Devil Darling Spy

It’s 1940, and Adm. Wilhelm Canaris, head of German military intelligence, believes the SS is plotting with Japan to weaponize a deadly virus discovered by German missionaries in central Africa. Canaris may be pro-German, but he’s also antigenocide, so he orders fixer Helmut Haller (British spy Capt. Jeremy Floyd), and his “niece,” Ursula (his apprentice, 16-year-old Jewish orphan Sarah Goldstein), to bring him the missionaries and their research, thus removing the disease from play. Accompanied by their Afro-German maid, Clementine, and French-born black priest Claude, Jeremy and Sarah chase rumors of a plague-spreading “White Devil” to the Congo basin, where they find Professor Rudolf Bofinger; his stepdaughter, Dr. Lisbeth Fischer; and an illness dubbed “the Bleeding.” Unbeknownst to them, their mission is far from finished. Killeen’s shattering follow-up to Orphan Monster Spy explores Nazism’s roots, the atrocities of colonialism, and the human cost of war. Though those unfamiliar with both WWII history and the preceding novel may have difficulty following the plot’s intricacies, Killeen delivers an action-packed, emotionally eviscerating tale. Ages 12–up. [em](Jan.) [/em]