Washington Shadow [Kindle Edition]

After reading and greatly enjoying the first in the Peter Cotton series, The Maze of Cadiz, I was curious to know what the follow-up would be like. It's always interesting to see how book two of a series will turn out and, in this case, I think Aly Monroe has not only lived up to expectations, but may have even produced a book that tops the first. They are very different books, mostly because Washington and Cadiz (a small town in Southern Spain) are obviously worlds apart. This means that whereas The Maze of Cadiz is a slow-building suspense novel in which readers get to work out with Cotton what is happening in 1944 Cadiz, Washington Shadow has much more going on - as there was in 1945 Washington - and there are many more characters, such as Tibbets, a very well portrayed irritating colleague sent to Washington together with Cotton; Dr Aforey, a wonderful African scholar with some brilliant lines; Mrs Duquesne, a sharp sort of `grande dame' who engineers social encounters; Slonim, a mysterious Soviet; and Katherine, Cotton's love interest. Again, as with the previous book, I was immediately drawn in and read it non-stop during an afternoon, evening and the following morning. Washington Shadow is a spy tale combining several different threads, and proves an exciting, delightful and interesting read. The spying is believable, making it, perhaps, all the more gruesome. The struggles for power are all too recognisable, as is the way everyone is vying for their own interests. Though not the general tone, both books have a rather melancholy and moving side to them, perhaps because they show a combination of idiocy, incompetence and ruthlessness behind mid- or high-level decisions -people often seem confused, don't know what they are supposed to be doing, are sent off to do things ill-equipped, and are ultimately on their own when it comes to sorting out the mess. The books portray an at times rather menial side to spying and dirty work that is refreshing, and I have to say I have definitely developed a soft spot for Peter Cotton. Beautifully written, Washington Shadow is a clever novel with plenty of politics, intrigue, conspiracies and a great ending. I loved it and thoroughly recommend it.

"Beware," says Aesop, "that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." The thought lingers after closing Aly Monroe's intelligent book. If one ultimately feels a sense of an objective only partially attained, one can but respect a brave and interesting attempt.

Peter Cotton is an army major at the end of WW2. With a few months left until demobilisation, he is posted to Washington to join an understaffed and under-resourced Intelligence department. Maynard Keynes is present, attempting unsuccessfully to extricate Britain from wartime debts. The Soviets are dabbling in the background. President Truman is attempting to restructure US Intelligence. The FBI meddle jealously. This is a shadowy world, indeed. It proves a difficult background for Cotton's romantic entanglement with the daughter of a wealthy American family.

Perhaps Monroe could have defined more clearly the central theme she wished to pursue: is this a spy story or a grown-up account of a complex relationship? One reads on, engaged with the people and impressed by the recreation of an era; it is only at the end that one feels that the beguiling shadows may indeed have left the substance elusive. Read it, though, and look for Ms Monroe's next.

I picked this up not having read the first one in the series and got into it straight away. It is witty and gripping, and has lots of different ingredients that will definitely appeal to different people. It manages to be an intelligent, well-written spy story, and that's no small thing these days... I really enjoyed it and have in fact just bought the first Peter Cotton, the Maze of Cadiz - really looking forward to it!