This is an entertaining, suspenseful read and I especially Edith’s character! The war has ended but there’s still distrust between the US and Britain. The Control Commission for Germany is hiring British civilians to work in Germany to basically be spies. A perfect candidate is Edith, she’s single and a schoolteacher, and she’s up for the challenge. Her persona is Stella Snelling, a cookbook author. She soon discovers the world of espionage is ruthless and nothing like her life in Britain as a schoolteacher. Thank you to Book Club Girl, William Morrow, NetGalley, and Celia Rees for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I thought that this book was going to be something completely different than what it actually turned out to be. Unfortunately, this book read as kind of dark and I am looking for something to take my mind off of the dark things happening right now so this just isn't the book for me right now.

Edith Graham spent the war teaching at a girls school outside Coventry and taking care of her mother but after the end of the war she decided to sign up for the British Control Commission to help establish schools in in devastated postwar Germany. Postwar Germany is teeming with refugees, spies, and unrepentant Nazis and Edith is in over her head when she is asked by the British, the Americans, and a third group to locate an SS doctor who was her lover and friend years before the war. No one is what they seem and Edith sifts through clues and sends back information coded in recipes. The doctor is located and plans are set in place by all three groups who desire very different outcomes, with Edith caught in the crosshairs.

I found the book impossible to put down as it moved towards an unexpected and shocking conclusion. The vivid descriptions of a defeated Germany, realistic and compelling characters, and twisty plot combine to create a memorable novel.

I will not explain the plot. All said on the book summary is correct but I will say this was an EXCELLENT book , I LOVED it and predict it will be a best seller. It was very intelligent and well written. All of the female characters of Eve, Dori, Vera, Adeline, and Elizabeth were very strong, smart, and powerful . I loved Eve. She had many layers and sides which made her character interesting. This book was never boring, held my interest, and made me want to keep reading. Very surprising ending. I want to thank Net Galley for letting me read this advanced copy to review. If you are a fan of WW2 historical fiction, you will love this.

“Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook” is an enthralling Post World War II tale involving the various spy agencies, American and British, vying to fulfill their conflicting agendas regarding the disposition of Nazi War Criminals. The American and British each have warring factions that either want to bring the Nazi’s to justice for their crimes, or hire them for their “unique” talents to be used in the Cold War against the Soviets. Added to the mix is a love interest that works for the Haganah in what was then Palestine.

Three women are caught up in this intrigue. Edith Graham, an English school teacher, is recruited by the British to use her position as an Administrator for the Control Commission establishing schools in Germany to find Kurt von Stavenow and his wife Elisabeth. Kurt was a former lover she knew before the war who had become a doctor that performed experiments on concentration camp inmates. As Edith becomes embroiled in espionage for the Americans and the British, she discovers the conflicting agendas of the various agencies.

Edith works behind the scenes with both Dori and Adeline, two women she met in an air raid during the War, corresponding with them using code written in recipes referencing a specific cookbook. Dori, an expatriate from Eastern Europe, was a spy both during and after the war. Adeline is an American war correspondent who also works a sideline as a spy for America. All three women wish to find the von Stavenow’s to bring them to justice and hope to thwart those groups among the Americans and British that want to use Kurt for his knowledge of ways to exterminate in large numbers.

What ensues is a captivating novel written in beautiful prose that evokes the post war era with its scenes of destruction set amidst the pastoral beauty of Germany. Its an epic tale from a perspective rarely seen in World War II literature—the conflicting treatment of Nazi war criminals, both vilified and also used by the Allies in their quest to win the Cold War. This author will definitely be added to my list of favorite writers!

Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees an excellent historical fiction novel that takes place post WWII London/Germany.

Edith Graham enters the world of espionage, intelligence, reconnaissance, deception as an undercover woman from London through the OSS to the complicated and harrowing post-war Germany to sift out and find her marks/persons of interest. One of the methods of passing on her findings is covertly through recipes. This aspect I think is totally ingenious. Edith (Stella Snelling as her new persona is named) is thrust into a world of conspiracies, shadiness, deception, knowing not who or what to trust. Past relationships that Edith was a part of before/during the war are again brought to the surface during her undercover plans while she is in Germany.

This book has it all: suspense, espionage, mystery, double-handed doings, love and loyalties lost. Grey areas abound. There are twists and turns throughout and the ending is just stunning. I enjoyed the character of Edith and also enjoyed the pace, plot, and ending. I love that this took place in post-war Germany. Not a time that has been used much lately.

This book is unique and was very enjoyable and will most definitely be memorable.

Very impressive 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Interesting historical fiction set after the end of the Second World War in a divided Germany. An unsuspecting, single school teach, bored with her British life, applies to work with the Civil Service to establish schools in occupied Germany. Soon she is pulled in multiple directions by distant relations and close friends seeking informaitno and hoping she'll help track down hidden "bad apples" hiding in Germany - including a former love who became a prominent Nazi doctor. Many twists and quite a surprise ending kept me turning the pages! HIghly recommend. Will appeal to fans of Beatriz Williams and similar authors.

Great premise -- young British woman in post WWII longs to contribute -- ends up in a world of espionage under the cover of helping establish primary schools in post WWII Germany. Part of her cover story -- the author of a popular column of adversity recipes in which she embeds secret information. Good characters, good plot -- could have been edited down a bit. I feel like I had to read a lot than was necessary to move the plot or the characters along. On the other hand, if you're enjoying the story, you might be happy for it to take a little longer than necessary!

World war II may have ended, but the subterfuge and secrecy have not. Great Britain has created the Control Commission for Germany, which they use to control their area of occupation. Edith Graham applies for a job with the commission, but instead of the desk job she imagines, she’s recruited by the OSS. Her mission is to blend in, make friends and secretly ferret out Nazi war criminals. She poses as a teacher and creates an alternate identity as Stella Snelling, a cookbook author. As Stella, Edith will send encoded messages back to the OSS. The jon sound thrilling, just what Edith is looking for, but she soon discovers that this is no game; no one in Germany is what they appear to be. This is a thrilling look at the period after World War II that seems to have been largely forgotten by both history and writers. A thrillingly look back at the search for justice for the millions of Jews killed during the Holocaust