The Paris Assignment

A courageous wife, mother, and resister confronts the devastation of World War II in a heartbreaking and hopeful novel by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Tuscan Child.

Londoner Madeleine Grant is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when she marries charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. As they raise their son, Olivier, they hold on to a tenuous promise for the future. Until the thunder of war sets off alarms in France.

Staying behind to join the resistance, Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England, where Madeleine secures a job teaching French at a secondary school. Yet nowhere is safe. After a devastating twist of fate resulting in the loss of her son, Madeleine accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort. Seizing the smallest glimmer of hope of finding Giles alive, she returns to France. If Madeleine can stop just one Nazi, it will be the start of a valiant path of revenge.

Though her perseverance, defiance, and heart will be tested beyond imagining, no risk is too great for a brave wife and mother determined to fight and survive against inconceivable odds.

'Rhys Bowen's multitude of fans will love The Paris Assignment, a story of love and war, of bitterness and brutality, of bravery and forgiveness, woven together with a rich sense of time and place, and characters only a master storyteller could create.' - Jacqueline Winspear, New York Times bestselling author of The White Lady and the Maisie Dobbs series

'No one writes a wartime historical novel as well as Rhys Bowen. The Paris Assignment is a gripping, evocative, and skillfully plotted read, with a heroine you will root for right up to the satisfying conclusion. I couldn't put it down!' - Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of the Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James novel series

'Gorgeous, authentic, and absolutely riveting. There is no better storyteller than Rhys Bowen! The Paris Assignment, like all her novels, is meticulously researched, brilliantly told, and endlessly captivating. Bowen's extraordinary ability to synthesize history and present it as essential and heartbreaking human drama is unmatched. I read this in total awe, as it honors reality and cinematically brings it to life again. The Paris Assignment is emotionally and historically immersive, and no reader will be the same after they turn the final page.' - Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author, Mary Higgins Clark and five-time Agatha Award winner

'The Paris Assignment is a sweeping story of love, bravery, and ultimately hope. Rhys Bowen masterfully weaves an immersive story that carries us through the crucible of war with characters that capture your imagination and heart. Traveling through Paris, London, and Australia, The Paris Assignment is a story about the things we do when we believe there might be nothing left to lose, about the irrepressible love of a wife and mother, and about courage in the face of great and terrible odds. Historical fiction at its best, The Paris Assignment is a rich and absorbing experience.' - Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea