of the war and Cotton must navigate his way not only through local tensions but also through the uncertain loyalties of a bizarre expatriate community, including an unhelpful consul, a German woman married to a wealthy Spaniard and mysteriously marooned in the town, an apparently innocent Irish girl, and a strange British couple who chose to remain in Spain while the rest of Europe was engulfed in flames... What Cotton discovers amid the stifling heat and dust could just tilt the emerging balance of post-war power.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review: The Maze of cadiz,
By
This review is from: The Maze of Cadiz: A Peter Cotton Book (Hardcover)
If you enjoy crime fiction in a historical setting, this is the book for you. Aly Monroe's `The Maze of Cadiz' immediately transports you back to a time in recent history when the future of Europe was being decided. The year is 1944. Franco has established himself as dictator for life in Spain, but, as it is becoming increasingly obvious that the Germans are losing World War II, he is being obliged to withdraw his cooperation from the fascist allies. This is a wonderfully atmospheric book in which the uncertainty, hardship and sense of history of this time are vividly described. This serves to lay the scene for the murder mystery in Cadiz that keeps you guessing. You are guessing, however, not only about who the killer is, but also how this fits in with the complex personal and political hotchpotch that is "the maze of Cadiz". Can this young agent, who is an inexperienced ex-soldier, really solve the mystery? In the end, the novel poses another important question. Can one man, acting on his own, change the course of history? This is a question that has exercised philosophers and political scientists for generations and Aly Monroe's book could be seen as a paper exercise that both asks and answers this question. This is an impressive debut novel and I look forward to the next in the Peter Cotton mystery series.
John Nichols
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real power, real Spain,
By
This review is from: The Maze of Cadiz: A Peter Cotton Book (Hardcover)
I read The Maze of Cadiz yesterday. I confess I only bought it because the mention of Cadiz caught my eye (my family is originally from Cadiz, in the very South of Spain). I knew nothing about Aly Monroe and had heard nothing about the book.
I honestly cannot remember the last time a book made me miss a meal or lose any hours of sleep! This is a classic piece of spy literature, which also offers so much more. The fascinating portrayal of a foreigner's view of life in Franco's Spain somehow manages to convey both the outsider's view and the reality beneath it. I have to say I found myself chuckling in recognition of my grandfather and some of his chums. The Maze of Cadiz transports you to Spain in the 40s thanks to characters such as the local police chief Ramirez (my favourite) and the old antiquarian, both tremendously powerful voices that successfully render a real impression of Spain at that time. It also manages something which is so often lacking in this genre. The Maze of Cadiz starts quietly and then picks up, and continues in crescendo right until the masterfully executed ending. Real power, real Spain.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad first novel,
By
This review is from: Maze of Cadiz: A Peter Cotton Book (Paperback)
As a first novel this was good. The setting in Cadiz seemed authentic but in many ways was the main ingredient. The central character Peter Cotton appeared unfitted to be a spy although,to be fair, it is his first assignment, but we get little of his background so he was rather shallow.
The plot also seemed highly unlikely and rather slow, and would have hardly changed 'the course of history for ever' as the blurb says. Indeed I think she was trying emulate John Le Carre but to do that the plot would have to have been much, much better. There was hardly any pace at all which gave it a rather plodding feeling. Some of the minor characters were well drawn. This we are told on the jacket is the first of the Peter Cotton mysteries I might give number two a try to see if there is any improvement.
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