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Kate Rees #1
Three Hours in Paris
In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why.
Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Wrecked by grief after a Luftwaffe bombing killed her husband and infant daughter, she is armed with a rifle, a vendetta, and a fierce resolve. But other than rushed and rudimentary instruction, she has no formal spy training. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life—all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up.
New York Times bestselling author Cara Black is at her best as she brings Occupation-era France to vivid life in this masterful, pulse-pounding story about one young woman with the temerity—and drive—to take on Hitler himself.
*Features an illustrated map of 1940s Paris as full color endpapers.
Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Wrecked by grief after a Luftwaffe bombing killed her husband and infant daughter, she is armed with a rifle, a vendetta, and a fierce resolve. But other than rushed and rudimentary instruction, she has no formal spy training. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life—all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up.
New York Times bestselling author Cara Black is at her best as she brings Occupation-era France to vivid life in this masterful, pulse-pounding story about one young woman with the temerity—and drive—to take on Hitler himself.
*Features an illustrated map of 1940s Paris as full color endpapers.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2020
1443 people are currently reading
22260 people want to read
About the author
Cara Black
51 books1,340 followersCara Black frequents a Paris little known outside the beaten tourist track. A Paris she discovers on research trips and interviews with French police, private detectives and café owners. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, a bookseller, and their teenage son. She is a San Francisco Library Laureate and a member of the Paris Sociéte Historique in the Marais. Her nationally bestselling and award nominated Aimée Leduc Investigation series has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German and Hebrew. She received the Medaille de la Ville de Paris for services to French culture. She's included in the GREAT WOMEN MYSTERY WRITERS by Elizabeth Lindsay 2nd editon published in the UK. Her first three novels in the series MURDER IN THE MARAIS, MURDER IN BELLEVILLE AN MURDER IN THE SENTIER - nominated for an Anthony Award as Best Novel - were published in the UK in 2008 and MURDER IN THE LATIN QUARTER comes out in the UK in 2010. Several of her books have been chosen as BookSense Picks and INDIE NEXT choice by the Amerian Association of Independent Bookstores. The Washington Post listed MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS in the Best Fiction Choices of 2008. MURDER IN THE LATIN QUARTER is a finalist for Best Novel Award from the NCIBA Northern California Independent Booksellers Association.
She is currently working on the next book in the Aimée Leduc series.
She is currently working on the next book in the Aimée Leduc series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,188 reviews
May 30, 2020
Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black takes place during the occupation of France by the German forces. The three hours of the title represent the short time that Adolf Hitler spent in Paris. Although this is my first Cara Black novel, I would not hesitate to read more of her mysteries. Kate Rees, an American living in Great Britain with her husband and young daughter, is an expert markswoman. After a tragic accident, she is asked by British Intelligence to go to France with instructions to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Having no experience as a spy, Kate nevertheless parachutes into France to avenge the loss of her family. The plot of the story centers around her undercover assignment and the people who cross her path to aid or impede her progress. This is a fascinating journey into a terrible time and it is well told and researched. Highly recommended. Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 17, 2020
Black says her imagination was captured by a historical moment: in October 1939, Adolf Hitler visited Paris and stayed in the city for a mere three hours.
In this novel, Black imagines what might have happened while he was there. To do this, she invents heroine Kate Rees, an American markswoman with a tragic past who is recruited by the Allies for a formidable assignment: to assassinate Hitler while he visits the City of Light. But when the plan goes awry, Kate is suddenly running for her life, with only her wits and her tiny bit of training to rely on.
I thoroughly enjoyed this new WWII story; I listened to the audiobook through Libro.fm.
In this novel, Black imagines what might have happened while he was there. To do this, she invents heroine Kate Rees, an American markswoman with a tragic past who is recruited by the Allies for a formidable assignment: to assassinate Hitler while he visits the City of Light. But when the plan goes awry, Kate is suddenly running for her life, with only her wits and her tiny bit of training to rely on.
I thoroughly enjoyed this new WWII story; I listened to the audiobook through Libro.fm.
May 27, 2020
Extremely well written historical thriller! I've never been a fan of historical fiction but Black's writing shown a vibrant light on this story. I'm unsure if it's based on true events or not, but it felt as though it easily could have occurred.
Our heroine is resourceful and compassionate, bravely facing the horrors of the German invasion of Paris. With very little training, Kate makes quick, intelligent decisions. There were a lot of characters to follow - spies and counter-spies. This is a story I would have enjoyed more in paper format than on Kindle, only because I find that easier to flip back when I want to review exactly who is doing what.
*Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Our heroine is resourceful and compassionate, bravely facing the horrors of the German invasion of Paris. With very little training, Kate makes quick, intelligent decisions. There were a lot of characters to follow - spies and counter-spies. This is a story I would have enjoyed more in paper format than on Kindle, only because I find that easier to flip back when I want to review exactly who is doing what.
*Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
August 12, 2020
Years ago, I used to read Cara Black’s Aimée Leduc novels every year as they were published. Then I quit, because they felt formulaic and half-hearted. But I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
While some of the cat-and-mouse story is exciting, on the whole it felt over the top and unbelievable. It’s a 36-hour story and Kate escapes for an impossible situation on a near-hourly basis.
It also bothers me that Kate outperforms every agent in the field, even though she was a raw recruit with little time for training. Then, when I read about her handler’s intentions, that just annoyed me no end.
I’ve read a lot of World War II espionage books, fiction and non-fiction. This one is disappointing.
While some of the cat-and-mouse story is exciting, on the whole it felt over the top and unbelievable. It’s a 36-hour story and Kate escapes for an impossible situation on a near-hourly basis.
It also bothers me that Kate outperforms every agent in the field, even though she was a raw recruit with little time for training. Then, when I read about her handler’s intentions, that just annoyed me no end.
I’ve read a lot of World War II espionage books, fiction and non-fiction. This one is disappointing.
November 10, 2023
Here is the backdrop:
The author says her imagination was captured by a historical moment...
In October 1939, when Adolf Hitler visited Paris and stayed in the city for a mere three hours.
In this novel, Black imagines what might have happened while he was there.
To do this...
She invents heroine Kate Rees, an American markswoman with a tragic past who is recruited by the Allies for a formidable assignment: to assassinate Hitler while he visits the City of Light.
But...
When the plan goes awry, Kate is suddenly running for her life.
Now...
Imagine yourself as the reader.
Be ready...
Because you are not going to want to put this book down!
Gripping, fast-paced, suspense filled, mystery filled with twists and turns. For those who love a World War II suspense thriller with short chapters, I think you might like this one.
The author says her imagination was captured by a historical moment...
In October 1939, when Adolf Hitler visited Paris and stayed in the city for a mere three hours.
In this novel, Black imagines what might have happened while he was there.
To do this...
She invents heroine Kate Rees, an American markswoman with a tragic past who is recruited by the Allies for a formidable assignment: to assassinate Hitler while he visits the City of Light.
But...
When the plan goes awry, Kate is suddenly running for her life.
Now...
Imagine yourself as the reader.
Be ready...
Because you are not going to want to put this book down!
Gripping, fast-paced, suspense filled, mystery filled with twists and turns. For those who love a World War II suspense thriller with short chapters, I think you might like this one.
February 20, 2023
This is a well-written, entertaining, WWII historical fiction, spy thriller. It is fast paced with a likable female protagonist, suspense, intrigue, twists and turns, and a surprise ending. The author's notes are interesting and informative, and are truly appreciated. I listened to the audio edition of this novel, and the narrator, Ms. Elisabeth Rodgers, has a lovely voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters, their accents, and their personalities.
April 27, 2020
DNF. Once again, I'll be in the minority here, but I found this story to be forced and clunky. The prologue was contrived, the action scenes unpersuasive, and the characters not credible. There are a fairly small number of outstanding spy novels and novelists, and a lot of lesser ones, so my advice would be to stay with the very best. This isn't one of them.
April 5, 2022
I breezed through it, and really enjoyed it. This has been on my TBR for a while, and I just got a recommendation from a friend (thank you, Theresa) for a book from the same author. Lots of twists and turns and as they say in the book, "moxie!" Was definitely a fun ride.
April 19, 2020
The premise of this story was good, and I tend to like historical fiction, but this book just didn’t grab me. Full disclosure, I stopped reading about halfway through. It wasn’t interesting enough to make me keep reading.
SPOILER ALERT: Though this review will be brief, the reasons I stopped reading do contain spoilers.
Kate wasn’t a very interesting character. All I knew about her in the first half of the book was that she lost her husband and daughter and could shoot really well. Apart from that she displayed no other personality at all. The German detective who is hunting her down after her failed mission was the same. I have no idea who he is and he showed not a single glimmer of a personality.
I just couldn’t get into the story. It annoyed me more than it interested me. I had no desire to keep reading and so, I didn’t.
Reviewed for Written Among the Stars
SPOILER ALERT: Though this review will be brief, the reasons I stopped reading do contain spoilers.
Kate wasn’t a very interesting character. All I knew about her in the first half of the book was that she lost her husband and daughter and could shoot really well. Apart from that she displayed no other personality at all. The German detective who is hunting her down after her failed mission was the same. I have no idea who he is and he showed not a single glimmer of a personality.
I just couldn’t get into the story. It annoyed me more than it interested me. I had no desire to keep reading and so, I didn’t.
Reviewed for Written Among the Stars
April 21, 2024
In Paris, sometime as spring is turning into summer in 1940, Hitler is there for three hours. Black explores what might have been the reason and what Churchill might have done about that.
I gave up on Black’s very popular Aimee Leduc series https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... not because it wasn’t interesting, but because it started to become completely formulaic.
Enter Kate Rees.
Kate is doing her best during the early days of WW II up in Scapa Flow where her Brit husband is stationed. She’s a young American and quite an outlier at the base. She comes to the attention of British intelligence because of her marksmanship. Then comes an opportunity for a dangerous assignment that she is willing to take…an assassination attempt in newly Nazi occupied Paris.
“Now she knew where she was. She needed to concentrate on meeting the contact. Pray that the café rendezvous hadn’t been compromised. What if the meeting proved impossible? That was her only connection to her escape route. Would she ever get out of Paris?”
The action swings between British intelligence command in London, and Paris where we track Kate’s efforts not to be caught and the efforts of the Nazi-appointed Bayern detective, Gunter Hoffman, to catch her.
“Gunter knew she wasn’t far. He sensed her presence nearby in this stifling hot Metro. She wouldn’t slip through his fingers again. She’d be frightened, but she’d keep running, he knew. Not the type to freeze like a scared deer paralyzed in a car’s headlights. Nein, not this woman. She had killed a man only minutes ago, but that wouldn’t shake her. She had assassinated an admiral and barely missed the Fuhrer then kept her head about her to escape his net of searchers. She was strategic and smart. He felt a flicker of admiration…outwitting this woman would be more than an exercise. It was a deadly game, and Gunter was ready to play.”
The strengths of this book are:
- The tension that Black creates and maintains
- Her nice touch with gender issues
- Black’s ability to constantly enhance the various places where Kate seeks refuge
- The variety and intimacies of the people of that Paris (during Nazi occupation)
The more tenuous aspects include:
- The lack of character depth
- The seeming disorganization of the British hierarchy
I gave up on Black’s very popular Aimee Leduc series https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... not because it wasn’t interesting, but because it started to become completely formulaic.
Enter Kate Rees.
Kate is doing her best during the early days of WW II up in Scapa Flow where her Brit husband is stationed. She’s a young American and quite an outlier at the base. She comes to the attention of British intelligence because of her marksmanship. Then comes an opportunity for a dangerous assignment that she is willing to take…an assassination attempt in newly Nazi occupied Paris.
“Now she knew where she was. She needed to concentrate on meeting the contact. Pray that the café rendezvous hadn’t been compromised. What if the meeting proved impossible? That was her only connection to her escape route. Would she ever get out of Paris?”
The action swings between British intelligence command in London, and Paris where we track Kate’s efforts not to be caught and the efforts of the Nazi-appointed Bayern detective, Gunter Hoffman, to catch her.
“Gunter knew she wasn’t far. He sensed her presence nearby in this stifling hot Metro. She wouldn’t slip through his fingers again. She’d be frightened, but she’d keep running, he knew. Not the type to freeze like a scared deer paralyzed in a car’s headlights. Nein, not this woman. She had killed a man only minutes ago, but that wouldn’t shake her. She had assassinated an admiral and barely missed the Fuhrer then kept her head about her to escape his net of searchers. She was strategic and smart. He felt a flicker of admiration…outwitting this woman would be more than an exercise. It was a deadly game, and Gunter was ready to play.”
The strengths of this book are:
- The tension that Black creates and maintains
- Her nice touch with gender issues
- Black’s ability to constantly enhance the various places where Kate seeks refuge
- The variety and intimacies of the people of that Paris (during Nazi occupation)
The more tenuous aspects include:
- The lack of character depth
- The seeming disorganization of the British hierarchy
January 15, 2021
As someone with a special fondness for Second World War adventure stories, I came to "THREE HOURS IN PARIS" with a lot of high expectations. Indeed, it was about 2 years ago, when I went to see Cara Black speak at a local bookstore about one of her Aimée Leduc novels, she had mentioned to the audience that she was at work on a novel that would be taking place in Paris during the Second World War. That was enough to pique my interest.
So, I began reading "THREE HOURS IN PARIS" eagerly anticipating reading a novel that would enthrall me from start to finish. Well, it wasn't quite like that. I was 35 pages into the novel feeling underwhelmed by what I had read. In fact, what I was reading struck me as shoddy and amateurish, something a reader would expect to find from a first-time novelist, not a practiced and celebrated writer. There is a scene in which one of the main characters in the novel, Kate Rees, is working near a military installation at Hoy in the Orkney Islands (near Scotland) when the installation comes under attack by the German Luftwaffe (air force). Two sentences that helped to describe the ensuing action immediately stood out before my eyes as someone who is a longtime aviation enthusiast. The first sentence is "A propeller plane droned out of the clouds, followed by a second, then a third one." What is THAT supposed to mean? I didn't find that to be a particularly descriptive sentence that would have made the action more compelling and real to me. What kind of aircraft is a propeller plane?! Frankly, that was an awkward sentence and should have been re-worked.
And as for the second sentence, that rankled me because it makes absolutely no sense at all! Well, as a way of proving my point, I'll also include the preceding sentence: "The Luftwaffe were taking another pass now that the clouds had cleared. Only two this time, their swastikas glinting on the fuselage." SWASTIKAS GLINTING ON THE FUSELAGE?! As someone who has read about and studied Second World War aviation since I was a preteen, I know for a fact that Luftwaffe planes bore the swastika on the tail unit, NOT THE FUSELAGE. (The fuselage is the main body of an airplane, distinct from the wings and the tail unit.) Clearly, the author failed to take account of that fact.
Kate, feeling bereaved and bereft after losing her husband and baby daughter during the first year of the war, accepts the offer made by a mysterious and officious gentleman --- who had been made aware of her prowess as a sharpshooter --- to come to London and join the ranks of Section D in British intelligence (i.e., the Secret Intelligence Service or SIS = MI-6).
The time is mid-June 1940. Paris has been declared an 'open city' and the Germans have marched in and occupied it. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), along with a few scattered French army units, has managed to escape to Britain from the French port of Dunkirk. France is on the brink of total defeat. Kate is hastily trained to undertake a special mission to Paris, where her skills as a sharpshooter would prove to be valuable. She is parachuted into France on the night of June 22, 1940 (which is also the day that France has signed an armistice with Nazi Germany), landing in a non-descript area a short distance from Paris.
From the point Kate arrives in Paris, the pace in the novel quickens. The drama becomes compelling and that is what saved the novel for me. Yet, "THREE HOURS IN PARIS" is not in the class of a Frederick Forsyth, Alan Furst or a John le Carré espionage/action thriller. If Cara Black decides to write another Second World War novel set in France, I hope she will craft a tighter story and show greater care in conveying some historical details.
So, I began reading "THREE HOURS IN PARIS" eagerly anticipating reading a novel that would enthrall me from start to finish. Well, it wasn't quite like that. I was 35 pages into the novel feeling underwhelmed by what I had read. In fact, what I was reading struck me as shoddy and amateurish, something a reader would expect to find from a first-time novelist, not a practiced and celebrated writer. There is a scene in which one of the main characters in the novel, Kate Rees, is working near a military installation at Hoy in the Orkney Islands (near Scotland) when the installation comes under attack by the German Luftwaffe (air force). Two sentences that helped to describe the ensuing action immediately stood out before my eyes as someone who is a longtime aviation enthusiast. The first sentence is "A propeller plane droned out of the clouds, followed by a second, then a third one." What is THAT supposed to mean? I didn't find that to be a particularly descriptive sentence that would have made the action more compelling and real to me. What kind of aircraft is a propeller plane?! Frankly, that was an awkward sentence and should have been re-worked.
And as for the second sentence, that rankled me because it makes absolutely no sense at all! Well, as a way of proving my point, I'll also include the preceding sentence: "The Luftwaffe were taking another pass now that the clouds had cleared. Only two this time, their swastikas glinting on the fuselage." SWASTIKAS GLINTING ON THE FUSELAGE?! As someone who has read about and studied Second World War aviation since I was a preteen, I know for a fact that Luftwaffe planes bore the swastika on the tail unit, NOT THE FUSELAGE. (The fuselage is the main body of an airplane, distinct from the wings and the tail unit.) Clearly, the author failed to take account of that fact.
Kate, feeling bereaved and bereft after losing her husband and baby daughter during the first year of the war, accepts the offer made by a mysterious and officious gentleman --- who had been made aware of her prowess as a sharpshooter --- to come to London and join the ranks of Section D in British intelligence (i.e., the Secret Intelligence Service or SIS = MI-6).
The time is mid-June 1940. Paris has been declared an 'open city' and the Germans have marched in and occupied it. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), along with a few scattered French army units, has managed to escape to Britain from the French port of Dunkirk. France is on the brink of total defeat. Kate is hastily trained to undertake a special mission to Paris, where her skills as a sharpshooter would prove to be valuable. She is parachuted into France on the night of June 22, 1940 (which is also the day that France has signed an armistice with Nazi Germany), landing in a non-descript area a short distance from Paris.
From the point Kate arrives in Paris, the pace in the novel quickens. The drama becomes compelling and that is what saved the novel for me. Yet, "THREE HOURS IN PARIS" is not in the class of a Frederick Forsyth, Alan Furst or a John le Carré espionage/action thriller. If Cara Black decides to write another Second World War novel set in France, I hope she will craft a tighter story and show greater care in conveying some historical details.
February 7, 2023
4.5 Stars. I love it when a book surprises me. I thought this was just another WWII historical fiction but it felt like so much more. Female sniper, mystery, suspense - it was such a good book!
May 12, 2020
3.5 - 4 stars
This was a strong character-driven historical read set in WW2 France and Britain. Told from the POV of Kate, an American living on the Orkneys where she lived with her late husband, this was a tense and fast-paced suspense. Kate was recruited because of her marksmanship with a rifle and found herself on a high profile job.
What entailed was a story all about her survival in Paris during German occupation. She ricocheted from one situation to and her, not knowing who to trust. Kate was a woman in the full depths of grief over a significant loss and yet she was navigating this high stress situation. The story gave me Charlotte Gray vibes. It was a gripping listen and totally enjoyable.
The narration by Elisabeth Rodgers encapsulated Kate, her journey and her desperate circumstances so well. She transported me to the era and the story completed.
Thank you to LibroFM and Recorded Books for this ALC.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
This was a strong character-driven historical read set in WW2 France and Britain. Told from the POV of Kate, an American living on the Orkneys where she lived with her late husband, this was a tense and fast-paced suspense. Kate was recruited because of her marksmanship with a rifle and found herself on a high profile job.
What entailed was a story all about her survival in Paris during German occupation. She ricocheted from one situation to and her, not knowing who to trust. Kate was a woman in the full depths of grief over a significant loss and yet she was navigating this high stress situation. The story gave me Charlotte Gray vibes. It was a gripping listen and totally enjoyable.
The narration by Elisabeth Rodgers encapsulated Kate, her journey and her desperate circumstances so well. She transported me to the era and the story completed.
Thank you to LibroFM and Recorded Books for this ALC.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Blog.
February 25, 2021
Kate, an American markswoman grief-stricken from personal loss, is recruited by British intelligence to attempt to assassinate Hitler. But when the mission unravels, Kate is forced to flee for her life and figure out who set her up to fail in the first place. I had an opportunity for an early read of this one last year and it is amazing!
June 13, 2022
One of the problems with novels built around plots to kill well-known historical figures who didn't die prematurely in real life is that we know the plot is ultimately going to fail (unless the author pulls an Inglourious Basterds ploy and goes full counterfactual). Since we know the end of the story already, the author's burden is to make us care so much about how the plot fails that we don't care that it does. This means the conspiracy has to be capable and credible, the assassin has to be a master at what s/he does, and the people trying to foil the plot have to be relatable and worthy of cheering on.
The Day of the Jackal
is a prime example of getting this right.
Three Hours in Paris isn't up to that standard, but the author makes a decent stab at it.
The setup: Kate Rees, a raw-boned American sharpshooter in 1940 Scotland, has her life torn apart when a German air raid on the naval base where her husband works kills the husband and their daughter. She plunges into a slough of despond until she's offered a job by the pre-SOE MI6: go to newly-occupied Paris and kill Adolph Hitler during his victory lap around the city. As always in these tales, hardly anything is as it seems and Kate finds herself chased all over the city by various interested parties.
Kate's the star of this show. She's got motive aplenty; she can core an apple at 300 yards with a rifle, so she's got means; and her handlers deliver her to Paris (though they do a crappy job of it), so there's her opportunity. She's tall and attractive enough to distract German sentries from searching her baggage. And she's hungry. That's about all we know about Kate (other than she's astoundingly lucky), which doesn't give us a lot to hang our allegiance on as she pinballs from one scrape to another. She's sent into action egregiously (and suspiciously) undertrained, so we don't get to watch the master spy/assassin in action. She works really hard to stay alive, but because we don't know what she has planned for the rest of her war/life, we don't really know why she's trying so hard. This is surprising. Cara Black has built a fully human, sympathetic, and interesting character in Aimée Leduc, the star of Black's long-running contemporary mystery series. Maybe she couldn't figure out how to do the same thing in a single volume rather than twenty installments.
The supporting characters tend to be types rather than people. We have the good German who isn't a Nazi; the bad Germans who are ultra-Nazis; the requisite unreliable French maquis fighter; and political weasels back home who gum up the works. They hit their marks and say their lines, but you probably won't remember any of them ten minutes after you finish the last page.
One thing this novel has going for it is setting. The author has written a score of novels set in Paris and clearly knows the territory backward and forward. You won't doubt that Our Heroine uses all the correct routes to get from A to B to C during her marathon through the city, and what she sees is what was really there back in the day.
Which is good, because that's what Kate does throughout the book: bounce from one crisis to the next without seeming to make any progress toward her ultimate goal, whatever that is. In a way, it could be refreshing for a caper like this to have its heroine get by on common sense and intuition rather than super-spy-sense or combat prowess. In practice, Kate more often than not survives on sheer dumb luck, coincidence, and the opposition's sloppy work practices, which ultimately devalues her.
I wanted to like Three Hours in Paris a lot more than I actually did. It has a great concept, a setting the author knows better than her own hall closet, and a potentially sympathetic heroine. However, the result is like being dealt ace-king-queen and drawing a two and six: it could've been so much better but fell way short. That's too bad. Maybe the author will try again down the road and will pull off the literary inside straight Kate Rees deserves.
Three Hours in Paris isn't up to that standard, but the author makes a decent stab at it.
The setup: Kate Rees, a raw-boned American sharpshooter in 1940 Scotland, has her life torn apart when a German air raid on the naval base where her husband works kills the husband and their daughter. She plunges into a slough of despond until she's offered a job by the pre-SOE MI6: go to newly-occupied Paris and kill Adolph Hitler during his victory lap around the city. As always in these tales, hardly anything is as it seems and Kate finds herself chased all over the city by various interested parties.
Kate's the star of this show. She's got motive aplenty; she can core an apple at 300 yards with a rifle, so she's got means; and her handlers deliver her to Paris (though they do a crappy job of it), so there's her opportunity. She's tall and attractive enough to distract German sentries from searching her baggage. And she's hungry. That's about all we know about Kate (other than she's astoundingly lucky), which doesn't give us a lot to hang our allegiance on as she pinballs from one scrape to another. She's sent into action egregiously (and suspiciously) undertrained, so we don't get to watch the master spy/assassin in action. She works really hard to stay alive, but because we don't know what she has planned for the rest of her war/life, we don't really know why she's trying so hard. This is surprising. Cara Black has built a fully human, sympathetic, and interesting character in Aimée Leduc, the star of Black's long-running contemporary mystery series. Maybe she couldn't figure out how to do the same thing in a single volume rather than twenty installments.
The supporting characters tend to be types rather than people. We have the good German who isn't a Nazi; the bad Germans who are ultra-Nazis; the requisite unreliable French maquis fighter; and political weasels back home who gum up the works. They hit their marks and say their lines, but you probably won't remember any of them ten minutes after you finish the last page.
One thing this novel has going for it is setting. The author has written a score of novels set in Paris and clearly knows the territory backward and forward. You won't doubt that Our Heroine uses all the correct routes to get from A to B to C during her marathon through the city, and what she sees is what was really there back in the day.
Which is good, because that's what Kate does throughout the book: bounce from one crisis to the next without seeming to make any progress toward her ultimate goal, whatever that is. In a way, it could be refreshing for a caper like this to have its heroine get by on common sense and intuition rather than super-spy-sense or combat prowess. In practice, Kate more often than not survives on sheer dumb luck, coincidence, and the opposition's sloppy work practices, which ultimately devalues her.
I wanted to like Three Hours in Paris a lot more than I actually did. It has a great concept, a setting the author knows better than her own hall closet, and a potentially sympathetic heroine. However, the result is like being dealt ace-king-queen and drawing a two and six: it could've been so much better but fell way short. That's too bad. Maybe the author will try again down the road and will pull off the literary inside straight Kate Rees deserves.
September 11, 2020
Wow! This is nail biting, heart pounding, cat and mouse suspense.
Paris, June 1940:
Sharpshooter, Kate Rees, is sent into Paris by the Brits to assassinate Hitler on his first (and only) visit to Paris.
While she does shoot a Nazi officer, it is not Hitler. Her assignment has failed.
Only one thing left to do. She must get out of Paris.
With no clear instructions as to how to do this Kate realizes she is on her own and must muster up her initiative and guile or be captured, tortured and most likely killed.
The one thing her handler told her was “Trust no one!” Where to go from here?
Well, it’s a wild ride with a German policeman and Hitler’s SD officer after her which turns out in her favour while the policeman and the SD officer waste time trying to out-do each other.
Coincidences abound in this novel but – for me – it did not detract in any way from the suspense and the thrill of Kate Rees as she figures out step by step how to save herself.
The twisted revelation when it comes to light is terrible – but then: this is war.
Paris, June 1940:
Sharpshooter, Kate Rees, is sent into Paris by the Brits to assassinate Hitler on his first (and only) visit to Paris.
While she does shoot a Nazi officer, it is not Hitler. Her assignment has failed.
Only one thing left to do. She must get out of Paris.
With no clear instructions as to how to do this Kate realizes she is on her own and must muster up her initiative and guile or be captured, tortured and most likely killed.
The one thing her handler told her was “Trust no one!” Where to go from here?
Well, it’s a wild ride with a German policeman and Hitler’s SD officer after her which turns out in her favour while the policeman and the SD officer waste time trying to out-do each other.
Coincidences abound in this novel but – for me – it did not detract in any way from the suspense and the thrill of Kate Rees as she figures out step by step how to save herself.
The twisted revelation when it comes to light is terrible – but then: this is war.
December 31, 2019
The stage is set …. June 1940 and France has fallen to the Nazis … they swarm the streets of Paris like an invading hoard of locusts. Kate Rees is strangled with grief after a Luftwaffe bombing has killed her husband and beloved daughter, Lisbeth. At the height of her despondency she's offered a chance at revenge. British intelligence recruits her for a dangerous mission …. the assassination of the Fuhrer. The British have researched her past …. she is an excellent markswoman with the rifle …. not only a winner of multiple awards but also a "cowgirl" in the true sense …., being raised on a ranch in rural Oregon amongst five brothers.. She readily accepts the assignment and is thrust into a grueling crash course of spycraft..
In cinematic fashion we're treated to the insurmountable plight of Kate in occupied Paris. In astounding detail she sets up for the coup de grace shot at Hitler … only to be foiled by the unexpected presence of a child... who bears a striking resemblance to Lisbeth. Her momentary delay in taking the shot results in the inadvertent kill of a different high ranking Nazi ( the ramifications of this are unknown to Kate and the reader). Kate is suddenly running for her life through the streets and historically accurate locals of Paris. She is pursued and hounded by not only the Wehrmacht and Gestapo but a Munich police detective, Gunter Hoffman. Gunter is highly scrupled and is only interested in seeking justice … and certainly not a proponent of Gestapo techniques or even the Nazis in general. His presence and actions are reminiscent of the famous literary detective, Bernie Gunther … who flowed from the notable pen of Philip Kerr.
Cara Black weaves an atmospheric cat-and-mouse chase across occupied Paris. The pace of this page-turner is both relentless and exhilarating. It is brimming with intrigue and artful characterizations and escalates into an unexpected thrilling denouement. Thanks to both NetGalley and Soho Books for providing an electronic ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the genius of Cara Black, it certainly won't be my last. (readersremains.com)
In cinematic fashion we're treated to the insurmountable plight of Kate in occupied Paris. In astounding detail she sets up for the coup de grace shot at Hitler … only to be foiled by the unexpected presence of a child... who bears a striking resemblance to Lisbeth. Her momentary delay in taking the shot results in the inadvertent kill of a different high ranking Nazi ( the ramifications of this are unknown to Kate and the reader). Kate is suddenly running for her life through the streets and historically accurate locals of Paris. She is pursued and hounded by not only the Wehrmacht and Gestapo but a Munich police detective, Gunter Hoffman. Gunter is highly scrupled and is only interested in seeking justice … and certainly not a proponent of Gestapo techniques or even the Nazis in general. His presence and actions are reminiscent of the famous literary detective, Bernie Gunther … who flowed from the notable pen of Philip Kerr.
Cara Black weaves an atmospheric cat-and-mouse chase across occupied Paris. The pace of this page-turner is both relentless and exhilarating. It is brimming with intrigue and artful characterizations and escalates into an unexpected thrilling denouement. Thanks to both NetGalley and Soho Books for providing an electronic ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the genius of Cara Black, it certainly won't be my last. (readersremains.com)
May 15, 2021
A hold your breath, tension filled cat and mouse game played out in the streets of occupied Paris in WWII. Kate, an American marksman has lost her family to a German attack and has been recruited on a suicide mission to take out Hitler. Now, stranded, with no one she can trust, and hunted by one of the Gestapo’s best detectives she must try to survive and make her way back to London.
October 25, 2019
This was a wonderful book about WWII that Cara Black wrote about. Kate was a American working for the British spy network trying to kill Hitler after her husband and child were killed in a submarine raid on the Scottish Island she was living on. It was full of all kind of drama involving the network of French fighters that never should have happened but did. And she was critical to the situation of an engineer who died but left her with some things to find out about. She takes you on a ride that doesn't let up for one second. People were killed and she was set up to fail, yet she fought ahead to find out Hitlers plan to invade the British Island. It has kind of a neat ending, but you need to read the story for yourself, or you won't understand what I mean by that.
April 17, 2020
3.5 stars
I liked this because it had a strong female character underestimated by her superiors and in the wider world making her a good candidate for the job she was given.
Overall though, the pace was quite slow and it felt quite repetitive. I probably would've enjoyed it more if it was 50 pages shorter.
I liked this because it had a strong female character underestimated by her superiors and in the wider world making her a good candidate for the job she was given.
Overall though, the pace was quite slow and it felt quite repetitive. I probably would've enjoyed it more if it was 50 pages shorter.
April 11, 2020
Overly complicated and boring. Cardboard characters moving through a maze. And the major premise of the plot, why she was sent on her mission, was so morally wrong. Sure it’s fiction, but come on, really? I’ve enjoyed Cara Black's other novels, so I’m disappointed. 40% in and couldn’t even finish it.
February 15, 2024
As you can see, I could not put this WWII novel down! The protagonist, Kate, was authentic. The plot twists & turns mimicked what the moment in time required. I loved this one!
June 14, 2020
I'm a big fan of historical fiction, spy novels, and books featuring strong women and I was happy that Three Hours In Paris by Cara Black had all of these things!
I haven't read much in the way of historical thrillers yet, and I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. I listened to the entire book on audio and I absolutely loved the narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers. She did a superb job with narration and was able to bring all the suspense and scenery to life for me. I thought the book was wonderfully fast-paced, and I really liked that it switched between a few different characters but not so many that it was confusing or overwhelming.
I really liked Kate as a character, and I loved that she was an American markswoman. I haven't read many books about female spies and the fact that she gets sent in to kill Hitler made the book very exciting. It was a pretty intense ride throughout and interesting on top of it. I loved the story, the setting, and the narrator, and with an ending I didn't see coming I would highly recommend checking out Three Hours In Paris if you are a fan of historical fiction or historical thrillers.
Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for my advance listening copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I haven't read much in the way of historical thrillers yet, and I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. I listened to the entire book on audio and I absolutely loved the narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers. She did a superb job with narration and was able to bring all the suspense and scenery to life for me. I thought the book was wonderfully fast-paced, and I really liked that it switched between a few different characters but not so many that it was confusing or overwhelming.
I really liked Kate as a character, and I loved that she was an American markswoman. I haven't read many books about female spies and the fact that she gets sent in to kill Hitler made the book very exciting. It was a pretty intense ride throughout and interesting on top of it. I loved the story, the setting, and the narrator, and with an ending I didn't see coming I would highly recommend checking out Three Hours In Paris if you are a fan of historical fiction or historical thrillers.
Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for my advance listening copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
March 26, 2020
Cara Black's new thriller is a departure for her, but in terms of time, not place. Her superb knowledge of Paris is on full display here as she spins a nail-biter of a tale. Kate Reese is an excellent sharpshooter and takes on a suicidal mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler during his brief visit to recently conquered Paris, in order to avenge the death of her husband. There are layers upon layers here, as Kate discovers as she races to escape the Nazi and Vichy authorities hot on her trail. A taut and terrific tale.
January 5, 2020
The stage is set …. June 1940 and France has fallen to the Nazis … they swarm the streets of Paris like an invading hoard of locusts. Kate Rees is strangled with grief after a Luftwaffe bombing has killed her husband and beloved daughter, Lisbeth. At the height of her despondency she's offered a chance at revenge. British intelligence recruits her for a dangerous mission …. the assassination of the Fuhrer. The British have researched her past …. she is an excellent markswoman with the rifle …. not only a winner of multiple awards but also a "cowgirl" in the true sense …., being raised on a ranch in rural Oregon amongst five brothers.. She readily accepts the assignment and is thrust into a grueling crash course of spycraft..
In cinematic fashion we're treated to the insurmountable plight of Kate in occupied Paris. In astounding detail she sets up for the coup de grace shot at Hitler … only to be foiled by the unexpected presence of a child... who bears a striking resemblance to Lisbeth. Her momentary delay in taking the shot results in the inadvertent kill of a different high ranking Nazi ( the ramifications of this are unknown to Kate and the reader). Kate is suddenly running for her life through the streets and historically accurate locals of Paris. She is pursued and hounded by not only the Wehrmacht and Gestapo but a Munich police detective, Gunter Hoffman. Gunter is highly scrupled and is only interested in seeking justice … and certainly not a proponent of Gestapo techniques or even the Nazis in general. His presence and actions are reminiscent of the famous literary detective, Bernie Gunther … who flowed from the notable pen of Philip Kerr.
Cara Black weaves an atmospheric cat-and-mouse chase across occupied Paris. The pace of this page-turner is both relentless and exhilarating. It is brimming with intrigue and artful characterizations and escalates into an unexpected thrilling denouement. Thanks to both NetGalley and Soho Books for providing an electronic ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the genius of Cara Black, it certainly won't be my last. (readersremains.com)
In cinematic fashion we're treated to the insurmountable plight of Kate in occupied Paris. In astounding detail she sets up for the coup de grace shot at Hitler … only to be foiled by the unexpected presence of a child... who bears a striking resemblance to Lisbeth. Her momentary delay in taking the shot results in the inadvertent kill of a different high ranking Nazi ( the ramifications of this are unknown to Kate and the reader). Kate is suddenly running for her life through the streets and historically accurate locals of Paris. She is pursued and hounded by not only the Wehrmacht and Gestapo but a Munich police detective, Gunter Hoffman. Gunter is highly scrupled and is only interested in seeking justice … and certainly not a proponent of Gestapo techniques or even the Nazis in general. His presence and actions are reminiscent of the famous literary detective, Bernie Gunther … who flowed from the notable pen of Philip Kerr.
Cara Black weaves an atmospheric cat-and-mouse chase across occupied Paris. The pace of this page-turner is both relentless and exhilarating. It is brimming with intrigue and artful characterizations and escalates into an unexpected thrilling denouement. Thanks to both NetGalley and Soho Books for providing an electronic ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the genius of Cara Black, it certainly won't be my last. (readersremains.com)
April 6, 2020
4.5*
What a little surprise packet this was ! Cara Black has written a fast paced, action packed and highly engaging tale. It is quite a unique read in the WWII spy novel category and worthy of investigating as it is jam packed with intrigue and espionage.
Three Hours to Paris centres around an event in June 1940 when Hitler made a brief three hour stop over in Paris. Cara takes this event, and his abrupt departure, to pen a well written fictional possibility of what might have occurred. After a failed assassination attempt the perpetrator finds herself on the run and thus ensues a fabulous cat-and-mouse chase across Paris. There is much going on in this short time: was Kate set up by the British? Whom can she trust? Who is the man with the gray eyes constantly on her tail? It plays out like a classic spy movie as the Nazis are determined to chase down the person responsible.
I will not go into further detail for fear of revealing key points. Suffice to say that if this is a genre that appeals to you then you are sure to appreciate this exciting WWII spy story filled with dangers and loads of twists right to the very end.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
What a little surprise packet this was ! Cara Black has written a fast paced, action packed and highly engaging tale. It is quite a unique read in the WWII spy novel category and worthy of investigating as it is jam packed with intrigue and espionage.
Three Hours to Paris centres around an event in June 1940 when Hitler made a brief three hour stop over in Paris. Cara takes this event, and his abrupt departure, to pen a well written fictional possibility of what might have occurred. After a failed assassination attempt the perpetrator finds herself on the run and thus ensues a fabulous cat-and-mouse chase across Paris. There is much going on in this short time: was Kate set up by the British? Whom can she trust? Who is the man with the gray eyes constantly on her tail? It plays out like a classic spy movie as the Nazis are determined to chase down the person responsible.
I will not go into further detail for fear of revealing key points. Suffice to say that if this is a genre that appeals to you then you are sure to appreciate this exciting WWII spy story filled with dangers and loads of twists right to the very end.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
November 10, 2019
Three Hours in Paris has authentic and irresistible charm. Full of interesting and meaningful details, I found myself incessantly thinking or talking about it when I had to put it down. Cara Black made me feel as if I were on the streets of occupied Paris, delighted in the enduring culture while also rushing with suspense and gravity. She masterfully pans between the quick thinking, tough woman on the move and the brilliant policeman on her trail, while giving the reader enough clues to to make decisions or conclusions for themselves before revealing actual happenings. I rarely find a book that imbues in me such orchestrated and genuine sadness, hope, and emboldened resolve within its same pages. I absolutely loved it!
July 13, 2020
Cara Black is back in full swing! I was on the edge of my seat with this novel. I'm a big fan of Aimee Leduc, and this WW II thriller set in Paris is an entirely different slant from those works, although the heartbeat feels similar and has that gritty noir feel.
I loved Kate Rees, her fire and determination. The German policeman Gunter Hoffman so reminded me of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther.
A great read!
I loved Kate Rees, her fire and determination. The German policeman Gunter Hoffman so reminded me of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther.
A great read!
July 31, 2020
Kate is Heel Zielig want haar man en kind zijn Doodgebombardeerd door de Duitsers, dus ze wil niets liever dan Hitler Doodschieten, dus ze wordt opgeleid door de Geheime Dienst en dan mag ze Hitler doodschieten als die de Sacré Coeur bezoekt in Parijs want ze kan ook heel goed Frans. En ze kan heel scherp schieten want ze komt van een Amerikaanse boederij dus dan weet je het wel.
Maar ze schiet toch mis en dus moet ze heel Parijs door vluchten, want intussen zit de Duitse Günther ohnee Gunter haar achterna.
Ze weet van alle straten hoe ze heten en waar ze zijn dus dat is heel mooi. Zij racet steeds 2 bladzijden door Parijse straten en langs terrasses en portes enzo en Gunter rapporteert steeds 2 bladzijden aan de Führer, met veel Jawohl en Danke schön en Nein. Dus het is allemaal rete spannend vooral omdat we ook steeds horen hoe koud / warm / bezweet / misselijk Kate er allemaal van wordt. En die arme Gunter is verkouden verdammt noch mal.
En tussen al dat gerace en gedoe gaan we soms ook even naar de Geheime Dienst in Engeland want daar weten ze hoe het allemaal zit maar dat mag Kate niet weten en gaat ze daar nu achterkomen?
Het is allemaal nagelbijtend spannend.
En stomvervelend, dat ook.
Maar ze schiet toch mis en dus moet ze heel Parijs door vluchten, want intussen zit de Duitse Günther ohnee Gunter haar achterna.
Ze weet van alle straten hoe ze heten en waar ze zijn dus dat is heel mooi. Zij racet steeds 2 bladzijden door Parijse straten en langs terrasses en portes enzo en Gunter rapporteert steeds 2 bladzijden aan de Führer, met veel Jawohl en Danke schön en Nein. Dus het is allemaal rete spannend vooral omdat we ook steeds horen hoe koud / warm / bezweet / misselijk Kate er allemaal van wordt. En die arme Gunter is verkouden verdammt noch mal.
En tussen al dat gerace en gedoe gaan we soms ook even naar de Geheime Dienst in Engeland want daar weten ze hoe het allemaal zit maar dat mag Kate niet weten en gaat ze daar nu achterkomen?
Het is allemaal nagelbijtend spannend.
En stomvervelend, dat ook.
June 25, 2020
I selected this book after reading a glowing review in the newspaper. Judging from other reviews here on Goodreads, I’m in the minority. It’s an interesting story (plenty of other reviews have detailed plot summaries) but my issue with what was an interesting story premise is that it was often unbelievable. My second issue is that some of the characters, with the exception of our heroine and the Nazi chasing her, are incredibly one dimensional if not downright stereotypical (bumbling and sadistic Nazis, surly Parisians etc.) I gave it a third star just because the premise is interesting and I didn’t see one twist coming.
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