A Shadow of Treason: Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War

For years now, Tricia Goyer has captured our imaginations with stark retellings of historical events. Using fiction as her canvas, she's painted the human drama of WWII Europe and the South Pacific. Her stories deal with national tragedies, while never forgetting the personal lives at stake, and that's what makes her novels so memorable. In the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, Goyer gives us a largely unexplored setting. She educates while she entertains, even giving us a backdrop for a famous Picasso canvas. As I read, I found myself following, once again, the struggle of Sophie as she tries to use her talents for a good cause, as well as her struggle to discern who is telling her the truth and who is focused on treason. Torn between Michael and Philip, Sophie makes choices that will affect the outcome of the war. Along the way, she crosses paths with Spaniards, Moors, Germans, and Americans--many of them familiar from the first book in the series. "A Shadow of Treason" weaves intricate threads of history and lives into a rich, impeccably researched novel, that accelerates toward a final showdown. I can't wait to read the conclusion to this wonderful series. Just as Bodie Thoene gave us a larger context for the Second World War's effects in her Zion Covenant Series, Goyer describes the political and social climate leading up to the outbreak of WWII. We see here the lines of fascism and communism, as well as the confusion that reigned in the minds of common people and the media. I've read Goyer's non-fiction and found it to be wise and humorous, but as a fiction writer she is still one of my favorites in her genre. She crafts believable characters, conflicts, and settings, all under the umbrella of a deep yet never preachy faith.

If you haven't discovered Tricia Goyer, you've missed a treat. In a Shadow of Treason, book two in her Spanish Civil War Series, Sophie Grace, who went to Spain to be with Michael her fiance, believes he's dead. After all, he died in her arms during a bombing raid. Then she learns it was all a farce. Michael faked his own death. Sophie has been recruited as a spy to find him and report back on his activities. Sophie, who has fallen in love with Phillip, a man who doesn't hide secrets from her, and wouldn't deceive her, doesn't want to go. Michael may be alive, but he's dead to her. Tricia Goyer does impeccable research, even interviewing veterans of the wars she writes about. Her settings are real, and her characters are so compelling she hooks the reader from page one.

Fine, I admit it. I love history. Not so much the dry stuff like dates, etcetera, but even that can be fun if you learn the nuances and trivia behind it all. It's the personalities, the reasoning and the what if's that make it so enjoyable. That's why I love Tricia Goyer's books. Her most recent historical, A Shadow of Treason, is part of her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series. Tricia explains in the foreword that the Spanish Civil War was something she knew little about before doing her research for her WWII books. Like her, I find that time period to be fascinating. The first book in the series, A Valley of Betrayal, beautifully set the scene. A Shadow of Treason picks up the story and takes the reader deeper into the lives of the characters, moving ever closer to the final part of the trilogy. A Shadow of Treason finds Sophie Grace still in Guernica, Spain after General Franco, with the help of the Nazi's, has bombed and burned the historic village. Having already lost Michael, the fiancé left her safe home in Boston for, she finally has come to terms with her heart--she is in love with Philip Stanford, the American volunteer soldier in the Abraham Lincoln brigade who'd rescued her in her escape from Madrid. Just when she is ready to look forward to a life with Philip, Walt Block, the shady newspaper reporter who'd helped her get into Spain calls in a favor. A big favor. And he drops a bomb of his own on Sophie's dreams, making her choose between Philip and helping to save the people of Spain who she has come to love. The twists and turns will keep you guessing. The intrigue will keep you reading. The beauty of Goyer's prose will keep you thinking about this story long after you finish the last word. She has hit her stride when it comes to word craft with this book--I believe it is her best to date. As a stand-alone, however, I would not recommend A Shadow of Treason. You would lose too much of the depth and panorama of the story. By reading the trilogy in order, the story takes on a life of its own and you come to care deeply about the characters. If you have read A Valley of Betrayal, then grab A Shadow of Treason and inhale the senses-grabbing prose. If you have not read A Valley of Betrayal, why not? Get it now and travel along with unforgettable characters to a time that should not be forgotten. Then you will be ready for A Shadow of Treason.

I was excited over this book, like the others from Tricia, but I love a good historical fiction book that teaches you something you did not already know. This one was no exception! It is the second book in the series, the first book was A Valley of Betrayal where we met Sophie, who naively came to Spain and discovered a whole different world than the one she lived in America. In this novel, she embarks on a venture that puts her in danger, but helps the country of Spain, which she has come to love. Can she do it though even though it requires her to pretend to care about the person that hurt and betrayed her the most? This is a fast moving story that will keep you riveted to the pages until the end, plus you will get to learn about the Spanish Civil War, which is not often talked about in books.

Let me start by encouraging any and all to get Tricia Goyer's books. She's young, intelligent and her books are all excellent. The first four were about WW11 and this current series is about Franco's spain and the war just prior to WW11. I've read them all and am waiting for the next one coming out in February 2008. A Shadow of Treason, Book 2 in the series picks up where Book 1, Valley of Betrayal ends. It's hard to put these books down. I'm 75 yrs old and served in the US Paratroopers during Korea and in the National Guard for an additional 20 yrs. I'm highly impressed with these works. EPR,PhD