A book straight from the Golden Age of Thrillers.

The story opens in London, 1936 with a woman falling under a train - did she jump or was she pushed? .

Then we meet socialite and Times journalist Lady Pamela More, who writes a popular column, talking about fashion and high society gossip. She is surrounded by men, who regularly put her in her place, so when circumstances allow her to enter the royal circle, she plans to make her mark. She is invited to interview Wallis Simpson, the newly crowned king’s American mistress.

Before the ice in her Martini has had a chance to melt, she finds herself recruited by MI5, to spy on the royal couple and report on their connections with Nazi Germany. Along the way she uses her many socialite contacts to enter a hidden world of sex, betrayal and conspiracy.

We're soon immersed in a gorgeous story of wealth, privilege, fashion and debauchery, filled with Russian Counts and Princesses, Nazi collaborators and gloriously camp drag queens. Taking place against the events leading up to WW2, the story is replete with people and places readers may recognise, and it's fun to spot where real-life events merge with the story. It's also a social commentary on how the 1930's upper-class of English society viewed Hitler, their King and his consort, and the inevitability of war. Personally, I also received an in-depth education on fashion designers.

The author is American, and a very few things slipped through which I wouldn't expect to hear in colloquial English, but otherwise this is a lovely, not-too-dark story. There are several sub-plots which nicely flesh out some of the characters, giving them an extra dimension. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Definitely recommended.