Blood of Victory by Alan Furst

Blood of Victory
by Alan Furst
Random House 2002

One of my favorite genres is international thrillers. I have spent much of my life in international travel and business. In addition, this is the genre in which I enjoy writing.

Alan Furst has a wonderful talent for blending the sights and sounds of war, international intrigue, ambiguities of the Balkans, and the history of World War II. In Blood of Victory, we follow a Russian living in Paris during the Vichy regime. We come to know his friends in Paris, the expatriate Russian community, and Serebin’s participation in an effort to interdict the flow of Bulgarian oil to the Nazi war machine. We are also treated to a tour of Istanbul, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and France.

Serebin has accumulated loves along the way of his circuitous life, each of which requires a certain periodic touch. Amidst the horror of the war, including disruption of the lives of all of Europe, we see the evolution of one love as another comes to an end, with a few episodic encounters along the way.

We are also treated to an understanding of the Russian’s friendships amongst a range of people with as eclectic a background as Serebin himself.

It is always interesting to pick up a back list book when in the mood to move away from our normal reading habits, say for international travel and intrigue.

Whatever your choice of genre, put this fine book on your list, then relax and enjoy a different world in which you feel immersed.

Warms, Cym