In the start of an all-new mystery series set in preโWorld War II Europe, an intrepid young photographer carries her dead loverโs final, world-shattering message into the heart of Berlin as Hitler ascends to power.
โThrilling . . . reminiscent of works by Eric Ambler and Graham Greene.โโThe Wall Street Journal
On vacation from London on the beautiful Italian coast, twenty-eight-year-old Elena Standish and her older sister, Margot, have finally been able to move on from the lasting trauma of the Great War, in which the newly married Margot lost her husband and the sisters their beloved brother. Touring with her camera in hand, Elena has found new inspiration in the striking Italian landscape, and sheโs met an equally striking man named Ian.ย When Ian has to leave unexpectedly, Elenaโusually the more practical of the sistersโfinds sheโs not ready to part from him, and the two share a spontaneous train trip home to England. But a shocking sequence of events disrupts their itinerary, forcing Elena to personally deliver a message to Berlin on Ianโs behalf, one that could change the fate of Europe.
Back home, Elenaโs diplomat father and her secretive grandfatherโonce head of MI6, unbeknownst to his familyโare involved in their own international machinations. Worried when Elena still hasnโt returned from Italy, her grandfather starts to connect the dots between her change in plans and an incident in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are on the rise. It seems the message Elena delivered has forced her into a dangerous predicament, and her grandfatherโs old contacts from MI6 may be the only people who can get her out aliveโif Elena can tell the difference between her allies and her enemies.
New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry merges family secrets with suspense on the world stage, as darkness bubbles under the surface of a Europe on the brink of change. In these complicated times, Elena emerges as a strong new heroine who learns quickly that when nothing is certain, she can rely only on herself.
Praise for Death in Focus
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โMasterful! Itโs exceedingly rare for an author to have the talentย to blend classic elements of a thriller with compelling family dynamics and geopolitical intrigue,ย but Anne Perry pulls it off like the consummate pro that she is.ย And, on top of all that,ย Death in Focusย is written in her unique literary voice. I guarantee youโll love Elena Standish.ย Brava!โ โJeffery Deaver, author ofย The Never Game