Nightshade: A Livy Nash Mystery
England, 1947; it’s two years since WWII ended, but the world seems to be gearing up for another war, this time a cold one. The Soviet Union and the Western countries face off over the Iron Curtain. In a secret room in England, an information monitor receives a wireless message: NIGHTSHADE, and SOS. NIGHTSHADE is the call sign of an SOE operative who never made it home from the war—Livy Nash’s dear friend, Margot Dupont. But is it really Margot at the other end of the message? Livy takes on the task of trying to find out; the only hint of a clue is that a Russian agent, Yuri Kostin, may have some information about Margot. Livy’s boss, Ian Fleming, sends her to Washington, DC and an encounter with her old flame, Yuri. Livy must walk a dangerous path as she pretends to Yuri that she wants to defect, hoping to lure him into telling her about Margot. But few things go as planned, and Livy discovers she must pay a high price for Margot’s freedom.
The second book in the Livy Nash series, this sophomore effort overall lacks the energy and verve of the previous book, Spitfire; Nightshade’s an adequate book, but not an inspired one. Still, it’s an enjoyable read, and Livy Nash is a great character. The novel ends on one of the world’s best cliffhangers, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
