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Read Pray For A Brave Heart (1985)

Pray for a Brave Heart (1985)

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Rating
3.83 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
0449210138 (ISBN13: 9780449210130)
Language
English
Publisher
fawcett

Pray For A Brave Heart (1985) - Plot & Excerpts

It’s 1952 and American Bill Denning is ready to say goodbye to life in the army’s Restitution of Property division with his eyes set on returning home to the States. But when a friend and fellow army man comes to him with a quiet and emphatic request for one last case, Denning finds himself amid tumultuous drama in Switzerland as he works to recover the elusive Herz diamonds, spoilers from the war which are reportedly being smuggled out of the continent. On a mission to retrieve the diamonds, Denning will need all of his wits and a few trusted friends to help him navigate the treacherous territory of Europe during the Cold War and the manipulations of men who will do what they must for their own agendas.The ninth in Helen MacInnes’s bibliography of more than twenty novels, Pray for a Brave Heart showcases the author’s talent brilliantly. Originally published in 1955, it highlights and expands on many of the elements for which MacInnes continues to be revered, even now, over thirty years after her death; there is a smart energy and a gripping literary prowess that sparks off the pages. Comparing Pray for a Brave Heart with the first of MacInnes’s novels that I recently read, Above Suspicion, I was struck by the way she managed to maintain her unique brand of storytelling while completely altering the experience of the two novels. With fourteen years between the publication of each book, and with seven books in between, MacInnes was able to evolve her story’s thrills to keep her genre fresh without losing touch with the writing style readers instantly came to know her for. I enjoyed the departures from Above Suspicion that she took in Pray for a Brave Heart, most notably the different way she approached her narrative. Bill Denning is a vibrant character and his unique blend of intelligence, humility and vague cynicism bleed through to MacInnes’s writing voice in a way that caught my attention from the very beginning and kept me entertained throughout.The story, as well, is a riveting journey through post-war Europe; deceptively simple on the surface, the reader is barraged with information, names, places, and scenarios in just the sort of tightly-wound way that gives a good suspense novel its ultimate pull. Smartly crafted, wonderfully paced, and filled with characters whose agendas could be either truthful or malicious, Pray for a Brave Heart is the quintessential exploration of the world of espionage; it’s suspense writing at its finest, and MacInnes at the height of creativity.(Review © Casee Marie, originally published on February 28, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)

Perhaps I didn't enjoy this book as much as her others because it's so realistic. The amateur-professional tension rings true, because the professionals wonder if the amateur has enough detachment to see the bigger picture (and realize that his lack of knowledge is a hindrance), while the amateur is wondering if the professionals have hidden regional preferences and a lack of normal human response (friendships and loyalty). The collaboration between the 'noble' political geniuses and the calculating criminals, who only object to murder because it's bad for repeat business, also rings true. Most favorite side character: Gregor, the small-time anti-Communist refugee who knows his place in the world. Best quote: "Gregor was watching her [Francesca the information cell organizer] as he might have looked at a favorite child, performing before company, whose pretty little ways were going to mean a couple of well-earned slaps once the visitors had gone."Second-best quote: "Francesca, Paul thought unhappily, lived too much with her bitter memories. Gregor was looking at her as if she were some strange phenomenon. 'Now you are being a little bit stupid," he said. Paula stared at him. But he wasn't trying to be rude. He was stating a fact. 'If you are worried,' she asked, 'why don't you call the police?' 'Police!' Gregor began to laugh. Then he checked himself. In a voice so low, and yet so intense that it was frightening, he said, 'What do they understand of political criminals? Pickers of pockets, yes. Murderers of wives, yes. But politicals saying, 'I am noble, look at me how noble!' And then they sell their brothers into slaves. Oh, they are evil, evil, of an evil you do not know. They pick up telephone, like this, easy. They say, 'Two hundred men for Kargopol Camp. At once.' And two hundred men are shipped. Like cattle.' He took a deep breath, almost a sob, into his powerful lungs...His whole body is crying with pain, Paula thought."Now that is writing.

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