The Resistance

Steiner’s suspenseful fourth thriller featuring former CIA spy and State Department operative Louis Morgon (after 2010’s The Terrorist) provides new details on how Morgon came to settle in rural France after Nixon’s secretary of state canned him in 1974. During renovations of his new home in Saint Léon, Morgon finds some faded documents and a brace of pistols concealed in a crawl space. These items prove to be connected with the French resistance against the Nazi occupation. He brings the materials to the local police officer, Jean Renard, whose father had a similar post under the Vichy regime. Flashbacks to WWII recount the struggles of ordinary Frenchmen to survive without surrendering their souls. A mystery concerning a possible traitor in the ranks of the resistance carries over into Morgon’s present. Steiner brings the period to life in a compelling manner, even if his lead is in the background for most of the book. Agent: Jennifer Lyons, Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. (Aug.)