The Deadly Embrace
This exciting thriller is set in the months leading up to D-Day. Second Lieutenant Liza Marantz, who was studying forensic medicine before she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps, has been posted to Military Security Command in London. She is assigned to censor the personal letters of those who have the security clearance to know about the Allied invasion plan. However, her superior officer was a New York City homicide policeman for 14 years, and when several suspicious murders take place, she and Major Taggart quickly become involved. The victims may have leaked information about the coming invasion, and their job is to ensure the details remain top secret.
The author paints a picture of London in which the Luftwaffe is bombing the city almost nightly (this is the time of the Baby Blitz). Both Marantz and Taggart feel the effects of the bombing very directly. In addition, readers get a sense of the deprivations of the period. A scene at a phenomenal country estate provides a stark counterpoint to the dreariness of most people’s lives. The characters, both main and secondary, are well developed. Marantz and Taggart are both very likable, and I fervently hope that they will be involved in another adventure before the war ends!
