I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Passport to Spy
by Nancy Cole Silverman
Series: Kat Lawson Mystery #2
Series Rating:
Published by Level Best Books on June 6, 2023
Setting: Germany
Genres: Historical Mystery
Pages: 230
Format: ebook, Paperback
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Books-A-Million
Also in this series: The Navigator's Daughter, Murder on the Med
After losing her job as an investigative reporter for The Phoenix Gazette, Kat Lawson has a new gig. The FBI has asked her to work undercover as a reporter for Travel International to cover Munich, Germany’s festive holiday scene—an excuse to get close to Hans von Hausmann, a very charismatic and popular museum curator suspected of hiding a cache of stolen masterpieces believed to be part of the World’s Largest Art Heist. The job comes with lots of perks: airfare, travel expenses, the opportunity to see the world...and for a seasoned reporter like Kat, nothing she can’t handle. But, when a trusted source is found dead, Kat realizes the tables have been turned. Armed with evidence that will expose a cache of artwork stolen from museums and the homes of wealthy Jews during the 2nd World War, Kat must find a way to avoid being caught by the German Polizie, who have enough evidence to charge her with murder, and those who want her dead to keep their hidden treasures forever secret. The hunter has become the hunted; now, Kat has a target on her back.
Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman is fantastic! I loved the historical aspect mixed with spying, art, and the Christmas scene in Germany.
Will Kat find the Gerhardt’s Hoard or die trying?
Kat Lawson
Kat is no longer just a journalist. She is also a spy. Her first assignment is to find proof that Gerhardt’s Hoard is actually in Germany. Kat has packed her bags and headed to Germany, where she is posing as a travel journalist for a travel pub that is part of an FBI cover. Even though Kat is there to find the art treasure, she must also write articles for the magazine.
I enjoyed traveling around Germany with her, whether by train or automobile. She also meets up with her brother Sandor and his wife Annika a few times. We see a tougher part of Kat and how stubborn she can be. I had hoped that Adolph and Kat would still be communicating, but that isn’t the case. She has, it seemed, divorced her idiot husband. The one thing that Kat learned from this case has got to be to keep her mouth shut unless she trusts a person completely.
The Case
The assignment is to secret stash of old artworks stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The book is set in the 1990s, and the wall is down, but there are still repercussions regarding the rights of the actual owners of the stolen masterpieces. Kat meets some interesting people. Some are nice and help her out, while others are using her. Kat ends up in a bit of hot water. However, she figures a way out of it soon enough. By the end of the story, her job is secured, and she is good with her editor.
After reading Passport to Spy, I want to see Germany, and before, it wasn’t even on my list. Ms. Silverman made it seem realistic, beautiful, and filled with yummy desserts. Don’t get me wrong; there are freezing temps, crazy drivers, and some rude people. But Kat and Sophie came through in the end.
Five Stars
My rating for Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman is five stars. I love Ms. Silverman’s writing style and how she transports you to the setting. I immensely enjoyed hanging with Kat. She has a beautiful way of dealing with things, and despite being a spy, she sees the good in people. I highly recommend this book and the series to all mystery readers.
Another plus, is the Author’s Note at the end of the book that tells where the story idea came from.
Kat Lawson Mysteries
Giveaway
Prize: 2 signed copies (U.S. Only) Passport to Spy: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman.
Until the next time,
About Nancy Cole Silverman
Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five years in news and talk radio, beginning her career in college on the talent side as one of the first female voices on the air. Later on the business side in Los Angeles, she retired as one of two female general managers in the nation’s second-largest radio market. After a successful career in the radio industry, Silverman retired to write fiction. Her short stories and crime-focused novels—the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries, (Henry Press) are both Los Angeles-based. Her newest series THE NAVIGATOR’S DAUGHTER, (Level Best Books) takes a more international approach. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a thoroughly pampered standard poodle.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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