To Steal a Heart

In Bateman's debut tale of spies and romance, a jaded spy meets his match when he crosses paths with a thief. In Napoleonic-era Paris, Marianne Bonnard steals for Jean-Jacques Duval in exchange for him sparing her 16-year-old sister, Sophie, a life of prostitution. When Marianne's latest mission for Duval sends her into the arms of well-known spy Nicolas Valette and she fails to plant evidence for Duval, her villainous employer sells her virginity to the highest bidder. But Nicolas makes the high bid and then refuses to force Marianne to have sex with him: he wants her skills as a spy to help defeat Napoleon. As he trains her to rescue an aristocrat from prison, his unrelenting demands meet their match in her pure tenacity. The ever-present sexual tension between Marianne and Nicolas is a major highlight of this novel, which is rich with espionage and suspense. Multidimensional believable characters and fast-paced plotting propel the story forward to its moving conclusion. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Feb.)