A Shadow of Treason (Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Book 2) [Paperback]

Tricia N. Goyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

Sophie discovers that nothing is as she first imagined. When Walt, the reporter who helped her over the border, shows up again after Guernica is bombed, Sophie is given an impossible mission. She must leave behind the man she's fallen in love with and return to the person who betrayed her.Another layer of the war in Spain is revealed as Sophie is drawn into the international espionage schemes that could turn the tide of the war and help protect the soldiers from the International Brigade...she must find a way to get a critical peice of information to Walt in time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

When Walt reappears beckoning Sophie to rescue Spain, she falters. But the Spanish Republican army needs more weapons, and the lost gold from a shipment abroad is their only hope for winning the war. Sophie longs to stay with her new love Philip, and let her photographs and paintings testify to the bombing of Guernica. But she complies, realizing only she can get close enough to the information they need. Yet the price of her willingness is high. Michael, who betrayed Sophie's love and faked his own death, is the man she must befriend. His devotion to Franco flies in the face of Sophie's love for Spain and its people. While she despises him for this, her heart is not so calculated. Sophie needs to keep her cover in order to have a hope of saving Spain. And she needs to get the information to Walt before it's too late. The stakes are high, and she cannot do this alone.

About the Author

TRICIA GOYER is an acclaimed and prolific writer, publishing hundreds of articles in national magazines including Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family while authoring more than twenty-five fiction and nonfiction books combined. Among those are 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the Year Award winners Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights. She has also written books on marriage and parenting and contributed notes to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Tricia lives with her husband and four children in Arkansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802467687
• ISBN-13: 978-0802467683
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more about Tricia and her books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painting History in Vivid Strokes, April 16, 2008

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Shadow of Treason (Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Book 2) (Paperback)

For years now, Tricia Goyer has captured our imaginations with stark retellings of historical events. Using fiction as her canvas, she's painted the human drama of WWII Europe and the South Pacific. Her stories deal with national tragedies, while never forgetting the personal lives at stake, and that's what makes her novels so memorable.

In the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Goyer gives us a largely unexplored setting. She educates while she entertains, even giving us a backdrop for a famous Picasso canvas. As I read, I found myself following, once again, the struggle of Sophie as she tries to use her talents for a good cause, as well as her struggle to discern who is telling her the truth and who is focused on treason. Torn between Michael and Philip, Sophie makes choices that will affect the outcome of the war. Along the way, she crosses paths with Spaniards, Moors, Germans, and Americans--many of them familiar from the first book in the series.

"A Shadow of Treason" weaves intricate threads of history and lives into a rich, impeccably researched novel, that accelerates toward a final showdown. I can't wait to read the conclusion to this wonderful series. Just as Bodie Thoene gave us a larger context for the Second World War's effects in her Zion Covenant Series, Goyer describes the political and social climate leading up to the outbreak of WWII. We see here the lines of fascism and communism, as well as the confusion that reigned in the minds of common people and the media.

I've read Goyer's non-fiction and found it to be wise and humorous, but as a fiction writer she is still one of my favorites in her genre. She crafts believable characters, conflicts, and settings, all under the umbrella of a deep yet never preachy faith.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her Best to Date, December 15, 2007

By 

Jenny "Abundant blessings" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Shadow of Treason (Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Book 2) (Paperback)

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. 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 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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second entry in series another powerful winner, November 27, 2007

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Shadow of Treason (Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Book 2) (Paperback)

A Shadow of Treason by Tricia Goyer is the second book in the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War. Painted Sophie Grace is back as is her love Phillip, and all the other characters Father Manuel, Deion, Jose, and even Michael has returned from the dead. Walt approaches Sophie and tells her a tale of stolen gold that could arm the Republicans in the war against the Fascist Nationalists, but the only person who knows where the gold is hidden is Sophie's ex-fiance Michael. To save Spain, she must reinstate herself in Michael's life and find out the secrets he's hiding. But to do so, she has to turn her back of new love Phillip. Walt also works behind the scenes to bring Father Manuel to Paris so the world can hear the truth about the German bombing of Guernica as well as reuniting Jose and Sophie. There are so many plotlines in this book, but Goyer handles all of these disparate, desperate characters with aplomb. Sophie's fear and distrust of Michael are palpable. The Spanish Civil War was a complicated era, but Goyer treats it with objectivity. No side was completely innocent, but the devastation done by Franco's Nationalists with the aid of the Nazi party was abominable. The one little complaint I had is why would Michael take pictures of the secret tunnel and then hide them away where Sophie could find them? Other than that loose end, the book zips along with heartbreak and suspense. Heavy clouds hang over the characters, but they cling to their faith in God and each other. I can't wait for the last book!