Death in Focus

Written by Anne Perry

Narrated by Susan Lyons

In the start of an all-new mystery series set in pre-World War II Europe, an intrepid young photographer carries her imperiled lover's final, urgent message into the heart of Berlin as Hitler ascends to power. On vacation from London on the beautiful Italian coast, twenty-eight-year-old Elena Standish and her older sister Margot have finally been able to forget some of the lasting trauma of the Great War. Touring with her camera in hand, Elena has found new inspiration in the striking Italian landscape, and she's met an equally striking man named Ian. Not ready to part from one another, she and Ian share a train trip home to England. But a shocking murder disrupts their agenda, forcing Elena to personally deliver a message to Berlin that could change the fate of Europe. Back home, Elena's diplomat father and secretive grandfather--the former head of MI6, unbeknownst to his family--are involved in their own international machinations. Working behind the scenes as Elena tries to complete her mission on the ground, they interfere with a crucial political rally for one of Germany's most outspoken fascists. With Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich on the rise, and Elena caught in the middle of an international incident, anyone she encounters might be part of a deadly plot. In the first novel of a riveting new series by bestselling author Anne Perry, family secrets merge with suspense on the world stage, and Elena learns that, in these complicated times, no one can be trusted, and she must learn to rely only on herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980012054

Anne Perry

With twenty million books in print, ANNE PERRY's was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime', for more information about Anne and her books, visit: www.anneperry.co.uk

Reviews for Death in Focus

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While in Amalfi photographing an economics conference, Elena is nearby when a body falls from a linen closet. She is sure her companion, Ian, recognized the body, but he says he does not. When they depart together for France, Ian is killed on the train and Elena finds herself in the middle of an espionage plot.This book started off much like a mystery novel but is much more aligned with a spy thriller.

[romonko · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anne Perry has started a new series. This one features a plucky twenty-something photographer by the name of Elena Standish. It is set in Europe and the UK and this book takes place in 1933. One war is barely over, and Europe is under the threat of another one starting again. It's a dangerous time, especially in Germany in 1933. Hitler's popularity is high in Germany because he has promised jobs and better times for Germans. A lot of his agenda has not been revealed as of yet. Elena is visiting Amalfi with her sister. She has been hired to take photographs at an economist conference. She meets a young man and starts out on an adventure with him on her way back home to England. When Ian gets killed on a train to Paris, before he dies, he asks Elena to finish his mission which takes her to Berlin. There is danger around every corner in Berlin, and Elena does not who to trust. After a dangerous cat and mouse game in Berlin she finally finds herself on her way home, but danger follows her everywhere. This is a very difierent series for Anne Perry. I have read everything she's written and this new series and this protagonist surprised me a bit. But the book has a remarkably tense plot and it carries on right until the last page. I look forward to reading more about Elena. I'm never disappointed with Anne Perry.

[cfk_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hitler is on the rise in Germany, the political leadership in London refuses see the danger and some are even impressed with Hitler's reorganization of Germany. MI6 is dominated by those are equally resistant to seeing the danger. The Standish family has served England since before the Great War. Father, former head of MI6, and son, current ambassador, stand firmly on opposite sides of the debate. Elena, driven out of the Foreign Service, finds herself caught up the middle of spies and traitors and the Gestapo.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

M16 spies in Berlin pre-WWII, good setting, fast pacing, lots of suspense, but rather a contrived ending, Writing is serviceable...I would have expected more from Anne Perry?

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The protagonist, Elena Standish, has made mistakes that have caused lasting damage to herself and her family. Unfortunately, she keeps repeating the same basic mistakes that come with inexperience and naivete. While Perry is not going to cut her main character a break, she does give her the spirit and determination to bring a house of cards down all around her. She falls in love in a minute, she jumps on a train with a self-imposed challenge to slay the perceived dragons and in doing so exposes many to possible harm. She takes a few hard knocks and gives back in kind. It could have happened; so many more extraordinary stories have come out of the time of Hitler’s ascent to ultimate power. The pervasive and eternal question of moral retreat, is it worse to kill or stand by and watch it happen without intervening? That dilemma is all over this book. A little bit dated, a little bit confusing, a little bit unbelievable. Anne Perry’s latest foray into the mystery/thriller genre with new characters left me basically disappointed. How many questions can any person pose and answer within the space of a page or a minute? It turns out many and I wanted to scream “Stop it right now”.Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for a copy.

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interbellum intrigue!What would you do if you'd been having a grand old time on the Amalfi Coast and then discovered a body in a hotel laundry cupboard. It's 1931, Elena Standish Is working as a photographer at an economics conference. Her sister Margot, who marches to the beat of her own drum, came along for the ride. The opening scene captures this so vividly. At some point Elena decides to join the young man, Ian Newton, who was with her when the body made its presence felt, on a journey to Berlin. Only her companion, that oh so nice young man, is shot on the train. With his dying breath he informs Elena that he's trying to stop an assassination of a top member of the Nazi party in Berlin. His reasons seem lucid so Elena decides to Cary forward with Ian's task.What we find out as the story continues is that Elena has had a somewhat unfortunate encounter with another man when she was working with the Foreign Office in Paris, embarrassing to her father as a high ranking Foreign Office official, and devastating for Elena. She had been asked to leave.Along with this it comes to light that Elena's grandfather Lucas, had been the head of MI16 during the World War I, and still has contacts in the service. Some of those contacts are worried about the rise of Hitler and Nazism and of Oswald Mosley's influence in England. What Elena sees in Berlin, the dangers she finds herself in, are horrendous and as she experiences first hand the lies and dangers behind Hitler's rise to power. (All the time Elena is photographing her journey).A complex novel full of intrigue and human interest that lays the ground for what I am sure will be, in inimitable Anne Perry style, a startling new series set in this Interbellum period, that of Elena Standish.I was struck by the almost mantra spoken of various ways throughout, Never Again, 'there should never be another war like the last one.' And one can sympathize with the British people in their memories of anguish, and their hopes that this had been the war to end all wars. We of course know differently. This works well into the way Perry's novel develops.Strong female leads, old school staunch combatants, a family that has more than carried its share of secrets and heartbreak from WW1 into a new and welcomed age that on the surface seems all that was hoped for, and is in reality completely alien to those hopes. All give an authenticity to this pre World War II thriller!A Random House ARC via NetGalley

[cyderry · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Normally, I devour the books by Anne Perry and have enjoyed her characters and writing immensely over the years, however, after 18 chapters and trying diligently to absorb the story being told, I was forced to abandon this promising new series. There was entirely too much gore for me to accept. In 18 chapters there were 2 murders, an assassination, and a person who apparently had their skin removed. I couldn't go on.I was very much interested in a character such as Elena Standish, seeing the second World War through the eyes of a photographer. I guess I just didn't expect the gory descriptions that came with it. As usual the writing was superb, the story appalling.

[jhoaglin-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anne Perry has been one of my favorite authors for several years, and so I was happy to have the opportunity to read this first in a new series which I was provided by Netgalley, the author, and Penguin Random House. The central character here is Elena Standish, a young British woman who, while on holiday in Amalfi becomes unwillingly involved in espionage that is ongoing during the build-up to WWII. In a few short but traumatic days she finds herself in Berlin, running for her life, a scapegoat for the Nazis. While there she observes people who are also living in terror and hiding out as much as possible, but also among many she sees a frenzied admiration of Hitler, a kind of desperate hope pinned on him. The author uses Elena and her family to explore and illustrate the divisions among the British people during the 1930’s in the lead up to WWII. Elena comes from a family where several have been involved in the War, and peace, efforts during and since WWI. Her father, Charles, has been in the Diplomatic Service for some time, and her grandparents, Lucas and Josephine, have both been engaged in clandestine activities. Of course, no one else in the family has been aware of that involvement, and Lucas and Josephine are only vaguely aware of each others’ role. There is conflict currently between Charles and his father, Lucas, about how England should be proceeding in the face of Germany’s increasing power. Charles is in the camp that favors concessions to Hitler, and that another war is to be avoided at any cost. Lucas, alarmed at the rhetoric and aggression he sees from Germany, believes that a second war is inevitable. But soon all that is put aside, as everyone in the family is seeking to do all they can to ensure Elena’s safety. The author also uses Elena to give us a piece of cautionary advice. While in Berlin, as she observes the German people, Elena begins to consider what she would do if these same things were happening in England. She thinks “you do not need to believe evil, only to use it’s methods. You will get accustomed to them, until eventually they are not your last choice, but your first. For a while, you can justify it to yourself, and then eventually you will not bother. You have forgotten what you were fighting for; now winning is the only objective. And the more you win, the more you justify it, until the whole idea of right and wrong disappears, and only winning matters”. I will be looking forward to the next installment in this series.

[lindapanzo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Over the years, I've loved the Anne Perry Christmas books, as well as the Pitt books and so I expected to love this one. Though it had a bit of a slow start, I ended up loving it, despite the fact that I was surprised at how different it is from her usual books. This is much more of a spy/thriller-type book.Despite my early misgivings, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the characters and the 1930's pre-war Germany setting.Ultimately, I would highly recommend this one to people who enjoy historical mysteries and/or to those who are willing to give a try to a completely different kind of book from an author who they thought they knew. Great possibilities here!!(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

[puglibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an advance reading copy through Netgalley. I've been a big fan of Anne Perry for years and this book does not disappoint. It's different--somewhat more of an thriller than a mystery and set in the 1930s, but no less amazing. I can see how people who just want a straight up mystery or a brainless escape might not enjoy it, but I loved it. It's quite fast paced and several scenes were very creepy without resorting to just graphic violence. While the character of Elena was not one that resonated with me right away, she started the grow on me, especially in conjunction with several of the other main characters. The detail in the history and the way we get to see each characters mind go through the process of absorbing what was going on in the 1930s in Germany was very engaging. Ms. Perry, as usual, delves into the human psyche and shows us the dark and the light. She holds nothing back when depicting the mindsets that led (and lead) people to support authoritarians. At points I was not sure where the mystery ended and the roman à clef began. I look forward to further developments in this series.

[spencer28-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm a big fan of Anne Perry's Inspector Monk series (though less so of her novels with the Pitt family), and was eager to see what she would do with a very different time period--Europe in the 1930's between the world wars. Elena Standish is a smart--though somewhat naive--young woman with a mission and a vision. As a photographer, she is interested in colors and shadows as she looks through her viewfinder, but soon finds that her camera is essential to capturing the maelstrom in Germany. This is recommended for fans of Maisie Dobbs and Maggie Hope, and I look forward to reading further entries in this new series.I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.