An FBI agent hunts for an infamous Nazi spy--and risks more than he bargained for.

Handsome FBI agent Jake Bernstein is recruited by MI5 to go undercover in England and Ireland and investigate a naturalized American grandmother. His task: Discover if she was the notorious Nazi spy, Hummingbird, who caused the deaths of thousands during World War II. His obstacles: A dangerous, Irish neo-Nazi organization, the woman’s lovely blond granddaughter, and sixty years’ worth of lies. His priority: Stay alive!

Excerpt

“In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”
—Winston Churchill

Prologue

June, 1940

The four-decker ferry tossed about in the Irish Sea. Keeping her sea legs, Clare Eberhard stood and peeked through the curtains of stateroom number five. It was dark and the rain lashed the window with howling fury. She glanced at her watch. It was time.

Her heart leapt and her stomach tightened into a hard ball. Beads of sweat covered her brow. An attack of nausea threatened but she pushed it down. Her extensive training hardened her mind. This was wartime, a time for drastic measures and sacrifice. Every loyal German was a soldier. She was both loyal and a soldier.

A pounding at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Clare said to the girl sitting on the bunk, forestalling her from getting up. The pretty, blonde Irish girl looked up from her book of poetry and smiled. She tucked a needlepointed bookmarker into her book, swung her legs around, and planted her feet on the floor.

“’Tis sure to be the cabin steward with the tea I ordered. Please join me, Katy. ‘Tis bound to be an unsettling crossing. The tea will be soothing.”

Clare smiled, then frowned almost reflexively. The young Irish woman was sweet and charming. They had met each other an hour before boarding—although Clare knew her entire personal history—and had teased each other about their strikingly similar looks: Their height and figure, hair and skin color, facial features. All except for the eyes. The Irish woman’s were a striking hue of blue, almost turquoise. Physically, they could have been fraternal twins.

They’d discussed their plans for jobs in London, shared verbal summaries of their Curriculum Vitaes and basically hit it off. So much so, they decided to share the cost of a stateroom aboard the ferry, finding it prudent for two single women traveling alone.
Bile rose and burned her throat. Clare quelled her weakness and smiled at the Irish girl.
“Yes, I’d like that. Thank you. You’re very kind.” Clare put up her hand, making the girl hesitate. “I’ll get the door. I’m closest.”

She paused for a long moment as she gazed at the young woman’s countenance. The resemblance was so remarkable, the main reason why Horst had scouted the country and finally chosen her. She was just the right mark. Now, there was no stopping the chain of events that their superiors had set in motion two years before. They had their orders.
Such was war.

The Irish girl glanced at the door, then back at Clare. As if wondering why her new friend, Katy O’Donnell, was hesitating. A flare of the girl’s turquoise eyes alarmed Clare, prompting her to act. Forcing down any residual regret, Clare went to open the door a crack. She recognized her lover—now disguised as a common Irish machinist—and hurriedly stepped back so he could burst into the small room. She pushed the door shut against the squalling wind. Then Clare whipped around to watch the terrible thing that had to happen.

Word Count: 104919

Author: Donna Del Oro

Heat Level: 3
ISBN: 978-1-61937-135-4

My Thoughts:

A Bodyguard of Lies is one of those books that grabs you right from the start. There are two story-lines here, one about FBI agent Jake Bernstein recruited to investigate an old case regarding Nazi war crimes. The other story line is about Mary McCoy, the 80+ grandmother he is investigating for these crimes. To get close to Mary, Jake is sent on a tour where he gets close to Meg, Mary's granddaughter. He finds himself falling for this beautiful woman and is putting his investigation at risk. Even after all the years since WWII, Nazi war criminals are still being hunted and this story gives the reader an idea of what life was like to have people persecuted for their beliefs. Told with authoritativeness, the author brings the reader into the world of espionage and danger. Even today there are Neo Nazi groups out to make the world "pure Aryan".

There is also romance blended in with the mystery which makes the book a great read. Exploring the the intricacies of human emotion and passion for a cause, A Bodyguard of Lies is a must read, a historical fiction if you will that tells the horrifying story of how much devastation and loss there is in a war and how love perseveres even in the face of fanatical atrocities. There is just the right amount of steamy sex that does not overtake the story being told. I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book for review from Sizzling PR and was not monetarily compensated for my review.