Spitfire: A Livy Nash Mystery

Huie’s spirited debut and series launch introduces Olivia “Livy” Nash, whose daring exploits as a spy in France during WWII earned her the code name Spitfire. While men returned from the war to parades and medals, women like Livy were expected to quietly drift into the role of secretary or housewife. Back in London in 1946, Livy is reduced to proofreading the women’s column for a third-rate newspaper, numbing her disillusionment with black market vodka. “For her, the war hadn’t been something to be endured; it had given her purpose and meaning. Qualities her life now decidedly lacked.” However, her military record has not gone unnoticed by naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming, who’s putting together an espionage unit to fight “the next war,” which “began before the last even ended.” Livy is drawn into a world of spies and counterspies. Huie does an excellent job dramatizing events in the early days of the cold war. Vibrant characters, international intrigue, gritty action, and a wittily acerbic Ian Fleming, too—who could ask for more? Agent: Carrie Pestritto, Laura Dail Literary. (Jan.)