The Continental Affair

Starred review from May 22, 2023
Richly layered characters, opulent settings, and graceful prose elevate this captivating crime caper from Mangan (Palace of the Drowned) above most similar fare. In the 1960s, 40-something Henri, once a gendarme in Algeria, now works for his hoodlum cousins in southern Spain, collecting and delivering illegal payments. A straightforward bag drop at a cemetery goes awry when Louise Barnard, an enigmatic 28-year-old British woman traveling across Europe, stumbles on the bag and makes off with the money. Though keen to recover the cash, Henri refrains from obstructing her getaway, leisurely pursuing her as she makes her way by train from Granada to Paris and Belgrade to Istanbul. Ashamed of his past and feeling displaced, he takes pleasure in leaving Spain, intent on discovering more about the woman. As for Louise, though she knows she’s being pursued, she remains committed to following in the footsteps of her estranged mother across the continent. As Louise and Henri’s journey nears its conclusion, tough choices, personal sacrifice, and high danger await them. Alternating viewpoints and a shifting timeline enliven the yarn, and Mangan’s character exposition and vivid depictions of exotic locales are sublime. This is a treat. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group.

June 15, 2023
A thrilling chase through 1960s Europe with an emotional core and gorgeous prose. Henri and Louise fatefully cross paths one morning at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Henri is a former gendarme living in exile from his homeland of Algeria. Louise is running, too--from a shadowy past in London and the chains of gendered expectations. When she steals the money that Henri is supposed to protect, the two end up in a cat-and-mouse chase across continental Europe--from Granada to Istanbul, with stops in Paris and Belgrade. As the narrative unfolds and an unlikely bond forms between the thief and the enforcer, the reader learns about both their pasts--including crimes, secrets, and private shames. Alternating chapters weave together their final train ride (from Belgrade to Istanbul) with their individual histories and the two-week journey that has brought them to this critical point. The book is front-loaded with too much backstory, but a patient reader will quickly be rewarded by an unconventional heist narrative that is equal parts moving and thrilling. Although they try to resist it, an attraction emerges between Henri and Louise that is at once organic and bittersweet, informed by their shared pain and respective cultural baggage. Mangan's prose is evocative and specific--she brings midcentury Europe to life through sensory descriptions that conjure the sights, smells, and tastes of each iconic city. The novel is a smart riff on a familiar genre, with complex protagonists and a clich�-defying love story. Even minor characters are imbued with surprising depth, making for memorable, and often humorous, interactions throughout. The world that Henri and Louise inhabit is, at times, heartbreaking, but it is never bleak thanks to the beauty of the language. Through Henri and Louise, the text offers insights about gender and colonization that are as relevant now as they ever were. For fans of spy thrillers and literary romances alike. A cat-and-mouse caper with the usual stock characters replaced by complex human beings.

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July 28, 2023
Disturbed by the brutal police suppression of Algeria's postwar independence protests, Henri deserts the Algerian gendarmerie and joins family in Granada. There, he makes a clear break from his inner cop by handling money drops for a criminal organization led by his cousins. While waiting for a drop in the Alhambra, Henri watches spellbound as a woman snatches the cash. Knowing his life depends on bringing back the money, Henri follows her. But his determination to retrieve the cash recedes as he observes his quarry's palpable desperation fade after using the stolen money to purchase a train ticket to Paris. Louise, the mysterious woman Henri pursues, believes fate has funded her escape from a lifetime of servitude to her controlling father. Unfortunately, the Granada outfit sends a heavy to track Henri and Louise in a cat-and-mouse chase from Paris to Istanbul. Driven by the slowly ratcheting tension of the chase and Henri and Louise's reluctant attraction, the latest by Mangan (Palace of the Drowned, 2021) is an atmospheric blend of film noir, classic mystery intrigue, and evocative travelogue.

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