"A Canadian pilot and a mysterious double agent court love and danger during World War II in Fraser’s historical novel.

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Squadron leader Michael Simpson is a young Canadian pilot stationed in England executing a nighttime mission over occupied France. He destroys a German staff car and catches sight of a woman signaling him from the ground, blowing him a kiss. That woman is the enigmatic agent Yvette Delacroix, code name “Loki,” whose loyalties are legion—she works for the French Resistance, Great Britain’s MI6, and the German SS. Simpson and Delacroix meet again when Simpson is brought into Operation Valhalla, a network of spies and missions designed to cripple the German command. The two are drawn into a web of intrigue, from the British coast to Nazi-occupied Normandy. Simpson becomes trapped in a dangerous situation, finding himself attracted to Loki’s bravery and alluring nature while navigating a world where every action hides secret intentions (“How do you know when a spy is lying? His lips are moving”). The gripping story shifts between the characters’ viewpoints as it moves from country to country, creating an escalating sense of danger as D-Day approaches. When the invasion begins, Simpson and Delacroix must decide whether love can survive in their world of intrigue and obfuscation. Fraser displays a knack for military verisimilitude—his atmospheric prose conveys the experience of flying via precise depictions of cockpit instruments, aerial movements, and pilot dynamics. The story can be a bit by-the-numbers, including a traditional romance plot between two people on different sides of a deception, but the author develops intriguing characters readers will immediately feel invested in. The combination of romantic elements with complex spy-craft plotlines and moral dilemmas results in a story that will appeal to both literary readers and mainstream audiences.

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A captivating spy thriller with memorable characters.