Faceless
This fascinating novel, written for middle grades, features a young teen protagonist and recounts a story that will delight and intrigue adults also.
Alice and her sister Louise are daughters of parents who are spies for the organization known “Tabula Rasa.” Known as “Rasa,” for short, the organization is working to defeat the Germans during World War Two. Alice’s parents have been part of several spying operations, and Louise, the older sister, has already played a pivotal role in destroying a German installation in Norway. Alice has completed her spy training and is setting off for Germany to undertake her first assignment. Her major asset is having a forgettable face.
Alice’s parents have also been assigned to Germany, where her father becomes mechanic in charge of the cars used by Hitler’s closest associates. Soon Alice is assigned to a troop entertaining Hitler and his friends. Danger surrounds her as her contact is killed in an abortive attempt on Hitler’s life. It seems that nobody is who they appear to be and, as danger creeps ever closer, Alice does not know who she can trust.
I found this an engrossing story, fact and fiction skillfully interwoven, tension throughout, and a protagonist clever, highly trained, yet appealingly young and naive. Alice has a warmth and vulnerability that make her exploits come alive in more than carefully crafted episodes. The underlying theme of Alice’s uncertainty about family loyalty makes this more personal than most spy stories. Highly recommended.
