Four stars to Mr. Furst for historically informed mood and ambience; no one does it better. I also continue to love how he deals with the set pieces of actual espionage and danger in his stories. Only three stars for the book as a whole, though, because I didn't find the protagonist very credible. Fredric Stahl, born in Vienna, is a resident American in 1938, when the book takes place, and is described as a major movie star. As such, he goes to Paris to make a French movie, and gets gradually, and inextricably, involved (as Furst's heroes tend to do) with the gathering storm of war over Europe, and is moved by his strong moral sense to do risky things for the good guys. Perhaps there could have been more about Stahl's youth and development, which might have given his character some depth and substance. As it is, Stahl comes across, to me at least, as a two dimensional personality, and certainly not the to-be-expected product of the international background and fame which is ascribed to him. He knows about acting and sex, but otherwise he seems pretty naive. It's also hard, given what we have learned about him, to credit his part in the climactic scene.
But never mind all that. This is a story which, although it starts at a distinctly leisurely pace, picks up strongly as it goes on. The supporting cast of characters is excellent, and they are all very believable. This is perhaps not Furst's best book, but a welcome addition to the shelf.