Louise's Chance

Louise Pearlie #5

by Sarah R. Shaber

1940s, Washington DC. Government girl Louise gets her big chance, when she is tasked with recruiting German POWs for a secret mission inside Nazi Germany

Government girl Louise Pearlie has a new job inside the OSS – the Office of Strategic recruiting German prisoners-of-war for a secret mission inside Nazi Germany. It’s a big chance for her, and Louise hopes she can finally escape her filing and typing duties. With the job comes two new Alice Osborne, a propaganda expert, and Merle Ellison, a forger from Texas who just happens to speak fluent German.

But when the three arrive at Fort Meade camp, to interview the first German POWs to arrive there, their mission is beset by complications. Only one of the prisoners speaks English, the army officer in charge of the camp is an alcoholic and two prisoners disappeared on the ship bringing the Germans to the states. Were their deaths suicide? Officially, yes. But Louise can’t help but have her doubts . . .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, World War II, Historical

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Sarah Shaber is an award-winning mystery author from North Carolina. Her WWII historical mystery series begins with LOUISE'S WAR. It features young widow Louise Pearlie, a government girl who works for the Office of Strategic Services, the United States’ first spy agency.

Shaber is also the author of the Professor Simon Shaw mysteries, BLOOD TEST, and editor of TAR HEEL DEAD. Her first book, SIMON SAID, won the St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Award for best first traditional mystery. She is the Bouchercon15 (World Mystery Conference, 2015) Local Guest of Honor. Her home bookstore is Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. www.facebook.com/LouisePearlie

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really been enjoying this series since I picked it up at book three and despite missing books one and two, I have never felt like I'm missing anything, thought I can't for the life of me remember her previous experience with Agent Williams. Either he was in book one or two, or there's been too much time between novels and I've forgotten.

But I digress. Louise is a former clerk for America's secret agency. It's WWII and she's in D.C. working a new job with the Foreign Morale committee. I've heard of this before and this is extremely interesting to me. During the war, we made fake letters and postcards and graffiti to discourage Nazis and German soldiers...to lower their morale. Louise takes us into the backrooms of this project. Her mission is to turn German POWs who've recently been incarcerated in the States. They are needed to plant the propaganda behind enemy lines.

But while interviewing the POWs Louise gets involved in a murder mystery.

And her secret lover pops up again, though there's very little of this twist this time.

I like how the author delves into the attitudes toward women and women working during the war, the changing attitudes and the resistors. The writing is stellar, and I must applaud the author for something. Often when reading mysteries in which there are a lot of suspects, I grow confused. Too many characters are introduced too soon and too many backgrounds, causing me to lose track of who is who. Not so in this novel. All the prisoners relevant to the story are introduced with just enough detail that we can tell them apart and remember who's who.

Full review and favorite quote: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/...

[Bebe (Sarah) Brechner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing series that just keeps getting stronger and richer. I'm impressed with the authentic atmosphere of WWII from the perspective of a young widow working in intelligence in DC and feeling her freedom while discovering societal limitations for females and others. Louise has worked her way up from being a lowly filing clerk into top secret clearance but still encounters restraints put upon her gender. It is all subtly done - this is not a thriller or dogmatic type of novel. It is the routine daily details that bring the characters and plot to life. Louise uses common sense and dogged research to uncover wartime intrigue. This time she is working in propaganda, recruiting German POWs at a camp near DC. Superb research has gone into each of these books. You will enjoy this series and learn new things about the war. Highly recommended!

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely one of my favorite series because the main character, Louise Pearle is such a rebel with a cause aside from the things she is doing and getting involved in being so interesting. This time it is about prisoners of war, German and Italian, sent to the US for internment. Her new boss is also a strong woman. Loved it, read it slowly because who knows when the next one will be out.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much repetition. Not good in such a short book. I'm also not sure if I like Louise's new colleagues. The one good point to the last is the fact Louise seems to transfer between departments fairly frequently, so maybe she'll have new colleagues again further down the road.

For the first time, the mention of facts concerning wartime Washington D.C. felt force fed into the narrative and dialogue. Nor did the mystery plot pull me into the story.

Last of all, I need to say something about the covers of the Louise Pearlie series. Louise is described as a somewhat but not overly attractive, 30-year-old widow with thick glasses. Why then does the woman depicted on the cover of each book resemble a 25-year-old fashion model, sans glasses? Makes me want to hurl the book across the room. Just for your info Severn House Publishers, my mental image of Louise looks nothing like the covers.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NYPL! I finally got the chance to read this next in the series of Louise Pearlie! WWII, a woman trying to advance into a career that will last after the war ends. Louise has been working as a file clerk for O.S.S. and has a chance to prove her worth.

[Janet Kuchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery

Lots of twists and turns. Plenty of false evidence. When combined make an enjoyable read. But if possible please give yourself time to read at one sitting.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Louise's Chance," by Sarah R. Shaber, continues the story of a young North Carolina widow who moves to Washington DC during WWII, finding a job in the Office of Strategic Services (which later becomes the CIA). The series starts out with Louise as a file clerk, smart, sharp, loyal, can keep secrets and does her job without fanfare and listens and learns. In "Louise's Chance," she has moved up the ladder a bit, being transferred to a secret operation of interviewing German and Italian prisoners of war who have been transferred to prison camps in the eastern part of the country. Louise again shows her talents for observing and evaluating various bits and pieces these POWs will share and helps her superiors in determining who may be of use to their secret mission and who may be very detrimental. The background of wartime in the US combined with the details of everyday life for civilians has been handled very well by Ms. Shaber and added much to my knowledge of wartime America. As another novelist once said, the hope of a good novelist is that the written material encourages the reader to do more research of the subject on h/her own. The "Louise Pearlie World War II Novels of Suspense" have certainly met those criteria for me.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy these books so much! The WWII historical aspect is interesting, and Louise is such a good character—smart, but knows how to keep things to herself. Independent, happy to be earning a living in Washington, DC, but not a goody-goody. She has been promoted within the OSS to a different section, and is involved in a project to select certain German POWs to spread black propaganda back in Germany. It’s refreshing to have women performing important, strategic duties. Gave it a nine out of ten rating.

[Ann Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Again

This time Louise finds herself investigating a murder of German POWs being held at Fort Meade. She's been promoted but still works for the OSS. I find the details of the story fascinating. Ms. Shaber captures wartime Washington and makes me feel as though I'm there with Louise.

[Val Sanford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing entry in this series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid Louise Pearlie story by Sarah R. Shaber! This one wasn't my favorite in the series but still a good, solid mystery that wraps up tidily in the end.

[Susan Chapek]

This book gives Louise a taste of life on a military base, specifically to a compound where German prisoners of war are housed. I'm wolfing this series down!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is book five of the Louise Pearlie series. It is a standalone and you do not have to have read the prior books in the series to enjoy this one. The prior books do provide some great historical background information on Louise and the time period [WWII] of the story. As the series occurs during WWII, the attitudes of the time towards woman, races, and cultures are prevalent.

I find this to be a very enjoyable series. I love how the MC Louise is smart, observant, and very clever. She does, however, frequently downplay her intelligence - especially in deference to men - in fear of losing her job for being too outspoken. The tightrope that she walks in trying to achieve success as a woman in her time period and remain independent is very compelling. A great new twist - Louise is moved to a new assignment within the government and her boss is a woman. I love the historical aspects of the story and the mystery involving the deaths of the German POW's.

The narrator, Jenny Hoops, is fabulous, as always.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise is a 30ish widow working in the OSS in a clerical capacity when she is tagged for a job within the agency as assistant to a propaganda expert. The pay is better but some parts are a bit scary, like her very first airplane ride and then staying close to a POW camp to take notes while prisoners are interviewed. Lots of things are very real, like the effects of rationing and attitudes towards women. There are a couple of subplots that add interesting aspects as well.
Jenny Hoops is the perfect voice performance narrator as she really adds good things to the characters.
I was very lucky to win the audio in a giveaway!

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 5th entry in the Louise Pearlie series. Set during WWII, Louise is a young woman in Washington DC, working for the Registry Office filing papers. It's a boring job but it allows her to be independent. In this book, she's recruited into working for the OSS as the assistant to a woman in the office of destroying the enemy's morale (I can't remember the title). They work to recruit German prisoners of war to become agents for them. And of course there's a mystery involved, that's actually solved fairly quickly. Louise is an engaging character and I'd like to read more about her.

[CassandraG · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like a 1940 style mystery, you'll enjoy this one a lot. The narrator was quite good and does an excellent job of getting the story across. This is the fifth in the series and it's a good series with lots of interesting characters that have a sense of humor and their very own quirks and interesting plot lines. So when you get a chance pick up a copy and check them out.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new assignment and promotion for Louise, turns out to have many complication. To interview German POW to recruit to distribute flyers of propaganda, and the three women on this assignment, none spoke German. Would they in turn be taken prisoners. A tension filled story and wonder how they will get out. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, just a great story! the OSS, FBI and German POWS in the 40s. Working on propaganda and black ops, makes for a different mystery story. Add life in a boarding house a young woman with ambition and secrets.

[Mardy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

Louise's adventures continue as her character grows. A new venue has opened for her a whole new world. A terrific series!

[Stewart Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise Strikes Again

This series improves with every book. I'm at the point where I think I know Louise but she still surprises me.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, slow and repetitive.. I kept wondering when we were going to get to the plot.

[Lavender Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better and better. A very different setting and interesting mystery!

[Lauralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise is a spy, and she has been given the task to recruit German prisoners of war to go on a secret mission in Nazi Germany. When she arrives at the POW camp, she finds that her mission is complicated when they discover two POWs were murdered on the ship to America. This means that the murderer is still roaming inside the camp. Can they find the killer and bring him to justice? Most of all, can they recruit the best POWs for their secret mission?

Louise is good at keeping secrets. Indeed, upon meeting her, it seems that she has some secrets up her sleeves. Yet, she is hard-working and is really good at her job. She is observant and pays attention to the slightest details that most people miss. She is caring and likes to help her friends. However she is stubborn. She can also be very judgmental and sometimes her emotions clouds her reasoning. When she is clouded by her prejudices, she relies on her friends to help her see reason.

Overall, the story is fast-paced and the mystery is predictable. The story was filled with likable characters. The setting, which is mostly set in an American POW camp, is very intriguing. I thought it was beautifully written like any other WWII military novel. This novel was heavily researched and I liked the historical details in the novel. While it did not have all that much pulse-pounding action in the novel, there was a lot of suspenseful build-up. I recommend this novel to anyone that loves WWII novels, and for those who are interested in historical mysteries that feature a female sleuth.
(Note: I read an ARC copy in courtesy of Netgalley.)

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fifth volume of the Louise Pearlie World War II suspense series, Louise Pearlie, A North Carolina widow who has moved to DC to work as a typist for the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, has the chance for a new job within the OSS. Her job takes her to Fort Meade internment camp for German prisoners of war to interview prisoners for possible operatives to distribute propaganda behind enemy lines. When Louise, her boss Alice Osborne, and Merle Ellison, A Texan forger who speaks German, arrive at Fort Meade camp, their plans unravel.
Louise and her colleagues are all likable characters, the plot moves along well, the writing is excellent, but for me the real treat are the wonderful historical details of life in the DC area during the war, from clothes to books and movies and the limitations placed on women during the period. An extra bonus is the description of life in the boarding house where a variety of people: boarders, staff and owner, who never would have come in contact with each other under ordinary circumstances, interact and work, each in her/his own way to win the war.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest Louise Pearlie WWII mystery by Sarah Shaber. All are excellent reads. Louise works for the OSS in Washington as a file clerk while living in a boarding house with an interesting cross section of others . You get a very good picture of war time Washington that shows much research. In this book ouise receives a minor promotion. She is to go to Fort Meade, NJ with a team of three from the OSS, another woman who heads the team and a man. Fort Meade is being used to house German prisoners of war. The team will interview the prisoners and try to recruit several to return to Europe and work for te Americans. A few mysterious deaths add some kinks to the story.
Highly recommended (but start with the four earlier boojs if you want to rad about Louise.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it's lacking some of the historical detail and some of the suspense of earlier books in this series, it's still a pleasure to be back in Washington, where widowed Louise Pearlie has a promotion in the OSS. She's now helping her new boss find out which German prisoners of war can be turned to a career as Allied agents. The first group of prisoners comes to Fort Meade, but Louise's work is made more difficult by two mysterious deaths on board their transport ship, and another death in the prisoners' section of the Fort. Louise and her boss are sure that these deaths are murder, and that they are designed, at least partly, to terrify the other prisoners into refusing to cooperate.

[Readnponder · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I learn of a new installment in the Louise series, I run to the library. This time Louise is working at a POW camp for German prisoners in Maryland. She and her supervisor are seeking a man they can send back to the German forces as a double-agent of sorts.
I love the setting of WWII Washington. This one could have used one more round of editing as I found a few minor inconsistencies in the storyline.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the defeat of Rommel and surrender of Italy, prisoners of war began to arrive in the U.S. by the thousands. Louise Pearlie is assigned to a unit trying to recruit some of them for a disinformation campaign inside Germany. However, the project is thwarted at every turn by the menacing German camp commandant. The author has done her research and has a gift for transporting reader to WWII era Washington DC.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great traditional historical mystery from Sarah Shaber. The colorful history is really well researched but the plot moves at a steady pace without the cumbersome academic filler that bogs down other historical pieces. I adore Louise... In fact, I like to think we would be friends.

[Doug]

A POW Camp for Germans in the US during WWII. Louise and company trying to find some POW's willing to go back to Germany to distribute propaganda. An ok story.