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Sleeping with the Enemy
With a new foreword by the author In occupied France, it's not always easy to tell the difference between collaboration and resistance. In an atmosphere of betrayal and brutality, the village of St Blaize is forced to cooperate with the occupying troops, while unknown to them German scientists based in the village work on a deadly nerve gas. But events conspire to turn the villagers into heroes rather than cowards, and bring the Death's Head Battalion of the SS to wreak vengeance on St Blaize. Years later, a woman hunts for revenge. The horror and anguish of the past must be lived again, and shameful secrets and forbidden lusts must come to light.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1973
42 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Anthony
113 books94 followersEvelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Stephens Ward-Thomas,
Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.
She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.
They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.
In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.
In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.
In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.
She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.
NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.
Additional information added from Wikipedia
Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.
She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.
They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.
In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.
In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.
In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.
She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.
NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.
Additional information added from Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 2, 2021
One of Ms. Anthony’s best! What a page turner and what a twist at the end! A tour de force! 5 stars
February 4, 2023
A longtime fan of Ms Anthony’s books, this was a find for me. Her novel The Defector was my first of her books . Now Stranger at the Gates. Very different, but much to my liking. Recommend it and recommend her as an author well worth reading!
October 4, 2012
A great WW II spy novel!
October 3, 2014
I have loved this story for a very long time, and keep going back to reread it. A fascinating take on surviving in wartime, the meaning of honour and the reasons behind the actions of heroes.
June 21, 2025
Reminiscent of the best of Helen MacInnes, MM Kaye, and Mary Stewart. Fabulous read and highly recommend if you enjoy a spy thriller with romance!
December 15, 2020
“Espionage is something which has always intrigued me,”
Ms. Anthony once said. "Curiously enough, a lot of women
are extremely good at it...because they have on the whole
tremendously good memories, with the superb eye for detail
and the imaginative flair which is needed in these jobs.”
[Source]
This novel portrays the Nazi occupation of a French village,
and the hazy line between resisting occupation and
collaborating with oppressors.
It is May 1944, just days before the Western Front bursts
open on D-Day. The Nazis have occupied the village of
St. Blaize en Yvelines for four years. So far (with one
exception when an Allied spy discovered there in 1942),
the Occupation in St. Blaize has been bloodless--even
cordial.
But the stakes change with the arrival of another
Allied spy. He reveals the unique and terrifying
truth about this group of Nazi occupiers.
The Nazi installation in St. Blaize contains a
secret which could foil the imminent Allied
offensive--and thus, turn the tide of the war.
Villagers assist the Allied spy in his mission.
The mission succeeds. And then comes a
Nazi attempt at an inhuman reprisal.
The novel is well-written and well-plotted.
***SPOILER ALERT***
.
.
.
The "secret" is that the Nazi installation
is home to a laboratory on the cusp of
completing a devastating nerve gas.
The plan is, once the gas is perfected,
it could be used to blunt the Allied
liberation of France--with an estimated
death toll of 250,000 Allied troops
and 1,000,000 French civilians. The
Allied spy's mission is to kill the
scientist (disguised as a General) at
the head of the project, as well as
destroy the laboratory.
It turns out that the Anthony's
plot isn't very far from the truth.
In fact, the truth is worse than
Anthony's nightmarish fiction.
Specifically, we now know that Hitler's
laboratories succeeded in
producing over 10,000 tons of sarin
gas--enough to kill millions, if
deployed successfully. But, for
unknown reasons, Hitler never deployed
the weapon. As for why Hitler
resisted Generals' urgings to use the
sarin gas, this remains a much-debated
puzzle of WWII history
Ms. Anthony once said. "Curiously enough, a lot of women
are extremely good at it...because they have on the whole
tremendously good memories, with the superb eye for detail
and the imaginative flair which is needed in these jobs.”
[Source]
This novel portrays the Nazi occupation of a French village,
and the hazy line between resisting occupation and
collaborating with oppressors.
It is May 1944, just days before the Western Front bursts
open on D-Day. The Nazis have occupied the village of
St. Blaize en Yvelines for four years. So far (with one
exception when an Allied spy discovered there in 1942),
the Occupation in St. Blaize has been bloodless--even
cordial.
But the stakes change with the arrival of another
Allied spy. He reveals the unique and terrifying
truth about this group of Nazi occupiers.
The Nazi installation in St. Blaize contains a
secret which could foil the imminent Allied
offensive--and thus, turn the tide of the war.
Villagers assist the Allied spy in his mission.
The mission succeeds. And then comes a
Nazi attempt at an inhuman reprisal.
The novel is well-written and well-plotted.
***SPOILER ALERT***
.
.
.
The "secret" is that the Nazi installation
is home to a laboratory on the cusp of
completing a devastating nerve gas.
The plan is, once the gas is perfected,
it could be used to blunt the Allied
liberation of France--with an estimated
death toll of 250,000 Allied troops
and 1,000,000 French civilians. The
Allied spy's mission is to kill the
scientist (disguised as a General) at
the head of the project, as well as
destroy the laboratory.
It turns out that the Anthony's
plot isn't very far from the truth.
In fact, the truth is worse than
Anthony's nightmarish fiction.
Specifically, we now know that Hitler's
laboratories succeeded in
producing over 10,000 tons of sarin
gas--enough to kill millions, if
deployed successfully. But, for
unknown reasons, Hitler never deployed
the weapon. As for why Hitler
resisted Generals' urgings to use the
sarin gas, this remains a much-debated
puzzle of WWII history
January 7, 2021
I believe the 1st time that I read a novel by Evelyn Anthony I was in high school and I've never forgotten her name as this author was my introduction to reading spine-tingling thrillers of intrigue and espionage. I haven't read a novel by Evelyn Anthony in several years so it felt like a treat to myself to purchase another title. I didn't realize until 2012, when I read "The Janus Imperative" that Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Ward Thomas, a British female writer. Her pen name is derived from the name of St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost things. I was also fascinated at that time to learn that one of my all-time favorite movies was actually written by Evelyn Anthony the year I graduated from high school. WoW! "...1971 The Tamarind Seed was adapted for film in 1974, starring Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow, a British Home Office functionary and Omar Sharif as Feodor, a Soviet air attaché- lovers involved in Cold War intrigue."
"Stranger at the Gates" is a story written about post-WWII. On an ordinary day in the de Bernard household there is a woman at the property gates that widow Louise de Bernard never expected to meet let alone invite her into her home. The stranger is the wife of a former SS Officer that is now on trial in Germany for wartime atrocities when he was billeted with the de Bernard family in Paris in 1944.
There are many secrets in wartime not only held by the military but also by civilians that live to preserve as much normalcy as possible for themselves but more importantly for their children. But sooner or later, everyone must decide what side they wish to follow, what side should prevail, what actions should they take during wartime so their consciences will allow them peace in all the days thereafter. This is one such riveting and page-turning story.
"Stranger at the Gates" is a story written about post-WWII. On an ordinary day in the de Bernard household there is a woman at the property gates that widow Louise de Bernard never expected to meet let alone invite her into her home. The stranger is the wife of a former SS Officer that is now on trial in Germany for wartime atrocities when he was billeted with the de Bernard family in Paris in 1944.
There are many secrets in wartime not only held by the military but also by civilians that live to preserve as much normalcy as possible for themselves but more importantly for their children. But sooner or later, everyone must decide what side they wish to follow, what side should prevail, what actions should they take during wartime so their consciences will allow them peace in all the days thereafter. This is one such riveting and page-turning story.
October 30, 2012
I was a bit confused trying to find this book, as it appears there's a very similar book with the same title and this one is also known as Sleeping with the Enemy. I think The Occupying Power is a far better title. I really enjoyed this and found most of the characters believable. Ilse Minden and her lawyer were a bit problematic for me - I wanted to know what they knew and how they knew it. The ending of the trial felt rather contrived. My legal knowledge is somewhat lacking, but I don't feel certain that the lawyer would have given in to Savage. Of course, I don't see how the lawyer could have refused to accept his client's decision to change his plea to guilty, but, like I said, I'm not a lawyer.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit surprised that the Nazis didn't kill even one of the children, but that only came afterwards. I do think it a bit silly that none of the Nazis connected Louise's sudden desire for sex with the deaths and sabotage. Even if the explanations were satisfactory, I would have expected rather more suspicion, particularly on the part of Vierken. I would have also liked to know what happened when the Germans couldn't find Vierken or his driver, when they found the execution squad killed and the children missing, though apparently not murdered and buried. What were the consequences for the village resulting from that and the sudden disappearance of the men who joined the resistance?
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit surprised that the Nazis didn't kill even one of the children, but that only came afterwards. I do think it a bit silly that none of the Nazis connected Louise's sudden desire for sex with the deaths and sabotage. Even if the explanations were satisfactory, I would have expected rather more suspicion, particularly on the part of Vierken. I would have also liked to know what happened when the Germans couldn't find Vierken or his driver, when they found the execution squad killed and the children missing, though apparently not murdered and buried. What were the consequences for the village resulting from that and the sudden disappearance of the men who joined the resistance?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2013
Sleeping with the enemy
Although this is a romantic story with an ending that’s a bit too happy to be believable, I still had to give it a 4. There’s so much that’s good about it.
• An intricate plot. There are a few elements one could nitpick, like the happy coincidence that water both neutralizes the gas and destroys the files, or the relatively few deaths suffered by the good guys. But for the most part the author handles the layered plot masterfully and makes it easy to follow.
• Lots of tension. The terror and fear of the characters in the horrifying situations they find themselves in seems genuine to me and makes the victorious outcome that much more enjoyable.
• Louise and Savage are a little too perfect but otherwise the book succeeds in making me think about tough questions which the Second World War inevitably raises and which make it the perfect setting for a good book. How would I have acted if I lived under Nazi rule? Was it right to collaborate with the invaders for the good of the community? Or to think of the individual over the society? How could Minden save the children yet believe in the rightness of the Reich? And then there’s the question of evil.
I'm surprised that, as far as I can tell, this was never made into a movie.
Although this is a romantic story with an ending that’s a bit too happy to be believable, I still had to give it a 4. There’s so much that’s good about it.
• An intricate plot. There are a few elements one could nitpick, like the happy coincidence that water both neutralizes the gas and destroys the files, or the relatively few deaths suffered by the good guys. But for the most part the author handles the layered plot masterfully and makes it easy to follow.
• Lots of tension. The terror and fear of the characters in the horrifying situations they find themselves in seems genuine to me and makes the victorious outcome that much more enjoyable.
• Louise and Savage are a little too perfect but otherwise the book succeeds in making me think about tough questions which the Second World War inevitably raises and which make it the perfect setting for a good book. How would I have acted if I lived under Nazi rule? Was it right to collaborate with the invaders for the good of the community? Or to think of the individual over the society? How could Minden save the children yet believe in the rightness of the Reich? And then there’s the question of evil.
I'm surprised that, as far as I can tell, this was never made into a movie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2010
Interesting take on Occupied France during WWII, told from the viewpoint of a village of collaborators. The conflicts must have been terrible, betraying one's ideals in order to "keep the peace" and not bring Nazi retribution on one's family and village. Of course, Anthony, like Helen MacInnes, is fiercely pro-Allies, pro-America, pro-democracy, so the story takes the turn one might expect. I especially appreciated the relationship between Sophie and her adult daughter. A light romance set in a tense and terror filled time. The characters are sympathetic and not unrealistic. Recommended for romance lovers, WWII fans and those who like a fast, exciting read without a lot of complications.
November 5, 2016
I loved it. Action and suspense-packed from beginning to end. I read it in one sitting.
March 23, 2022
Era o stradă largă şi liniştită, străjuită de castani. Puţinele case erau protejate de ziduri şi de porţi din fier forjat. Era un cartier al bogătaşilor, dar nu al celor care făcuseră avere de curând şi care'doreau să epateze. Totul era aici mai estompat, mâi reţinut, dar în acelaşi timp îţi dădea măsura statutului social al celor care locuiau în aceste case. Taxiul care străbătuse încet toată strada şe opri în cele din urmă în faţa a două porţi înalte de fier. În vârful lor se afla o porţiune strălucitoare, un cerc alcătuit din frunze de stejar şi un semn heraldic înfăţişând un porc mistreţ cu o coroană pe cap. Şoferul coborî şi deschise uşa'pasagerului său.
— Am ajuns, spuse el. Aceasta este strada de Varenne.
Din maşină coborî o femeie, mişcându-şi cu greutate trupul masiv sprijinit pe nişte picioare groase. Era îmbrăcată într-un palton ponosit, o fusta simplă şi pantofi fără tocuri, iar părul cărunt i se ivea pe sub o pălărie de fetru cu un aspect jalnic. Deschise poşeta şi-i dădu şoferului exact cât marcase aparatul. După'o clipă de ezitare adăugă şi un simbolic bacşiş. Şoferul luă banii, porni în ţjrabă motorul şi demară fără'să-i mai mulţumească. Femeia rămase pe trotuar, cu ochii aţintiţi asupra porţilor. În spatele acestora se vedea o casă, o clădire de piatră cu trei etaje, cu o faţadă în sAtil clasic, operă a unui arhitect din secolul al XVlII-lea. În curtea pavată, la partea de jos a scărilor, se aflau două urne uriaşe din piatră, umplute cu flori. Femeia rămăsese nemişcată, privind în continuare prin grilajul porţilor, de parca nu ştia încă ce să facă. Sosise la raris cu o noapte în urmă, se cazase într-o modestă pensiune de pe malul stâng al Senei, şi petrecuse o seara îngrozitoare în singurătatea camerei sale. Nu mai călătorise niciodată în străinătate. Tinereţea şi-o petrecuse în Germania perioadei dinainte de război în care călătoriile în afara ţării erau descurajate cu fermitate, iar apoi venise războiul, care o legase definitiv de casă şi de slujba ei cu o jumătate de noripă la un spital.
— Am ajuns, spuse el. Aceasta este strada de Varenne.
Din maşină coborî o femeie, mişcându-şi cu greutate trupul masiv sprijinit pe nişte picioare groase. Era îmbrăcată într-un palton ponosit, o fusta simplă şi pantofi fără tocuri, iar părul cărunt i se ivea pe sub o pălărie de fetru cu un aspect jalnic. Deschise poşeta şi-i dădu şoferului exact cât marcase aparatul. După'o clipă de ezitare adăugă şi un simbolic bacşiş. Şoferul luă banii, porni în ţjrabă motorul şi demară fără'să-i mai mulţumească. Femeia rămase pe trotuar, cu ochii aţintiţi asupra porţilor. În spatele acestora se vedea o casă, o clădire de piatră cu trei etaje, cu o faţadă în sAtil clasic, operă a unui arhitect din secolul al XVlII-lea. În curtea pavată, la partea de jos a scărilor, se aflau două urne uriaşe din piatră, umplute cu flori. Femeia rămăsese nemişcată, privind în continuare prin grilajul porţilor, de parca nu ştia încă ce să facă. Sosise la raris cu o noapte în urmă, se cazase într-o modestă pensiune de pe malul stâng al Senei, şi petrecuse o seara îngrozitoare în singurătatea camerei sale. Nu mai călătorise niciodată în străinătate. Tinereţea şi-o petrecuse în Germania perioadei dinainte de război în care călătoriile în afara ţării erau descurajate cu fermitate, iar apoi venise războiul, care o legase definitiv de casă şi de slujba ei cu o jumătate de noripă la un spital.
May 20, 2019
This genre is new to me and the librarian recommended it from a very limited number of books available in English in our library here in Pescia Italy. I found it engaging and well written.
Read
July 5, 2019כנראה שזה חלק ממאפייני הז'אנר, אבל ברגע שהעלילה נעשתה כבר ממש לא הגיונית, הפסקתי.
June 26, 2020
Read in 1975. A mystery which I have forgotten.
July 4, 2020
Good, tense plotting. "Love story" gets in the way sometimes or maybe it's the weakness of the female protagonist.
April 4, 2022
My first read of Evelyn Anthony, a gripping writer on the subject of occupied France during WWII. Would love to read more books of hers.
August 27, 2022
Entertaining. Definitely for anyone interested in stories set during WW2, and who is a bit of a romantic!
April 4, 2023
Excellent, read in a day.
September 30, 2024
Super!
The American born Louise de Bernard’s quiet life in France has changed forever as she has plunged into remembering the past. Now she must tell the truth of those dangerous days to her children. I love EvelynAnthony’s books.
Ready years ago.
The American born Louise de Bernard’s quiet life in France has changed forever as she has plunged into remembering the past. Now she must tell the truth of those dangerous days to her children. I love EvelynAnthony’s books.
Ready years ago.
July 27, 2011
One of her better books.....but it still has the main trademarks of her other novels
Want to read
February 16, 2013Recommended by Lillian from u3a
Read
February 4, 2016ecxcellent
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews