Review for A Shadow of Treason

Fine, I admit it. I love history. Not so much the dry stuff like dates, etcetera, but even that can be fun if you learn the nuances and trivia behind it all. It’s the personalities, the reasoning and the what if’s that make it so enjoyable.

That’s why I love Tricia Goyer’s books.

Her most recent historical, A Shadow of Treason, is part of her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series. Tricia explains in the foreword that the Spanish Civil War was something she knew little about before doing her research for her WWII books. Like her, I find that time period to be fascinating.

The first book in the series, A Valley of Betrayal, beautifully set the scene (to read my review of A Valley of Betrayal, click here). A Shadow of Treason picks up the story and takes the reader deeper into the lives of the characters, moving ever closer to the final part of the trilogy.

A Shadow of Treason finds Sophie Grace still in Guernica, Spain after General Franco, with the help of the Nazi’s, has bombed and burned the historic village. Having already lost Michael, the fiancé left her safe home in Boston for, she finally has come to terms with her heart—she is in love with Philip Stanford, the American volunteer soldier in the Abraham Lincoln brigade who’d rescued her in her escape from Madrid. Just when she is ready to look forward to a life with Philip, Walt Block, the shady newspaper reporter who’d helped her get into Spain calls in a favor. A big favor. And he drops a bomb of his own on Sophie’s dreams, making her choose between Philip and helping to save the people of Spain who she has come to love.

The twists and turns will keep you guessing. The intrigue will keep you reading. The beauty of Goyer’s prose will keep you thinking about this story long after you finish the last word. She has hit her stride when it comes to word craft with this book—I believe it is her best to date.

As a stand-alone, however, I would not recommend A Shadow of Treason. You would lose too much of the depth and panorama of the story. By reading the trilogy in order, the story takes on a life of its own and you come to care deeply about the characters. If you have already read A Valley of Betrayal, then grab A Shadow of Treason and inhale the senses-grabbing prose. If you have not read A Valley of Betrayal, why not? Get it now and travel along with unforgettable characters to a time that should not be forgotten. Then you will be ready for A Shadow of Treason.