THE SAFETY OF STRANGERS
By Ciji Ware

For the latest installment in her American Spy Sisters novels of historical fiction Ciji Ware once again shines with her thoroughly researched and eloquently told tale of a little known but important contribution women made to the allied war effort in World War II Europe. Though fictional this story reveals such accurate historical facts as the existence of a spy arm of British intelligence known as MI9. At the time Brits knew that MI5 was the British Intelligence agency dealing with threats inside the UK and that MI6 deals with threats outside the UK. Almost no one knew about MI9. That would include me until I read this novel. Legendary figures like Charles DeGaulle, Picasso and Josephine Baker make their appearance but the central figure is Brooke Bradley who escapes a Hollywood career as a blond bombshell in the Charlie Chan films (yes, Charlie Chan..look it up) when a whirlwind romance and subsequent marriage to a dashing French film star lands her in Paris just as Hitler’s Nazi storm troopers arrive after a furios Blitzkrieg through the Low Countries for the shocking conquest of France in June of 1940. Not only does Brooke find herself playing a role in the war effort..a role that she could never have imagined..she also discovered that marriage to a handsome film actor wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, particularly when you are harboring a dark secret that you can’t bring yourself to share with your new husband. Then things get really complicated..and dangerous. This is a terrific work of historical fiction that will keep you up late at night finding out what surprising twists the next chapter holds. Ciji Ware how as done it again!