Set during the Hungarian revolution in 1956 and the immediate Soviet response, this is a beautifully written piece of historical narrative fiction. Budapest and the surrounding country are so perfectly described that I could visualize them and found myself swept away by the pace and plotting.

It's rare to find an author who is so gifted writing descriptive prose. I really felt completely immersed in the story. I was engaged with the characters and really hoping everything would work out in the end. The juxtaposition of brutal, even casual, violence and art and culture, love and humanity, living side by side were heartbreaking.

It's a relatively short book (Amazon lists it as 169 pages) and is a quick but very profound read. It's not very often that I find myself finishing a book and having the desire to go back and re-read it. This one did it for me. I really enjoyed this book so very much.

It's listed as the second Cara Walden mystery, but works perfectly well as a standalone book. I intend to go buy the first book, and have added the author to my future TBR list as well.

Exceptional book.

Five stars

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Lisa Lieberman, and Passport Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

Though it is completely stand alone, this is a sequel to Lisa Lieberman's novel All the Wrong Places. We travel with the same people into Budapest in 1956, between the first and second wave of Russian soldiers intent on crushing the Hungarian revolution. Cara and Grey Walden are on a mission to rescue their older brother, Zoltan Szabo and his family. That older brother they previously knew nothing about. An overworked story line but a book you cannot put down. These are people easy to adore and an exciting story. Lisa Lieberman we need more books of this caliber exploring with us the politics and personalities of Europe and the Middle East during the last century. Our exposure to same is criminally limited. Thank you!