The first part of this book went very quickly describing the childhood of Fenna Vos in pre-WWII Michigan when she learned to do magic tricks. As an adult she continued to expand her act to include designing tricks for an escape artist. When the war started she was recruited by Christopher Clayton Hutton to help the allies by helping design escape techniques for soldiers trapped behind enemy lines. I really enjoyed the fact that many of the events in this book are based on real people and events, but I felt like the author wanted to include so many interesting situations that she just kept writing and tying things into the action. Very well researched and worth reading. ( )

Excellent book. Depression. Magic. WWII London and Holland. ( )

THE GOOD: Extremely well researched. It ties in numerous 1920's-1940's actual events and real people into a cohesive, engaging novel. A good, long, length, as well, giving plenty of time to enjoy the almost epic-like tale. Included, also, are a fascinating Author's Note explaining the creative process of building the fact-based fictional world, as well as historical photographs of places mentioned in the book.

THE BAD: The main character is not a based on a real person, and, in fact, this fictional character takes credit for the brave work of real, historical individuals. The cover, too, is a bit misleading as this is primarily a WWII novel with an adult female lead. That said, however, about 10% of the story takes place in Fenna's childhood in the '20's and '30's. The title could use sone work, too, as I don't feel it really represents the story.

CONCLUSION: Worth a read, and recommended, although not quite a 5-star. ( )

Kristina McMorris writes unforgettable novels of historical fiction, which means a lot to me since I read so much that I forget a good many books. But not hers.

This well-researched story begins in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, when we get introduced to Fenna Vos, who is working as an assistant and behind-the-scenes manager of a magic act. It flashes back to 1928 in Michigan when Fenna is just shy of 11, and then ends up in 1943 London with Fenna working for the Allies in the war effort.

We learn that in 1943 Fenna has been recruited by Christopher Clayton Hutton, a real person who was responsible for helping prisoners of war by “tricking out Monopoly games and designing countless other escape-and evasion ‘toys’ for MI9.”

[MI9, as Wikipedia explains, was the the British Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 9, a highly secret department of the British War Office during WWII. It had two principal tasks: (1) assisting in the escape of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) held by the Axis countries, especially Nazi Germany; and (2) helping Allied military personnel, especially downed airmen, evade capture after they were shot down or trapped behind enemy lines in Axis-occupied countries. To this end, the department devised a number of - in effect - magic tricks to give to soldiers as equipment, such as compasses hidden inside buttons, hollow boots in shoes that were filled with dried food, or maps concealed in playing cards. McMorris tells us in her Author’s Note that MI9 used the services of former magician Jasper Maskelyne to design some of these devices, and it is thus she got the idea to add Fenna as an assistant to Hutton.]

McMorris also adds a strong romance element to her stories, and this one is no exception. Fenna, orphaned young, grew up with the family of Arie Jansen, one year older than Fenna, and like her, the offspring of a Dutch family who had come to America to work in the copper mines. She and Arie had always been close, and it was Arie who gave Fenna a book, Houdini’s Big Little Book of Magic & Stunts to help distract her from nightmares. Fenna buried herself in learning magic and tricks:

“The art of escape became more than a tool to rein in my fears and reduce my nightmares. It was an all-out obsession.”

It served her well during WWII, not only during her stint with the British War Service, but after she was sent into enemy territory and came under mortal danger.

Thereafter the tension escalates exponentially, as Fenna has to muster the courage to use her skills to orchestrate the ultimate escape.

Evaluation: As with the other novels by McMorris, you find yourself swept up in the historical events and romance she depicts, and you can’t turn the pages fast enough. Afterwards, you find yourself haunted by the story she has told, and grateful for the opportunity to have read it. ( )

I’m always a sucker for WW11 historical fiction, and this story doesn’t disappoint. There really is a bit of something for everyone here: a bit of romance, an air of mystery, a splash of suspense, all set against the backdrop of one the most tumultuous times in recent history. Fenna is the perfect heroine here, a girl born of immigrant parents, she has an independent streak that seems a bit ahead of her time. Despite having suffered horrible, personal tragedies in her childhood, she blossoms and grows into a smart, competent young woman. She manages to build a successful life in the big city performing the magic she has always loved. Like so many at the time she is summoned for a higher purpose to aid the British government in constructing devices that can aid POW’s stuck behind enemy lines. Perhaps she would have happily done that for the duration of the war, but she never expected for her childhood sweetheart to come back into her life, and for him she is willing to risk everything. This is clearly exhaustively researched and while some events may have been changed to make the timelines work, I learned in the notes section that a lot of the events and structural elements were actually real. Definitely a must read for those interested in historical fiction, as this brings forward the somewhat unknown story of using ordinary objects to hide items that may aid soldiers stuck in camps. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )