Kingdom of Shadows got back in some ways to what I love about Furst's novels: understated drama, less common POVs (Eastern Europe rather than US/UK perspectives) on WWII, and brief, fleeting action. In another way, it preserved the one aspect I hate about all of his novels (that I've read) written after The Polish Officer: romance novel-esque relationships with silly women and shallow men. I find it hard to believe that all spies and government operatives' relationships with women were 100% physical and fleeting. Maybe Furst is afraid of writing decent female characters or of making his protagonists more complex. That's probably too harsh. However, the romantic relationships contrast sharply with the smart, historical, and well-researched components of this story. This could have been a great one.