A Season of Shadows [Paperback]

Paul McCusker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

Love, deception, betrayal, decisions, duty, and the truth. How did things get so complicated? The night before had been so ordinary . . . as Julie Harris played the charming socialite at another of her husband's high-society Washington parties. But that morning . . . Julie awoke to find herself a widow, forced to deal with the scandal surrounding Stewart Harris's death---and with the shocking, unsuspected secrets of his life. Now her search for the truth about her late husband has brought Julie to wartime London. Posing as an aide at the U.S. embassy, she sets out to fulfill her mission: infiltrate a radical Fascist group---a group with mysterious ties to her husband's past. As Hitler's savage air blitz against London commences, Julie finds herself swept into a whirlwind of clashing images---of glittering parties set against the firestorm of night bombings, and of treachery covered by a veneer of smiles and fair words. In a world where nothing is as it seems, and where the best of intentions can inspire the worst of actions, whom can Julie trust? One man may hold the answer, and with it, hope---not only amid war-torn London, but in the face of Julie's private struggle.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Love, deception, betrayal, decisions, duty, and the truth: How did things get so complicated? The night before had been so ordinary as Julie Harris played the charming socialite at another of her husband’s high-society Washington parties. But that morning Julie awoke to find herself a widow, forced to deal with the scandal surrounding Stewart Harris’s death—and with the shocking, unsuspected secrets of his life. Now her search for the truth about her late husband has brought Julie to wartime London. Posing as an aide at the U.S. Embassy, she sets out to fulfill her mission: infiltrate a radical anti-fascist group—a group with mysterious ties to her husband’s past. As Hitler’s savage air blitz against London commences, Julie finds herself swept into a whirlwind of clashing images—of glittering parties set against the firestorm of night bombings and of treachery covered by a veneer of smiles and fair words. In a world where nothing is as it seems, and where the best of intentions can inspire the worst of actions, whom can Julie trust? One man may hold the answer, and bring hope—not only amid London’s conflagration, but in the face of Julie’s private inferno.

About the Author

Paul McCusker is the author of The Mill House, Epiphany, The Faded Flower and several Adventures in Odyssey programs. Winner of the Peabody Award for his radio drama on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Focus on the Family, he lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1ST edition (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310254329
• ISBN-13: 978-0310254324
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,247,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul has been writing since he was 10, starting on a typewriter he got for Christmas. Since then, he's published plays, sketch collections, songs and novels. Not to mention his 20 years of work on the popular children's audio program "Adventures in Odyssey," and its companion series "Radio Theatre." He won a Peabody Award for his drama "Bonhoeffer," and an Audie Award for his "Life of Jesus" epic. He has dramatized CS Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" and more recently "The Screwtape Letters." His novels include "The Mill House," "Epiphany" and his latest, "TSI: The Gabon Virus" with Dr. Walt Larimore. Paul lives in Colorado Springs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Detailed plot but dull main character, April 26, 2009

By 

E. J. (Shenandoah Valley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Season of Shadows (Paperback)

After young Julie Harris's husband dies in an automobile accident, she learns that he died with another woman in the seat next to him: Clare Lindsay, whom Julie's well-connected friend Robert Holloway says was a secret agent. Now Julie is determined to find out if her husband was truly unfaithful--or if there is another explanation. Julie's search leads her to travel to World War II London as a spy herself, planning to use her status as Stewart Harris's widow to learn whether a group of anti-war conspiracy theorists, of which he and Clare had once been members, is feeding information to the Nazis. At the same time, Julie hopes that the group members may be able to answer some of the nagging questions about her deceased husband. But if Julie doubted Stewart in America, in London she finds herself doubting everybody. Could government agent M be working for the other side? Will suspicious group member Rachel prove Julie's downfall--or rescuer? Is the charming Anthony anything more than rich, bored, and unreliable? Has Episcopal priest John Peters simply tried to be a good pastor to imprisoned conspirator Denis, or is he part of the conspiracy? Julie finds herself searching for the answers to these questions--and to her personal struggle.

Paul McCusker's detailed research about WWII-era spying and his carefully crafted plot are this book's best points. He doles out his clues one by one, but so subtly that most readers will be as surprised as Julie at the book's ending. Unfortunately, his drawing of Julie's character is not half so good. McCusker has created in Julie a socialite who is oddly innocent about people but (officially) quite worldly when it comes to cigarettes, liquor, and money. McCusker, however, has to work hard proving Julie's "worldliness" in the early part of the book, and his studious efforts coupled with her lack of personality make for a character with no power to draw--or even repel. We are given no particular reason to care whether she exists; it seems she happened because of the story's plot, not the other way around. The male characters in the story, such as Robert Holloway and Father John, though less important, have more personality than Julie does, so perhaps McCusker simply has trouble connecting with female lead characters. Or maybe he struggled with transitioning from the mode he uses when writing for children. (And as interesting as some of his children's writing is, that his adult characters could be so bland seems very strange.)

Whether you should buy "A Season of Shadows" depends on how much you enjoy spy stories. If you simply want to be kept guessing, you may enjoy McCusker's book. But if you prefer novels with vivid characters, you should probably skip this one.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Season of Shadows, October 24, 2005

By 

BE NIM "JLC" (CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Season of Shadows (Paperback)

Shadows has a geat mix of history, mystery, and interesting characters. The story really draws you into the lives of the English people during the Blitz of World War II. The mix or fictional characters with real historical events made for a very entertaing read.