Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst

Salonika, 1940. In the backrooms of barbers, envelopes change hands, and in the Club de Salonique the air is thick with whispers. Costa Zannis is the city's dashing chief detective, and as unknown ships and British travel writers trickle through the port, he is a man very much in demand. Having helped defeat Italy in the highlands of Macedonia, Zannis returns to a city holding its breath. And as the situation in Germany worsens, Zannis becomes involved in a plot to smuggle Jews to Istanbul through the back door of Europe. The British hear he can penetrate the continent's closed borders, and soon Zannis is embroiled in the resistance, and in a reckless love affair that could jeopardise everything. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Set in Greece in 1940, this powerful WWII thriller from Furst (The Spies of Warsaw) focuses on Costa Zannis, a senior Salonika police official known for his honesty and ability to settle matters before they got out of hand. As the Nazis' intentions for Europe's Jews becomes clear, Zannis goes out of his way to aid refugees seeking to escape Germany. When Mussolini's troops invade Greece, Zannis joins the army, where he meets Capt. Marko Pavlic, who as a policeman in Zagreb investigated crimes committed by the Ustashi, Croatian fascists. With their similar politics, Zannis and Pavlic soon become friends and allies. Subtle details foreshadow the coming crimes perpetrated by the Nazis in the Balkans. For example, Zannis learns from a colleague that someone has been taking photos of the contents of a synagogue so that the Germans can more easily identify what to plunder. Furst fans will welcome seeing more books set in less familiar parts of Europe. (June) Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist *Starred Review* Furst's early WWII espionage novels--The World at Night (1996) and Red Gold (1999)--took place in Paris during the Occupation, but lately he has moved earlier in time, to the war's beginnings, when spies of all stripes, official and unofficial, were gathering information and securing alliances for the conflagration to come. He has also moved to the edges of the European theater, to Poland in Spies of Warsaw (2008) and now to Greece and the Balkans. When this story begins, Greece is at war with Italy, and Costa Zannis, a policeman in the northern Greek port city of Salonika, recently injured in battle, has reported back for duty at his old job. Spies--English, Turkish, Bulgarian--are swarming the city, as everyone awaits the Nazi response to the Greek victories over the Italians. Inevitably, Zannis becomes involved in the intrigue, helping to ferry German Jews from Berlin through Greece to neutral Turkey. And, just as inevitably, he falls in love--Furst has always excelled at portraying the way passion blooms while storms gather. There is nothing especially new about this entry in the Furst canon, but the Balkan setting adds another element of tension, as the oft-invaded region faces yet another onslaught. And, once again, Furst captures in brilliant high-definition the roiling, contradictory emotions that flare when in wartime. When somebody takes your country, you help them or you fight them, Zannis' friend, Pavlic, a patriot from Zagreb, says. Yes, but Zannis is equally driven by desires to protect his family and claim a separate peace for himself and his lover. On that delicate psychological fault line, Furst has carved a fabulous career. --Bill Ott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. About the Author Alan Furst is widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel. Now translated into seventeen languages, he is the bestselling author of Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, Blood of Victory, Dark Voyage, andThe Foreign Correspondent Born in New York, he now lives in Paris and on Long Island. From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Review Unfolds like a vivid dream . . . One couldn't ask for a more engrossing novel.--The Wall Street Journal Impeccable historical fiction . . . intelligent [and] entertaining.--Los Angeles Times Furst vividly [mixes] love and adventure. . . . His books combine exhaustive research with exceptional narrative skill.--The Washington Post Brilliant . . . told with unusual detail and flair.--Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Los Angeles Times ? The Seattle Times ? St. Louis Post-Dispatch Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ? The Globe and Mail --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Bookmarks Magazine Spies of the Balkans is a cut above the usual espionage fare; it excels in plot, character, and atmosphere--an unusual combination for the genre. Zannis, a younger prototype of characters seen in Furst's previous novels, especially captivated critics, as did the author's Furstland, a twilight realm of people on the run--refugees, Jews, leftists and others out of political favor (Denver Post). Richly researched, the novel offers a compelling portrait of wartime, with few clichés. Only the Chicago Sun-Times criticized some less-developed characters and the plethora of historical detail. Most readers, however, will find that there is no more intelligent or gripping writer of spy fiction today than Alan Furst(Daily Beast). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.