What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac
“Sometime during the early hours of the morning, he awoke again, this time with a start. He was sure he heard a noise outside. It sounded like a twig snapping. Under normal circumstances it would have meant nothing, but in the silence of the forest every sound was magnified. There it was again. This time it was closer and his instinct told him it wasn’t the wolves. He reached for his gun and quietly looked out through the window. The moon was on the wane, wrapped in the soft gauze of snowfall and it wasn’t easy to see. Maybe it was a fox, or even a deer. Then he heard it again, right outside the door. He cocked his gun, pressed his body flat against the wall next to the door, and waited. The room was in total darkness and his senses were heightened. After a few minutes, he heard the soft click of the door latch.”
February 1944. Preparations for the D-Day invasion are well advanced. When contact with Belvedere, one of the Resistance networks in the Jura region of Eastern France, is lost, Elizabeth Maxwell, is sent back to the region to find the head of the network, her husband Guy Maxwell.
It soon becomes clear that the network has been betrayed. An RAF airdrop of supplies was ambushed by the Gestapo, and many members of the Resistance have been killed.
Surrounded on all sides by the brutal Gestapo and the French Milice, and under constant danger of betrayal, Elizabeth must unmask the traitor in their midst, find her husband, and help him to rebuild Belvedere in time for SOE operations in support of D-Day.
February 1944. Preparations for the D-Day invasion are well advanced. When contact with Belvedere, one of the Resistance networks in the Jura region of Eastern France, is lost, Elizabeth Maxwell, is sent back to the region to find the head of the network, her husband Guy Maxwell.
It soon becomes clear that the network has been betrayed. An RAF airdrop of supplies was ambushed by the Gestapo, and many members of the Resistance have been killed.
Surrounded on all sides by the brutal Gestapo and the French Milice, and under constant danger of betrayal, Elizabeth must unmask the traitor in their midst, find her husband, and help him to rebuild Belvedere in time for SOE operations in support of D-Day.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2020
272 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 22, 2020
Another masterpiece from one of my favorite historical fiction writers! “The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac” has everything a well-written historical novel should have: most thorough research; the setting so vividly described it instantly transports you into a dangerous world of occupied France; complex characters that are so perfectly imperfect and infinitely brave, you’ll be rooting for them till the very end. Guy and Elizabeth, SOE agents parachuted into France, are brilliant central characters. I love a strong, sharp-minded main heroine and Elizabeth was just that - highly intelligent, courageous, and relying on logic rather than emotions while fulfilling an incredibly dangerous mission: finding her missing SOE husband and trying to uncover a traitor in their cell’s midst. Guy also won me over right away with his integrity and refusal to retreat back to the safety of his homeland until he was certain that his dead comrades were avenged, justice served to the traitor, and the Gestapo are served what they’re due. The best part is that even though this particular couple is fictional, their stories are based on true dangers real SOE agents, which inspired them, faced, just like the historical events taking place in the novel. Make sure to read the note on history at the end of the novel - you’ll be amazed how much true heroic actions inspired the fictional ordeal of Guy and Elizabeth’s cell and how many real resistants paid their lives in the name of freedom. This book will surely stay with me for a very long time. If you love historical fiction just as much as I do, read it. I promise you’ll love it.
December 27, 2020
Another page-turning World War II thriller from Kathryn Gauci. This well-paced and gripping story takes place in the Jura region of eastern France, near the Swiss border. In the lead-up to D-Day, an SOE operative is sent back to the region to discover what has happened to the leader of one of the Resistance networks, who is also her husband. There’s a lot more to it than that, but I won’t give any spoilers.
I understand the author spent some time in this part of France researching the area and the true story on which this is partly based. Her research shines through and the region (which I don’t know, although I live in France) really comes alive. The privations and fear with which local people had to struggle every day are well portrayed: the looming threat of the Gestapo and the Milice, the atmosphere of distrust and apprehension, and the heightened tension as the expected Allied invasion comes closer.
There is a large cast of characters, but they are well stage-managed. The characterisation of the main characters is excellent, and you feel you are experiencing the same events with them.
Highly recommended.
I understand the author spent some time in this part of France researching the area and the true story on which this is partly based. Her research shines through and the region (which I don’t know, although I live in France) really comes alive. The privations and fear with which local people had to struggle every day are well portrayed: the looming threat of the Gestapo and the Milice, the atmosphere of distrust and apprehension, and the heightened tension as the expected Allied invasion comes closer.
There is a large cast of characters, but they are well stage-managed. The characterisation of the main characters is excellent, and you feel you are experiencing the same events with them.
Highly recommended.
January 9, 2021
Paperback edition.
Occupied France sets the stage for Kathryn Gauci’s latest historical novel. Once again, Ms. Gauci has delivered a well-researched drama complete with interesting, complex characters and a compelling story-line. My compliments and gratitude for another exciting read. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Gauci’s work in the future.
Occupied France sets the stage for Kathryn Gauci’s latest historical novel. Once again, Ms. Gauci has delivered a well-researched drama complete with interesting, complex characters and a compelling story-line. My compliments and gratitude for another exciting read. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Gauci’s work in the future.
July 24, 2021
Inspired by true events beginning in 1944, and populated with characters who are composites of real-life heroes and villains, this meticulously researched and wonderfully evocative novel is WWII at its most chilling.
With WWII instead of the Cold War fueling the fear and desperation-driven machinery of war-time counter-intelligence and espionage, this book has all the intrigue of John le Carre wrapped in a softer, more emotive, and decidedly feminine cloak of suspense.
Elizabeth, our main protagonist, is a British agent, attached to the SOE (Special Operations Executive) as part of a network executing cloak-and-dagger field operations to provision arms and supplies to the French Resistance, - who are , for the most part, everyday French citizens, heroes in the underground fight against the Nazi regime.
Deployed to German-occupied France, with an assumed identity (and SOE-gifted magenta lipstick) Elizabeth encounters the vagaries of war at its most terrifying, all the more so in that her primary task concerns picking up a trail through a tragically failed field-mission to locate a missing agent - who is none other than her husband, Guy Maxwell.
Elizabeth is a wonderfully crafted character. Brave, intelligent, compassionate, tough and at times even brutal - she is also deeply in love and carrying all the internal baggage that comes with the raw terror stemming from her partners unknown fate.
With unsettling contrast against the bucolic backdrop of pastoral France; the “cloudless blue skies and warmth that lightened the soul” (not to mention the delightful hidden shared bottles of excellent “vin jaune”); the pace of the atrocities encountered is relentless, the danger constant, the suspense all the more alarming as the narrative contains mostly fictionalized accounts of real-life events.
“All I care about at this moment is that we’re still alive by the time this war ends”
I won’t tell you how it all ends (no spoilers here) but will say I found the finale satisfying and strangely enough, for a book overflowing with death and such extreme situational cruelty, I would even call it both heartwarming and uplifting.
A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own.
With WWII instead of the Cold War fueling the fear and desperation-driven machinery of war-time counter-intelligence and espionage, this book has all the intrigue of John le Carre wrapped in a softer, more emotive, and decidedly feminine cloak of suspense.
Elizabeth, our main protagonist, is a British agent, attached to the SOE (Special Operations Executive) as part of a network executing cloak-and-dagger field operations to provision arms and supplies to the French Resistance, - who are , for the most part, everyday French citizens, heroes in the underground fight against the Nazi regime.
Deployed to German-occupied France, with an assumed identity (and SOE-gifted magenta lipstick) Elizabeth encounters the vagaries of war at its most terrifying, all the more so in that her primary task concerns picking up a trail through a tragically failed field-mission to locate a missing agent - who is none other than her husband, Guy Maxwell.
Elizabeth is a wonderfully crafted character. Brave, intelligent, compassionate, tough and at times even brutal - she is also deeply in love and carrying all the internal baggage that comes with the raw terror stemming from her partners unknown fate.
With unsettling contrast against the bucolic backdrop of pastoral France; the “cloudless blue skies and warmth that lightened the soul” (not to mention the delightful hidden shared bottles of excellent “vin jaune”); the pace of the atrocities encountered is relentless, the danger constant, the suspense all the more alarming as the narrative contains mostly fictionalized accounts of real-life events.
“All I care about at this moment is that we’re still alive by the time this war ends”
I won’t tell you how it all ends (no spoilers here) but will say I found the finale satisfying and strangely enough, for a book overflowing with death and such extreme situational cruelty, I would even call it both heartwarming and uplifting.
A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own.
March 15, 2021
A riveting and deeply stirring novel of the courage of the Resistance and the agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) against the Nazis in France. Gauci's elegant prose deftly heightens the danger and enhances the narrative. "The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac" lingers in the reader's mind long after the last page is turned.
February 17, 2021
Someone had betrayed them. That much was clear: but who?
When Elizabeth Maxwell was summoned to 64 Baker Street, London, she had hoped to hear news of her husband. To her horror, she learns that the Gestapo and the French Milice had ambushed an RAF airdrop of supplies to the Belvedere Resistance. Many Resistance fighters had been killed, and there had been no communication from the head of the Belvedere Resistance - Guy Maxwell, Elizabeth’s husband.
Having at first frowned upon Elizabeth’s marriage to Guy (for emotional entanglement between agents was discouraged) Colonel Maurice Buckmaster, the head of F Section of the Special Operations, now wants Elizabeth to go back into the field and find out exactly what had happened.
Desperate to find out if her husband is dead or alive, Elizabeth willingly agrees. She had worked as a courier for the Belvedere Resistance six months previously, and she knew the area well. It soon became apparent to Elizabeth that there was a traitor in their midst. But unearthing the traitor seemed nearly as impossible as finding out what had happened to her husband and the other members of the Resistance who had survived the vicious attack.
Elizabeth is all too aware that time is against her. The Belvedere Resistance must be in a position where they could support the Allied forces by use of sabotage and subversion to undermine the German occupying forces in time for D-Day.
Inspired by historical events and people, The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac by Kathryn Gauci is an enthralling story that held me captivated from the very first sentence to the final full stop. Gauci has depicted an extremely violent time with an intuitive understanding of what makes history worth reading. This is a novel that does not threaten to mesmerise, it does.
Elizabeth is a character that I came to adore. She is a remarkably strong woman who takes incredible risks to find out what exactly happened. Her determination to discover if her husband is alive or dead was heart-rendering. However, Elizabeth tries to put her personal fears aside, for she has a job to do, and she is determined to do it. I don’t think I would have been as brave as Elizabeth if I found myself in such a situation, but Elizabeth remains clear-headed throughout, which saves her life on more than one occasion. She also gets on with life, despite what is happening around her. If she needs a new dress, she will make one. If a friend needs help with a medical emergency (Elizabeth is a trained nurse), she will change her plans to ensure those in need, received her help. However, there were moments where Elizabeth surprised me. For someone who came across as exceedingly gentle, she could also be coldly ruthless.
The other protagonist in this novel is Guy, but to speak of him would be to give away some spoilers and that I will not do. If you want to find out the truth about what happened that terrible night, then you will have to read the book!
Throughout this novel, Gauci explores the chaotic, not to mention the senseless brutality of warfare. The German occupying forces are determined to keep control of the populous - their weapon of choice being fear by using threats, torture, deportation and, in many cases, murder. However, there are times where the Resistance is equally brutal, as unfeeling and unforgiving. Thus reminding the reader that this is a war story, and that society’s normal rules, society’s code of morality, are swept aside. On both sides, there seemed to be a dehumanisation of those who threatened, or at least might threaten, their end goal. This meant that the general populous found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place with no control of their destiny, let alone their immediate future. But still, they try to get on with life. They try to bring some normality to this abnormal time. With hindsight, it is remarkably easy to judge those who collaborated with the enemy, but Gauci asks her readers if it was your family that was threatened, what would you do? Being a patriot may sound romantic and heroic, but when you are faced with an unimaginably difficult decision, it is easy to see why patriotism flew out the window, along with honour and loyalty.
Gauci has depicted this era’s immense suffering with an accomplished author’s skill and an empathetic understanding of human nature. So, although the Germans and the French Milice are the antagonists in this novel, Gauci does not whitewash the actions and the lengths that the Resistance were prepared to go to. There are some scenes of torture and murder in this novel that are incredibly distressing. But this was a brutal period of history, and although I deplored what the Germans did, I found myself not wanting to forgive what the Resistance did either. And although it is anger and betrayal that is behind the Resistance’s lack of humanity, it does give the reader pause for thought, and it also reminds them that there were unforgivable and deplorable acts carried out on both sides.
Gauci also explores the question of morality in this novel. The fact that there were some people who were more than willing to exploit others for their own financial gain should come as no surprise, but for some reason, I actually found it surprising. We often hear stories of remarkable courage where members of the general population hid their Jewish neighbours and friends at significant personal risk, but I have never read a story where there were unscrupulous people who exploited those whose situations were precarious. Although this type of profiteering is mentioned only briefly in this novel, it certainly struck a chord.
The distinction between appearance and reality is often a profoundly blurred line throughout the length of this book. The Resistance was successful because of its secretive nature, and because of its skill of its agents in infiltrating and gaining the trust of the enemy. The emotional terminal and abuse that these people endured from the very people they were actually helping really drove home the fact that appearance was not always what it seemed.
The attention to the historical detail has to be commended. The hours of research that have gone into this novel shine clearly through every carefully crafted sentence. Gauci knows this era well, and her dedicated research has certainly paid off, for it is a vivid and historically accurate world in which she has placed her characters.
This novel is an emotional read, and yet it is also a profoundly truthful depiction of the era and the role that the Resistance had to play in the success of the Allied invasion of France.
The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac by Kathryn Gauci is a novel that once started is extremely difficult to turn away from. This is a book that demands to be read in one sitting. If you enjoy quality Historical Fiction set during World War II, then this book should certainly have a place upon your bookshelf.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
December 16, 2020
~THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC~
KATHRYN GAUCI’S LATEST NOVEL
Turn to the first page and your eyes land on the opening line: ‘The silence was eternal.’ Four deceptively subtle words—deceptive for the reason that a breath later, you are impaled on them, hooked on them until the final word of the last page of this novel—this THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC by Kathryn Gauci, this author who builds so intentionally on the premise of those four words page after page and never loses the thread, not one time, not even a little bit.
Gauci’s bailiwick is historical fiction often centered on heroes and heroines of World War I and World War II, as well as the interwar years, a Tussaud’s gallery of characters, so lifelike, so believable, so fleshed out that even nose to nose with them, you swear they are real. You end up asking yourself what devices this author uses to sculpt such three-dimensional characters out of a two-dimensional medium. The talent hails from a pool of some private source—a codified chamber of raw stuff ripe for shaping not responsive to just anyone. Only a few know the password, and Gauci is an honored, an awarded member of that select group.
Don’t let me make it sound a simple task, this chiseling, carving, molding, this blood, sweat, and tears of novel making. Pay close attention and you will get a notion of the enormous effort involved in it, the hours of research, the day upon day of pecking on a keyboard, the meals foregone, the companionship postponed until those final two words are spelled out: the THE END! The thing is though, that closing the last page of one of Gauci’s books leaves you wanting another one and another one.
THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC tells the story of Elizabeth Maxwell, code name Marie-Élise Lacroix, wartime spy for Britain operating in the months of the buildup of the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy. On a perilous mission to find and rescue missing comrades, one of whom is her husband, she is dropped by parachute in the thick of Nazi-Occupied France, a place overrun with Wehrmacht machines of war, patrolling German soldiers, the Gestapo, and the Milice Française, the Vichy regime’s armed and dangerous militia that held allegiance to Nazi Germany and fought against the French Resistance. The setting and backstory of the novel are thrilling and the suspense intense. I rate it a 5-star read and predict it will whet your appetite for Gauci’s entire body of work.
Gauci is a superb “passeur” (guide) through the mysteries of the Grand Hôtel du Lac and in resurrecting its “ghosts.” She tells us in the Postscript of her novel, “Like all stories, they fade over time. For me it was a powerful story and one that I could not let go. One thing is for sure, it was like walking through the countryside accompanied by ghosts, and I hope that in my own small way, I have brought the bravery of those ghosts alive again.” There are hints that she is brewing a new saga in her Melbourne, Australia studio of literary enchantments. Oh, goody, goody!© -From Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist
Purchase link to the novel: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Grand-H...
#TheSecretoftheGrandHôteldulac, #GrandHôteldulac, #KathrynGauci, #WorldWarI, #WorldWarII, #France, #Nazi, #Wehrmacht, #Gestapo, #MiliceFrançaise, #VichyRegime, #MelbourneAustralia, #LindaLeeGreene
KATHRYN GAUCI’S LATEST NOVEL
Turn to the first page and your eyes land on the opening line: ‘The silence was eternal.’ Four deceptively subtle words—deceptive for the reason that a breath later, you are impaled on them, hooked on them until the final word of the last page of this novel—this THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC by Kathryn Gauci, this author who builds so intentionally on the premise of those four words page after page and never loses the thread, not one time, not even a little bit.
Gauci’s bailiwick is historical fiction often centered on heroes and heroines of World War I and World War II, as well as the interwar years, a Tussaud’s gallery of characters, so lifelike, so believable, so fleshed out that even nose to nose with them, you swear they are real. You end up asking yourself what devices this author uses to sculpt such three-dimensional characters out of a two-dimensional medium. The talent hails from a pool of some private source—a codified chamber of raw stuff ripe for shaping not responsive to just anyone. Only a few know the password, and Gauci is an honored, an awarded member of that select group.
Don’t let me make it sound a simple task, this chiseling, carving, molding, this blood, sweat, and tears of novel making. Pay close attention and you will get a notion of the enormous effort involved in it, the hours of research, the day upon day of pecking on a keyboard, the meals foregone, the companionship postponed until those final two words are spelled out: the THE END! The thing is though, that closing the last page of one of Gauci’s books leaves you wanting another one and another one.
THE SECRET OF THE GRAND HÔTEL DU LAC tells the story of Elizabeth Maxwell, code name Marie-Élise Lacroix, wartime spy for Britain operating in the months of the buildup of the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy. On a perilous mission to find and rescue missing comrades, one of whom is her husband, she is dropped by parachute in the thick of Nazi-Occupied France, a place overrun with Wehrmacht machines of war, patrolling German soldiers, the Gestapo, and the Milice Française, the Vichy regime’s armed and dangerous militia that held allegiance to Nazi Germany and fought against the French Resistance. The setting and backstory of the novel are thrilling and the suspense intense. I rate it a 5-star read and predict it will whet your appetite for Gauci’s entire body of work.
Gauci is a superb “passeur” (guide) through the mysteries of the Grand Hôtel du Lac and in resurrecting its “ghosts.” She tells us in the Postscript of her novel, “Like all stories, they fade over time. For me it was a powerful story and one that I could not let go. One thing is for sure, it was like walking through the countryside accompanied by ghosts, and I hope that in my own small way, I have brought the bravery of those ghosts alive again.” There are hints that she is brewing a new saga in her Melbourne, Australia studio of literary enchantments. Oh, goody, goody!© -From Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist
Purchase link to the novel: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Grand-H...
#TheSecretoftheGrandHôteldulac, #GrandHôteldulac, #KathrynGauci, #WorldWarI, #WorldWarII, #France, #Nazi, #Wehrmacht, #Gestapo, #MiliceFrançaise, #VichyRegime, #MelbourneAustralia, #LindaLeeGreene
Read
January 18, 2021Review of “The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac”
It was 1943 in the Haute-Jura region of France where Elizabeth Maxwell is preparing for her re-insertion into occupied France as an SOE operative for a mission unlike any other she had undertaken previously. In this instance, she was being tasked to find her husband Guy Maxwell a fellow SOE agent who had disappeared after failing to report to London via radio.
Elizabeth’s mission was fraught with danger from numerous sources as it was unknown why contact with the maquisards had broken down or whether Guy had been captured or killed. While it appeared to be like looking for a needle in a haystack, Elizabeth was fully prepared to face the dangers of capture herself in an attempt to solve the mystery and to repair the network.
The Author, Kathryn Gauci, whose books I have admired previously is once again at her stunning best with a narrative that simply does not let up in suspense and drama but again and again her meticulous attention to detail and knowledge of this location in France, and in particular, the period in question is without parallel.
Even as she describes her preparations in England, I am reminded of my own life experiences so much so that when she casually remarked about Flanagan and Allen, I was immediately reciting the songs to myself of “Underneath the Arches” and “Run Rabbit Run, Run”
Elizabeth had the task of re-establishing radio contact with London and to hide the radio. Here again, small details are so important in a narrative of this sort, and as an author, she made it clear the agent knew the importance of keeping transmissions brief and how long it would take for a German tracing device to discover her location.
All the time she was re-connecting with known & trusted maquisards there were other contacts that required careful screening before she could discover clues of where and what happened to the love of her life. During this period the Gestapo were increasing their pressure on the region and thousands were being rounded up either as suspects for interrogation or for conscription for the Service du Travail Obligatoire or (STO) in which thousands of Frenchmen were forced to work in the German industrialized complexes. It was a compulsory Work Service and those who did not sign up or report were either shot or deported.
This proved to be a strong recruiting tool for the Resistance where men were willing to join the maquis instead of being forced to go to Germany. (My own French brother-in-law was forced to work in Germany under the STO)
Her quest for finding Guy leads her to a strange Hotel close to a lake where she discovers it is a favorite resort of the German high command in the region. This situation requires all of her skills she has been taught in England and Elizabeth discovers the Hotel has other secrets that propel her forward in her dangerous mission. If you have never read a Kathryn Gauci historical novel, I urge you to drop everything and pick this one up. You will be engrossed from page to page. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
David E. Huntley – January 18, 2021
It was 1943 in the Haute-Jura region of France where Elizabeth Maxwell is preparing for her re-insertion into occupied France as an SOE operative for a mission unlike any other she had undertaken previously. In this instance, she was being tasked to find her husband Guy Maxwell a fellow SOE agent who had disappeared after failing to report to London via radio.
Elizabeth’s mission was fraught with danger from numerous sources as it was unknown why contact with the maquisards had broken down or whether Guy had been captured or killed. While it appeared to be like looking for a needle in a haystack, Elizabeth was fully prepared to face the dangers of capture herself in an attempt to solve the mystery and to repair the network.
The Author, Kathryn Gauci, whose books I have admired previously is once again at her stunning best with a narrative that simply does not let up in suspense and drama but again and again her meticulous attention to detail and knowledge of this location in France, and in particular, the period in question is without parallel.
Even as she describes her preparations in England, I am reminded of my own life experiences so much so that when she casually remarked about Flanagan and Allen, I was immediately reciting the songs to myself of “Underneath the Arches” and “Run Rabbit Run, Run”
Elizabeth had the task of re-establishing radio contact with London and to hide the radio. Here again, small details are so important in a narrative of this sort, and as an author, she made it clear the agent knew the importance of keeping transmissions brief and how long it would take for a German tracing device to discover her location.
All the time she was re-connecting with known & trusted maquisards there were other contacts that required careful screening before she could discover clues of where and what happened to the love of her life. During this period the Gestapo were increasing their pressure on the region and thousands were being rounded up either as suspects for interrogation or for conscription for the Service du Travail Obligatoire or (STO) in which thousands of Frenchmen were forced to work in the German industrialized complexes. It was a compulsory Work Service and those who did not sign up or report were either shot or deported.
This proved to be a strong recruiting tool for the Resistance where men were willing to join the maquis instead of being forced to go to Germany. (My own French brother-in-law was forced to work in Germany under the STO)
Her quest for finding Guy leads her to a strange Hotel close to a lake where she discovers it is a favorite resort of the German high command in the region. This situation requires all of her skills she has been taught in England and Elizabeth discovers the Hotel has other secrets that propel her forward in her dangerous mission. If you have never read a Kathryn Gauci historical novel, I urge you to drop everything and pick this one up. You will be engrossed from page to page. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
David E. Huntley – January 18, 2021
December 27, 2020
The Secret of The Grand Hotel du Lac
This marvellous book is the Tour de Force of books written about the superb resistance movement during WWII. Kathryn’s vivid description of the characters, their lives, the people of the Jura is so magnificent it draws the reader in totally. It is a book that the reader will never forget as one gets to know the characters. The descriptions of the people, the area, the normal daily lives of the Characters lets the reader feel great compassion for the people. The information about the SOE agents in France is based on true facts. Definitely a book I would highly recommend. Well done Kathryn.
This marvellous book is the Tour de Force of books written about the superb resistance movement during WWII. Kathryn’s vivid description of the characters, their lives, the people of the Jura is so magnificent it draws the reader in totally. It is a book that the reader will never forget as one gets to know the characters. The descriptions of the people, the area, the normal daily lives of the Characters lets the reader feel great compassion for the people. The information about the SOE agents in France is based on true facts. Definitely a book I would highly recommend. Well done Kathryn.
November 14, 2021
“The silence was eternal.” This book had me from the first sentence. Kathryn Gauci tells the fictionalized and fascinating story of Britain’s SOE agents working with France’s Résistance during World War II. Set against this backdrop, agent Elizabeth Maxwell is sent back to her former posting in the Jura region of eastern France to find out what has happened to the Belvedere network and especially the head of the network (her husband Guy Maxwell) when contact is lost in early 1944. The suspense and tension build relentlessly, and what Elizabeth discovers from one moment to the next kept me riveted. I particularly loved the courage and agency of so many women characters as well as the tender and compelling love stories that drive the plot and hold this wonderful book together.
March 1, 2021
This is an outstanding book. The author has certainly done her research! While many authors stick to online research and reading around their subjects, Ms Gauci travelled all the way from her home in Australia to pay an extended visit to the Jura region of France.
The storyline is as strong as anything I’ve ever read. We have the Resistance, who had to operate under the ever-present threat of discovery by the Gestapo or their complicit compatriots, the Milice. We have women sleeping with the enemy in order to collect vital information, incurring the hatred and contempt of their friends and neighbours, and we have a spy that must be uncovered – a traitor within their resistance cell. The story has all these elements in spades. But the heart of the story beats with the unquenchable love of one brave woman on a quest to find and rescue her injured husband.
Five resounding stars!
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
The storyline is as strong as anything I’ve ever read. We have the Resistance, who had to operate under the ever-present threat of discovery by the Gestapo or their complicit compatriots, the Milice. We have women sleeping with the enemy in order to collect vital information, incurring the hatred and contempt of their friends and neighbours, and we have a spy that must be uncovered – a traitor within their resistance cell. The story has all these elements in spades. But the heart of the story beats with the unquenchable love of one brave woman on a quest to find and rescue her injured husband.
Five resounding stars!
Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
January 3, 2021
The Secret of the Grand Hôtel du Lac by Kathryn Gauci
I strongly recommend this book. It brings so much to life, both the courage and success, along with the sadness and appalling cruelty of the second world war. Here we follow the French Resistance, and the author creates some fascinating characters. There is some fast action but also considerable depth, and the amazing actions of the Resistance are all intensely believable. Indeed, I assume the author has done an enormous amount of research, for this book certainly rings true in all detail, including the actions of the Resistance across occupied France into Switzerland, and the horrifying behaviour of the Gestapo.
‘Whatever happens, the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished, and will not be extinguished.’ Charles de Gaulle 1940 as this book informs us.
Here we are told a great deal and I finished the book almost believing I had been part of the Resistance myself. The fictional characters also come alive so the reader feels involved and cares very much about their fates as the plot develops. Here is a great story that grips from the start to the end and if you are interested in this time period, here’s a book you will love. It is moving, exciting and extremely absorbing.
I strongly recommend this book. It brings so much to life, both the courage and success, along with the sadness and appalling cruelty of the second world war. Here we follow the French Resistance, and the author creates some fascinating characters. There is some fast action but also considerable depth, and the amazing actions of the Resistance are all intensely believable. Indeed, I assume the author has done an enormous amount of research, for this book certainly rings true in all detail, including the actions of the Resistance across occupied France into Switzerland, and the horrifying behaviour of the Gestapo.
‘Whatever happens, the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished, and will not be extinguished.’ Charles de Gaulle 1940 as this book informs us.
Here we are told a great deal and I finished the book almost believing I had been part of the Resistance myself. The fictional characters also come alive so the reader feels involved and cares very much about their fates as the plot develops. Here is a great story that grips from the start to the end and if you are interested in this time period, here’s a book you will love. It is moving, exciting and extremely absorbing.
March 27, 2021
There is hardly anything I can add to Ellie Midwood's, Marina Ossipova's or other posts. Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I read and read, forgot to eat, did not go to the bathroom until it was almost too late... since I grew up during the war under Nazi rule, I know how much worse it must have been for an occupied country. In Germany, we just had to pretend all the time, and "don't talk about that," and do as we were told. Yes, people did disappear or were picked up... This book transported me into the midst of unspeakable horrors, and into an area of France, I did not know. The author did an incredible job of transplanting me and I felt, I was right there. A fictional story, based on truth? Yes, but it is a large part of history.
Thank you for the postscript, it helped to answer questions I had in my mind.
Thank you for the postscript, it helped to answer questions I had in my mind.
December 30, 2020
A very emotional read.
This magnificently penned and researched book has left me feeling extremely emotional.
Set in the Jura region of Eastern France during World War 2, this is a very powerful and moving story of the incredibly daring men and women of the French Resistance, the SOE agents and the brave locals who gave their all to defeat the Germans.
Although partly fiction, this book is based on actual events which took place in this region during 1943 and 1944.
The thorough research by the author comes through on every page, and she actually spent time in the area visiting many of the locations mentioned in the book.
For lovers of this genre, I really cannot recommend this brilliantly written story highly enough, and wish I could award it more that 5*.
This magnificently penned and researched book has left me feeling extremely emotional.
Set in the Jura region of Eastern France during World War 2, this is a very powerful and moving story of the incredibly daring men and women of the French Resistance, the SOE agents and the brave locals who gave their all to defeat the Germans.
Although partly fiction, this book is based on actual events which took place in this region during 1943 and 1944.
The thorough research by the author comes through on every page, and she actually spent time in the area visiting many of the locations mentioned in the book.
For lovers of this genre, I really cannot recommend this brilliantly written story highly enough, and wish I could award it more that 5*.
July 18, 2021
WWII, France, Resistance, Secret Operations Execs
Guy and Elizabeth, both SOEs, have married. Guy is lost in action, and Elizabeth has been sent from London to find him. The resistance group, to which they were both attached, has been compromised and Elizabeth must act quickly. D-Day is coming. Will Elizabeth root out the culprits and save her husband?
This is the situation that confronts Elizabeth when she returns to the Jura region of France. It is a rousing concept, and there is a lot to like about Gauci’s WWII novel, notably the descriptions of the countryside and the friendship between the resistance operatives and the Special Operations Executives. Still, my reading pleasure wasn’t complete. For me, the biggest problem was that the climax of the operations lost suspense, by pointing out that “They had finally made it to safety, but it had been a harrowing experience.” Quote, unquote.
Kathryn Gauci writes beautiful descriptions and has made copious research. One might wonder if the many references to lipstick and nail enamel colours are necessary. Doubtless, she has abundant knowledge of the clothing style of the period and uses it to bring authenticity to her writing.
Guy and Elizabeth, both SOEs, have married. Guy is lost in action, and Elizabeth has been sent from London to find him. The resistance group, to which they were both attached, has been compromised and Elizabeth must act quickly. D-Day is coming. Will Elizabeth root out the culprits and save her husband?
This is the situation that confronts Elizabeth when she returns to the Jura region of France. It is a rousing concept, and there is a lot to like about Gauci’s WWII novel, notably the descriptions of the countryside and the friendship between the resistance operatives and the Special Operations Executives. Still, my reading pleasure wasn’t complete. For me, the biggest problem was that the climax of the operations lost suspense, by pointing out that “They had finally made it to safety, but it had been a harrowing experience.” Quote, unquote.
Kathryn Gauci writes beautiful descriptions and has made copious research. One might wonder if the many references to lipstick and nail enamel colours are necessary. Doubtless, she has abundant knowledge of the clothing style of the period and uses it to bring authenticity to her writing.
December 16, 2020
After reading this historical novel I was left with the feeling that I been present in this beautiful part of Europe at a horrendous time in its history, even though I have never travelled to The Jura region in Northern France. The characters are particularly well drawn with fictional protagonists mixed with historical personages and the fact that Gauci can create such a smooth account just confirms her skill as an author. World War Two stories are often a tough read but The Secret of The Grand Hotel du Lac combines the sensitivities of humanity with the brutality of war in a way that makes the book completely compelling.
December 14, 2020
Riveting
Marie-Elise was a strong and brave heroine as where all the women and men in the resistance in France during WWll. This story stays suspenseful to the very end. Well written Kathryn Gauci
Marie-Elise was a strong and brave heroine as where all the women and men in the resistance in France during WWll. This story stays suspenseful to the very end. Well written Kathryn Gauci
March 5, 2021
Very engaging
Very well written; not wanting to put this book down. The characters became my relatives. Still haunting the destruction of lives that was caused during WWII. Suggest the reader reference a map so to see how much the Resistance had to travel.
Very well written; not wanting to put this book down. The characters became my relatives. Still haunting the destruction of lives that was caused during WWII. Suggest the reader reference a map so to see how much the Resistance had to travel.
March 9, 2021
The Secret of the Grand Hotêl du Lac
Well, wouldn’t you know it, I jumped into the suspense on page one and it continued throughout the book. Elizabeth Maxwell, after returning to England from Eastern France is sent back to find her husband Guy, head of a resistance network, who was captured by the Gestapo. Elizabeth had previously worked with the French team and had developed a trusting relationship with each. The search for Guy, had Elizabeth reassessing her trust with some of the team. Trust was the predominant factor in Elizabeth’s search. Elizabeth stumbled upon the hotel and discovered it’s role in the war effort and finding her husband. As usual Kathryn Gauci involves and takes you along with Elizabeth from her return to France and her hunt for her husband experiencing betrayal, loss of hope and support. I love reading a book that is so well researched that you expand your knowledge through the joy of reading.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, I jumped into the suspense on page one and it continued throughout the book. Elizabeth Maxwell, after returning to England from Eastern France is sent back to find her husband Guy, head of a resistance network, who was captured by the Gestapo. Elizabeth had previously worked with the French team and had developed a trusting relationship with each. The search for Guy, had Elizabeth reassessing her trust with some of the team. Trust was the predominant factor in Elizabeth’s search. Elizabeth stumbled upon the hotel and discovered it’s role in the war effort and finding her husband. As usual Kathryn Gauci involves and takes you along with Elizabeth from her return to France and her hunt for her husband experiencing betrayal, loss of hope and support. I love reading a book that is so well researched that you expand your knowledge through the joy of reading.
July 5, 2021
What an excellent read this was, from start to finish! Plenty of excitement and nail biting. Love this Author!
May 26, 2021
This was a very realistic account of events that happened in the Jura region of France during the German occupation in 1943-1944. Elizabeth and Guy Maxwell are British agents working in eastern France preparing for the D-Day invasion. As they organize airdrops of supplies, the danger of their work is compounded by betrayals of those in the Resistance. Who can you trust? This story was inspired by real events and is told in a very compelling way. It pays homage to the sacrifices people made for freedom. It was a real page turner.
October 19, 2021
I was born in Caen France in 1946 in a house: 12 Rue Le Chartier. My grandparents and mother fled the Germans. My father, an American GI, lived with my grandparents and married their daughter, my mother. This story has illuminated the story of WWII and what my family may have gone through. It would be an honor for me to meet and speak with Ms Gauci.
December 29, 2020
Enthralling. This is a page-turner.
I devoured The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac. The author brings to life a tragic period of French history–the years of German occupation. The story has all the elements of historical fiction at its best: vividly depicted atmosphere of mortal danger; heroes (subversive acts could land a citizen in jail, or worse, even not reporting was as dangerous as the resistance activity); villains and anti-heroes, willingly or unwillingly cooperating with the invaders (it required supernatural strength not to do the Gestapo’s bidding); SOE operatives making their contribution to preparations for English invasion and even love and self-sacrifice for the sake of dear ones and comrades.
The narrative is thrilling and keeps the reader in burning suspense through the entire story. Prepare yourself to be shocked and moved, and not just once. The tale is riveting: you’ll wish to stay with the book despite the time of night, only to find out what’s next? This reader felt a deep empathy for the brave people who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Every character and every detail are so significant, you’ll lose yourself in the story as it unfolds in the attempt to uncover a traitor. The author’s knowledge of the place and time based on scrupulous research and factual details is phenomenal. Poetical descriptions of the French countryside and mountain forests, where danger lurks behind every corner or tree, and delicious food and wine, even at the time of scarce selection, added to the atmosphere of belonging for this reader. The story will haunt you for a long time after you’ve turned the last page. An emotional read. Highly recommended.
I devoured The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac. The author brings to life a tragic period of French history–the years of German occupation. The story has all the elements of historical fiction at its best: vividly depicted atmosphere of mortal danger; heroes (subversive acts could land a citizen in jail, or worse, even not reporting was as dangerous as the resistance activity); villains and anti-heroes, willingly or unwillingly cooperating with the invaders (it required supernatural strength not to do the Gestapo’s bidding); SOE operatives making their contribution to preparations for English invasion and even love and self-sacrifice for the sake of dear ones and comrades.
The narrative is thrilling and keeps the reader in burning suspense through the entire story. Prepare yourself to be shocked and moved, and not just once. The tale is riveting: you’ll wish to stay with the book despite the time of night, only to find out what’s next? This reader felt a deep empathy for the brave people who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Every character and every detail are so significant, you’ll lose yourself in the story as it unfolds in the attempt to uncover a traitor. The author’s knowledge of the place and time based on scrupulous research and factual details is phenomenal. Poetical descriptions of the French countryside and mountain forests, where danger lurks behind every corner or tree, and delicious food and wine, even at the time of scarce selection, added to the atmosphere of belonging for this reader. The story will haunt you for a long time after you’ve turned the last page. An emotional read. Highly recommended.
December 24, 2020
When a writer takes the time to research the background, history and setting before weaving them through a plot, it shows. The author actually lived in the area in which this WWII story is set and the local knowledge and attention to detail shines through.
I sat in the small bar with my heart in my mouth as messages were passed and codes exchanged. I stood sheltered in the shop doorway as a resistance member was shot and I lived every minute of each harsh, unforgiving trek to freedom in Switzerland.
The fearless courage of the resistance fighters is described in detail, inspired by real life British and French agents who operated in the region during the war. Monuments to their bravery now dot the peaceful countryside and this well-crafted novel is a further tribute to their unwavering commitment and loyalty.
I sat in the small bar with my heart in my mouth as messages were passed and codes exchanged. I stood sheltered in the shop doorway as a resistance member was shot and I lived every minute of each harsh, unforgiving trek to freedom in Switzerland.
The fearless courage of the resistance fighters is described in detail, inspired by real life British and French agents who operated in the region during the war. Monuments to their bravery now dot the peaceful countryside and this well-crafted novel is a further tribute to their unwavering commitment and loyalty.
January 3, 2021
This was a WWII story set primarily in France (with Some scenes in England.) Much of it takes place during the latter part of the war and focuses mainly on the story of a few women who were part of the resistance movement. This book is a work of historical fiction, and while the characters are fictional, their tale is based on places that existed and events that happened during the war.
The women depicted in this book were brave and often took great risks to help free the people of France from German control and oppression. I was fascinated by their stories. Some sought to help by working as double agents, often appearing to be collaborators who were involved with high ranking German officials, but were in reality only doing so to gain useful information and offer aid to the French resistance.
Such actions were incredibly dangerous as discovery of the truth by the german officials would likely mean torture and death, yet as they were often acting in secret, their own countrymen often saw them as traitors to France, potentially also ending with their deaths.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories that have a basis in actual events as well as to anyone who enjoys tales of WWII resistance fighters. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. While there may be many stories of the resistance fighters in WWII, I have not read too many of them, and very few from perspectives such as were shown to us in this book.
The women depicted in this book were brave and often took great risks to help free the people of France from German control and oppression. I was fascinated by their stories. Some sought to help by working as double agents, often appearing to be collaborators who were involved with high ranking German officials, but were in reality only doing so to gain useful information and offer aid to the French resistance.
Such actions were incredibly dangerous as discovery of the truth by the german officials would likely mean torture and death, yet as they were often acting in secret, their own countrymen often saw them as traitors to France, potentially also ending with their deaths.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories that have a basis in actual events as well as to anyone who enjoys tales of WWII resistance fighters. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. While there may be many stories of the resistance fighters in WWII, I have not read too many of them, and very few from perspectives such as were shown to us in this book.
June 10, 2021
A wonderful read that sends into France during WW II and how brave the people were
December 2, 2021
“The beauty of the French countryside belied what the French were going through. Amid the tranquillity was an acute sense of fear. Every word, every gesture, had to be made with care. The freedom of France she’d known as a young girl growing up in Burgundy seemed a lifetime away.”
In the midst of World War II, British SOE agent Elizabeth Maxwell receives a new mission. All communication between Belvedere, one of the Resistance networks in the Jura region of Eastern France, and the high command in Britain is lost. The silence is deafening and Elizabeth’s heart is breaking since the head of the unit, Guy Maxwell, is her husband – their secret marriage known to only a few. Now, she must find the courage and fortitude to dive back into the action, find her husband, as well as the answers behind the sudden silence.
One by one, Elizabeth reconnects with former friends and colleagues, other members of the Resistance, and one by one the clues behind the betrayal of the unit come to the forefront. She must trust no one, while using her excellent espionage skills and detecting work to sniff out the location of her husband, all the while fearing the worst has happened. And she must do all of this while under the watchful eye of suspicious Gestapo officers and the Milice Française, the political paramilitary organization fighting against the French Resistance and siding with Hitler.
When she learns of the details of the failed RAF airdrop that scattered the Belvedere agents, killing many of them, and the disappearance of her husband and another beautiful agent named Amelie, her fears increase as more clues unfold leading her to a mysterious and luxurious hotel tucked near a lake close to the Swiss borderlands. Her fears are well-founded as the brutality and pressure mounts each and every day as more and more citizens are interrogated, deported, or killed. And yet, she pushes on, each step bringing her closer to the truth. And each new sunrise brings the hope of an Allied invasion just on the horizon, if she can just hold on and do what she can to band together this broken network.
The hotel holds the key to her missing husband, which ultimately leads her trekking across the dangerous and secret passages to the safety of Switzerland... where she finds her husband, Guy, and some unexpected news – he is injured, but the love they feel for each other surpasses any thought of the scars of war, and together they determine to return to France to discover the identity of the betrayer, and continue the airdrops in preparation for the arrival of the Allied forces.
From the very first page, I felt a drive to finish the story, and did so in one sitting, pushed forward by the compelling action driving the plot. Elizabeth, as Agent Lisette, and her husband, Guy, are passionate about their love for each other and for helping the French Resistance against the monster-machine of Germany. Elizabeth, as a character, is alive and breathing, a brave and resilient woman that you imagine a real person and not a made-up character in Ms Gauci’s book.
The detailed descriptions and evident research explodes in the narrative in a vibrant well-told story, so much so that the minor glitches are easily overlooked as the author leads you down the fictional path of some of the dangerous and horrific experiences that real people lived during the occupation of France. Ms Gauci is a skilled ‘passeur’ indeed, and as a writer myself can well understand the slight nuances and missteps embedded microscopically in the narrative. In truth, even some of the famous classics have them, such as Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: (Crusoe removes all his clothes to swim out to the ship to salvage goods. While on board, he fills his pockets with biscuits), or A Study in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Dr. Watson has a war wound in his shoulder. In the Sign of Four, the war wound is now in his leg); or how about the Iliad by Homer (Menelaos kills Pylaimenes in combat; however later in the story, Pylaimenes is still alive to witness the death of his son.) - none of these slips take away from the bodies of work, but instead they’ve been assigned a place of honour as classics. So, I say Ms Gauci’s book is in good company, and is a tale which kept me reading late into the night in eager anticipation.
From the outset, the inciting incident, you are sucked into this story as Guy is holed up in a run-down shack fighting for his life as wolves edge closer, smelling the blood from his injuries. The lush descriptions reel you in - “Guy remained motionless but the wolf knew he was there. There was intelligence in his eyes: one born out of the wild, scanning the surroundings for danger or opportunity. He had seen their determination before, when a pack broke into a cowshed, devouring the calves. The sight had haunted him for weeks after.” - Such a picture that encompasses the imagery of the dark “wolves” of the SS lurking nearby and hungry for blood.
I really liked the poignant passages about what war brings out in a person - ‘How can you really tell until you are faced with the real thing? Fighting for your country in your country when your family and friends’ lives depend on it is quite different to exercises in the Scottish countryside. War brings out something in us we never thought we had – survival.....” and “we can only teach you so much, someone had said, but nothing will prepare you for the time when you’re confronted with eliminating another human being, especially if that person is someone you thought you could trust.”
“War is hell”, American Civil War General Sherman said, and that is the truth, and Ms Gauci’s book displays all the raw emotion and visceral hell under the hellions of Hitler’s regime; and she balances the brutality with the pure love of a husband and wife desperate for a life after the war, the beauty of the French landscape against the dark lurking Nazis, and the tragedy of betraying enemies against the bonding of friendships gluing together under the most trying of situations.
This is well worth a read and earns four stars from The Historical Fiction Company.
Dee Marley
HFC CEO
In the midst of World War II, British SOE agent Elizabeth Maxwell receives a new mission. All communication between Belvedere, one of the Resistance networks in the Jura region of Eastern France, and the high command in Britain is lost. The silence is deafening and Elizabeth’s heart is breaking since the head of the unit, Guy Maxwell, is her husband – their secret marriage known to only a few. Now, she must find the courage and fortitude to dive back into the action, find her husband, as well as the answers behind the sudden silence.
One by one, Elizabeth reconnects with former friends and colleagues, other members of the Resistance, and one by one the clues behind the betrayal of the unit come to the forefront. She must trust no one, while using her excellent espionage skills and detecting work to sniff out the location of her husband, all the while fearing the worst has happened. And she must do all of this while under the watchful eye of suspicious Gestapo officers and the Milice Française, the political paramilitary organization fighting against the French Resistance and siding with Hitler.
When she learns of the details of the failed RAF airdrop that scattered the Belvedere agents, killing many of them, and the disappearance of her husband and another beautiful agent named Amelie, her fears increase as more clues unfold leading her to a mysterious and luxurious hotel tucked near a lake close to the Swiss borderlands. Her fears are well-founded as the brutality and pressure mounts each and every day as more and more citizens are interrogated, deported, or killed. And yet, she pushes on, each step bringing her closer to the truth. And each new sunrise brings the hope of an Allied invasion just on the horizon, if she can just hold on and do what she can to band together this broken network.
The hotel holds the key to her missing husband, which ultimately leads her trekking across the dangerous and secret passages to the safety of Switzerland... where she finds her husband, Guy, and some unexpected news – he is injured, but the love they feel for each other surpasses any thought of the scars of war, and together they determine to return to France to discover the identity of the betrayer, and continue the airdrops in preparation for the arrival of the Allied forces.
From the very first page, I felt a drive to finish the story, and did so in one sitting, pushed forward by the compelling action driving the plot. Elizabeth, as Agent Lisette, and her husband, Guy, are passionate about their love for each other and for helping the French Resistance against the monster-machine of Germany. Elizabeth, as a character, is alive and breathing, a brave and resilient woman that you imagine a real person and not a made-up character in Ms Gauci’s book.
The detailed descriptions and evident research explodes in the narrative in a vibrant well-told story, so much so that the minor glitches are easily overlooked as the author leads you down the fictional path of some of the dangerous and horrific experiences that real people lived during the occupation of France. Ms Gauci is a skilled ‘passeur’ indeed, and as a writer myself can well understand the slight nuances and missteps embedded microscopically in the narrative. In truth, even some of the famous classics have them, such as Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: (Crusoe removes all his clothes to swim out to the ship to salvage goods. While on board, he fills his pockets with biscuits), or A Study in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Dr. Watson has a war wound in his shoulder. In the Sign of Four, the war wound is now in his leg); or how about the Iliad by Homer (Menelaos kills Pylaimenes in combat; however later in the story, Pylaimenes is still alive to witness the death of his son.) - none of these slips take away from the bodies of work, but instead they’ve been assigned a place of honour as classics. So, I say Ms Gauci’s book is in good company, and is a tale which kept me reading late into the night in eager anticipation.
From the outset, the inciting incident, you are sucked into this story as Guy is holed up in a run-down shack fighting for his life as wolves edge closer, smelling the blood from his injuries. The lush descriptions reel you in - “Guy remained motionless but the wolf knew he was there. There was intelligence in his eyes: one born out of the wild, scanning the surroundings for danger or opportunity. He had seen their determination before, when a pack broke into a cowshed, devouring the calves. The sight had haunted him for weeks after.” - Such a picture that encompasses the imagery of the dark “wolves” of the SS lurking nearby and hungry for blood.
I really liked the poignant passages about what war brings out in a person - ‘How can you really tell until you are faced with the real thing? Fighting for your country in your country when your family and friends’ lives depend on it is quite different to exercises in the Scottish countryside. War brings out something in us we never thought we had – survival.....” and “we can only teach you so much, someone had said, but nothing will prepare you for the time when you’re confronted with eliminating another human being, especially if that person is someone you thought you could trust.”
“War is hell”, American Civil War General Sherman said, and that is the truth, and Ms Gauci’s book displays all the raw emotion and visceral hell under the hellions of Hitler’s regime; and she balances the brutality with the pure love of a husband and wife desperate for a life after the war, the beauty of the French landscape against the dark lurking Nazis, and the tragedy of betraying enemies against the bonding of friendships gluing together under the most trying of situations.
This is well worth a read and earns four stars from The Historical Fiction Company.
Dee Marley
HFC CEO
June 13, 2022
A compelling story skilfully and stylishly told.
This wonderful World War II novel, set in the Jura region of France, is told with poetic descriptions that added to the realistic sense of place and contributed to the emotional drama in this memorable novel. The characters are empathetically portrayed making you believe these are real people. The author’s elegant prose drawing you in, to experience what it was really like being part of the resistance movement in France during World War II.
The story tells of Elizabeth Maxwell, following her secret marriage to fellow British agent Guy Maxwell who returns to England from France, but is sent back there to find her husband when it is believed that he was captured by the Gestapo. She suspects that one of the team betrayed him, and now she no longer knows who to trust. Elizabeth soon discovers that the Hotel du Lac is engaged in mysterious activities and is determined to uncover its role in her husband’s disappearance. Gauci tells this compelling story, with skill and considerable style. I look forward to reading other titles by this author.
This wonderful World War II novel, set in the Jura region of France, is told with poetic descriptions that added to the realistic sense of place and contributed to the emotional drama in this memorable novel. The characters are empathetically portrayed making you believe these are real people. The author’s elegant prose drawing you in, to experience what it was really like being part of the resistance movement in France during World War II.
The story tells of Elizabeth Maxwell, following her secret marriage to fellow British agent Guy Maxwell who returns to England from France, but is sent back there to find her husband when it is believed that he was captured by the Gestapo. She suspects that one of the team betrayed him, and now she no longer knows who to trust. Elizabeth soon discovers that the Hotel du Lac is engaged in mysterious activities and is determined to uncover its role in her husband’s disappearance. Gauci tells this compelling story, with skill and considerable style. I look forward to reading other titles by this author.
May 10, 2022
another tour de force a masterpiece set during ww2 in occupied France a gripping story based on fact, about the intricate daring and frightening lives of SOE agents and the guerrilla bands of French Resistance fighters, called maquisards, and the risks they took on a daily basis, not knowing if the next knock on the door would be a friend or the dreaded Gestapo, a story of intrigue, deception, love, and betrayal , of horror death and the contrasting beauty of the area, Kathryn tells the story with a passion that comes across in her descriptions a brilliant book and a tribute to the men and women who lost their lives and of the SOE and the resistance fighters who fought against the odds to see their country free again
, I brought the audio version, and the narrator Paige Reisenfeld did a wonderful job, so definitely well worth a read or listen
, I brought the audio version, and the narrator Paige Reisenfeld did a wonderful job, so definitely well worth a read or listen
December 10, 2020
I have just finished reading
The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac
By Kathryn Gauci.
I absolutely loved it. It was suspenseful,romantic, it had complex Characters.
It was so descriptive I could picture each place she wrote about.
She didn't find it necessary to use Profanity or explicit sexual scenes.
I would read it again and I normally do not read books again.
A great Author.
I can't wait to read her next book.
I highly recommend reading this awesome book.
The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac
By Kathryn Gauci.
I absolutely loved it. It was suspenseful,romantic, it had complex Characters.
It was so descriptive I could picture each place she wrote about.
She didn't find it necessary to use Profanity or explicit sexual scenes.
I would read it again and I normally do not read books again.
A great Author.
I can't wait to read her next book.
I highly recommend reading this awesome book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews