The Socialite
In 1941, France was a hell on earth for its citizens, as they braced themselves for another year of brutal Nazi occupation. Into this maelstrom dashes straitlaced Kat Whitford, sent to Paris by her aristocratic father, Sir Alfred Whitford, to persuade her sister Ellie to return to England. This is no easy task for Kat, as the unconventional Ellie has taken up with a Nazi officer, placing not only the reputation of the Whitford name in peril, but endangering her own life and Kat’s as well.
Author J’Nell Ciesielski skillfully layers the plot of The Socialite with several complications. Kat becomes involved with Barrett Anderson, a bar owner and Resistance operative who, unbeknownst to the Whitford sisters, has been hired by their father to guarantee their safe return back across the Channel. But Barrett has selfish motives. The money Sir Alfred has agreed to pay him will assure his own escape from a murky past that haunts him.
Kat’s romance with Barrett is further complicated when she joins him in working against the Nazis. When Kat discovers that Barrett has other reasons for fighting the Germans, she questions her own feelings for him and his for her.
What makes the book a fun read is not just the accuracy of the period details, but the dangerous intrigue the author creates for her heroine. Having always been a dutiful member of English society, Kat discovers that to outfox the Nazis she must develop skills that challenge the conventions of her genteel upbringing.
