Louise's Gamble

By Sarah R. Shaber

Young widow Louise Pearlie becomes embroiled in a perilous game of mafia bosses, Nazi spies and banished royalty in this wartime novel of suspense - 1942, Washington DC. Young widow Louise Pearlie is now a chief file clerk at the legendary OSS, the precursor to the CIA, and enjoying being an independent, working woman despite wartime privations. But a casual friendship struck up with Alessa di Luca, a secretive war refugee, sucks Louise into a dangerous game of mafia bosses, Nazi spies, banished royalty and Sicilian aristocracy – placing not only her job, but her life, in jeopardy . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Severn House Digital
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781780102290

Sarah R. Shaber

Sarah R. Shaber won the St. Martin's Press Award for Best First Traditional Mystery for her first book, Simon Said. Three sequels have followed, the most recent of which is The Bug Funeral, and she is at work on the fourth. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reviews for Louise's Gamble

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

espionage, WW2, Washington DCLouise works as a lead file clerk in the offices of the OSS during WW2 but is coming to know more displaced persons and their backgrounds. At least she thinks she knows about them. One of these friends turns out to be displaced aristocracy masquerading as an ordinary citizen and has a message for Louise's superior. Lots of intrigue and suspense balanced by well researched aspects of ordinary life during that war. Well done! I laughed at the references to having to color the oleo both in the book and in a few reviews because here in Wisconsin colored oleo was illegal from 1881 to 1967!The audio are performed by Jenny Hoops who really makes a positive difference.

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps my criticism has been blunted, but this book began better than the last few of Shaber’s. But then she continually drank champagne out of a flute, rather than a coupe. Ah, this is where a copy editor enters a good author’s life. As far as I can tell, w/o a detailed search, flutes came into vogue in the mid-seventies. The real sin came, though, when Lois’s took her shoes off in the apartment and then made mention of them being still off when she visited the loo. Really? And then she ran through the hotel barefoot? Took a taxi home barefoot? That must have been quite something to see in wartime DC. Hire a copy editor, sweetie. We aren’t that expensive.

[newsieq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Louise Pearlie is a file clerk with the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA, and is working in Washington D.C. in the opening months of World War II. She and many of her friends are knitting socks for soldiers. At a meeting of her knitting circle, one of the members – an Italian refugee – gives Louise a message to pass along to her supervisors at the OSS. Louise is surprised that Alessa knows where she actually works – it’s not something she and her co-workers discuss with anyone. Apparently whatever Alessa’s message contains, the OSS is interested. And when Louise tells her boss that Alessa wants to remain in contact with her alone, she is whisked away to “the farm,” a training center for OSS agents, for a few lessons in being an operative. And, although Louise is soon removed from the operation because of a suspicious death, she defies her superiors by investigating that death.Louise is a wonderful character I hope to read more about. This is light-hearted fun, cozy to its core, but the settings and situation rings true and the writing is great – which is what I expect from Ms. Shaber. I understand there will be at least two more in the series – which is good news for me and for other fans of light historical fiction.